Superfight @ the Glasgow Open 2011!

I had the pleasure and privilige of facing three stripe BJJ brown belt Christian Graugart from Denmark at the Glasgow Open on Saturday 15th October; many of you will know Christian through his well read Blog and website http://www.bjjglobetrotter.com/ and from the pages of Jiu Jitsu Style magazine http://bjjstyle.com/

I have been duly informed by the organiser James Mcintyre that this was the first ever contest between two Brazilian Jiu Jitsu brown belts held on Scottish soil, so that's definitely one for the record books :)



Even when you lose you can always take away something positive and for me that was three fold:-

1 - I didn't get swept :) Christian attacked me with four sweeps and I managed to keep my base and composure. Only after defending the last sweep, did he manage to fire in a super fast diamond and go for the triangle.

2 - I didn't get injured :) For a creaky old Senior 2, competing against the young guns doesn't come without the risk of injuries; I am not as lithe and fast as I used to be and I knew I had to be super aware of not picking up any injuries during the match and that made me very cautious at the start. At the end of the comp I walked off the mats in one piece and with all my faculties in working order.

3 - I didn't get SMASHED :)

Afterthoughts:- I was very pleased with my first outing as a brown belt and wanted to get it out of the way as quick as possible; I was pleased I didn't get wasted within thirty seconds and I didn't feel out of my depth as a newly promoted brown belt. I was complimented by Christian, telling me I was 'old man strong' and gave him a good fight and that made me feel good. I enjoyed the chance to test myself against a very well rounded and seasoned brown belt and I am very much looking forward to my next competition at the Hereford Open on December 4th.