Media moguls collide!

Well by now you have pretty much got the idea of the kind of week that lay ahead in front of me and are full of sympathy and understanding at my precidament I found myself in the Middle East - truly an exhaustive week of wrestling with hard core decisions and choices, so to make life a little easier in between wrestling, I decided to find out who else was at the hotel for the competition.

First up, Mr Alexandre Esteves was sitting comfortably in the hotel lounge, enjoying a coffee, when his enjoyment was interupted by the arrival of my good self, as I made my introductions, one professional (cough cough) to another. To those who don't know Mr Esteves is the director of Brazilian based Tatame magazine, so I thought it prudent to indulge in spot of international media PR shenanigans and without further ado (and more wrestling) a rather enjoyable afternoon, with light refreshments, was spent discussing in depth media and grappling issues, too detailed and in depth to explain on a mere Blog like this, between two consumate professionals from two countries united in a common goal.

If that wasn't enough and unbeknownst to him as he exited the hotel lift and en route to the hotel lounge for solace and sustenance, Marccelo Dunlop's life (or whole week) was to change for the good, as he found himself in the company of another journalistic leviathan from the mean streets of Bolton. Mr Dunlop is the editor of the legendary Gracie magazine, the monthly bible for all BJJ and grappling men and women in the know. Marcelo was here for the week to soak up the hospitality and cover the event for the magazine and their website, to keep the Brazilian readers up to speed on the upcoming event at the weekend.

So there it was in the hotel lounge - a triangle of wordsmiths, united in the pursuit of all things photographic and from the pen and keyboard, brought from north and south of the equator to the Middle East to be present at one of the most expensive BJJ competitions to date in terms of prize money.

It don't get much better than this!