At the Grapple At The Temple 2 event on Feb 5 in Nai Harn, there was a host of techniques on display from practitioners across Phuket, and Thailand.
The island’s burgeoning BJJ scene descended upon the Temple Jiu Jitsu Academy in southern Phuket for a highly-anticipated competition that didn’t disappoint. Expert submission grapplers and Jiu Jitsu practitioners were also invited from all over the Kingdom to take part in ‘Super Fights’ that wound up the crowd.
The event was also live-streamed on Full Metal TV on Patreon, with a commentary team providing insight into the matches and the goings-on between the competitors on the mat.
In the main event, DJ Jackson, a world champion Gi and Nogi athlete, who coaches and trains out of Fairtex in Pattaya, took on Rodrigo Goulart, a black belt from Brazil.
A pin drop could be heard as both men were careful in their movements, not allowing the other to set their techniques up. Still, the match ended due to an accidental injury for Goulart, who was able to at least walk away despite an injured knee.
In the other ‘Super Fight’ matches, Nanami Ichikawa, who trains out of Arete BJJ in Bangkok, defeated Francesca Renda (Temple BJJ) via submission, while experienced MMA fighter Marley Swindells (Phuket Grappling Academy) and Johnny Lippiatt (Temple BJJ) threw on the Gi for their match, which ended in a draw.
In the remaining ‘Super Fight’, Achilles Ralli (Arete) took on Daniel Larman (Temple BJJ) in a Nogi match that also ended in a draw, though their bout included precarious moments in which they inadvertently fell into the crowd.
The competition itself pitted practitioners from across Thailand, with a heavy presence from many of Phuket’s growing number of BJJ academies and gyms, including Bang Tao MMA, Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket Grappling Academy, Temple BJJ, Nova Uniao Phuket, Phuket Fight Club, and Gracie Barra Phuket. It was an international affair with participants from 20 countries represented on the mat, and all levels taking part.
The BJJ grappling scene on the island has been growing for the past decade, which largely stems from the growth of mixed martial arts gyms in Phuket.
The island has always been an attractive place for top-tier MMA talent to train, thanks to the beautiful beaches, cheap cost of living, and seemingly innumerable number of high-level Muay Thai trainers.
As Phuket grew to become a hub for MMA, the gyms that offered this training also began to offer grappling classes, which have become incredibly popular throughout the years. Over the last two years, more gyms have opened, providing more opportunities for the sport to grow, leading to the the birth of events such as Siam Sub-Series, and now Grapple At The Temple.
Full list of the winners from Grapple At The Temple 2:
- Male Nogi Advanced: Aleksei Perederiy
- Male Nogi Intermediate (+80kg): Martin Sharples
- Male Nogi Intermediate (-80kg): Magomed Kadimagomedov
- Male Nogi Beginner (+77kg): Sebastian Stallinger
- Male Nogi Beginner (-77kg): Verdaulet Kenzhetayav
- Female Nogi Intermediate: Varvara
- Female Nogi Beginner: Shayada Shulopas
- Male Gi Purple Absolute: Mohammed Ahmed
- Male Gi Blue Belt (+85kg): Peter Forneck
- Male Gi Blue Belt (-85kg): Josh Colello
- Male Gi Blue Belt (-75kg): Marcello Schovenold
- Male Gi White Belt (+75kg): Stanley Sogbandi
- Male Gi Blue Belt (-75kg): Eugene Moran
- Female Gi Purple Belt: Nanami Ichikawa
- Female Gi Blue Belt: Kim Hoyer
- Female Gi White Belt: Shayada Shulopas