The 2023 Rome International Open took place at the PalaPellicone in Lazio, Italy on Wednesday, October 25th, just ahead of the European No-Gi. CheckMat were the overall team champions, winning the title for the second time at the event.

Two CheckMat athletes who helped propel the team to the title were middleweight Lucas Protasio and featherweight Astrid Scholin. Lucas won two matches to take gold while Astrid secured a victory in her only match of the day. Both Lucas and Astrid also won gold at the London Open just a week and a half prior.

The open class champions of the event were Salla Simola of Hilti BJJ Turku and Austin Oranday of Alliance. Salla commented on her day in Rome, stating “I fought two matches, winning both by submission. It felt really good to make my black belt debut, especially after battling some injuries at the end of my brown belt run. Now I’m just excited for Saturday when I get to showcase more of my skills at No-Gi Europeans!” Austin won four fights to become the Rome Open absolute champion.

2023 Rome International Open team results:

1. CheckMat

2. Gracie Barra

3. JS Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu