2021 Southwest BJJ Classic Results

By Danny O’Donnell

On October 16th and 17th, Phoenix College hosted another AZBJJL Southwest Classic event. The Southwest Classic was included in the 2019/20/21 rankings, which also include the 2019 No Gi AZ State Championships, the 2019 Southwest Classic, the 2019 Master’s Cup, the 2020 AZ International Open, and the 2021 AZ State Championships.

The kids divisions took place on Saturday, October 16th as GD Jiu-Jitsu Association looked to build on its lead as the top ranked kids’ team in the state. GD Jiu-Jitsu Association did just that, racking up 2,035 points with 64 wins, 15 gold medals, 19 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals. Finishing 2nd among kids’ teams was Double Five, scoring 1,415 points with 46 wins, 13 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 5 bronze medals. Lotus Club Arizona rounded out the top three kids’ teams with 1,240 total points. The top three single academies for kids were Double Five Glendale, Refuge BJJ, and Lotus Club Fight & Fitness.

The adult competitors took to the mats on Sunday October 17th. GD Jiu-Jitsu Association came away with its second overall team title for the weekend, amassing 1,745 points from 47 wins, 13 gold medals, 14 silver medals, and 14 bronze medals. Lotus Club Arizona and Maracaba BJJ AZ followed GD Jiu-Jitsu, both scoring 1,430 points. Lotus Club Arizona finished with 33 wins, 12 gold medals, 8 silver medals, and 9 bronze medals. Maracaba BJJ AZ had 30 wins, 12 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. The tops three single academies for adults were Maracaba BJJ, Lotus Club Fight & Fitness, and Ximenes BJJ/Double Five Scottsdale.

The following competitors won gold medals in both their weight classes and the absolute division, contributing significant points for their teams overall rankings. Michael Ritchitelli of Maracaba BJJ (Blue Adult Feather), Corbin Zimmer of The Agora BJJ (Blue Master 1 Heavy), Damian Hosokawa of Marcio Andre Jiu-Jitsu Academy (Purple Adult Feather), Michael Ayala of Refuge BJJ (Purple Master 1 Heavy), Connor Carpenter of Maracaba BJJ (Brown Adult Feather), John Lightfoot of Soul Fighters Tempe (Brown Master 4 Heavy), Ashley Lightner of Lotus Club (Blue Master 2 Light), Sarah Maracaba of Maracaba BJJ (Blue Master 3 Light Feather), and Breezy Schumacher of Mountain Tribe BJJ (Purple Adult Middle) all won their weight classes and their respective open weight divisions.

The league recently announced its plans for 2022 to relocate its events to Bell Bank Park in Mesa, a 320 acre sport and entertainment facility that will bring your competition experience to the next level. The last tournaments at Phoenix College will be the AZ Kids Cup on Saturday December 4th, and the AZ Novice Cup and No-Gi State Championship on Sunday December 5th. Stay tuned to the AZBJJL Facebook and Instagram pages for updates regarding all future events.

And as a reminder, if you are a black belt coach and haven’t already completed the application for your black belt ID card please do so at https://azbjjf.smoothcomp.com/en/federation/28/membership.