To grab gold in the absolute division at the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship, Marcos Paulo Costa had to eventually get past his friend and team-mate yesterday.
The 25-year-old beat fellow UAEJJ Training Hall fighter Celso Frabetti Junior in the final of the male black adult open weight class as the Brazilians enjoyed success in the Gi portion of the tournament at the FGB Arena in Abu Dhabi.
“It was great fighting with him because we train together every day,” Costa said. “The club trains you hard and now both of us have done well.”
Costa earlier earned bronze in the male black adult 85kg class, while Frabetti Junior topped the male black adult +95kg. With a gold already in his pocket, Frabetti Junior was happy to see his friend come away on top in the open weight.
“I didn’t want the fight between us to be about the first place or the second place,” Frabetti Junior said. “I talked to him and told him he could take first place, no problem. Because we’re friends, we train together very hard here. He needed it and for me it was no problem.”
Despite normally competing in the middle of the five weight divisions, Costa relished the opportunity to step up to open weight.
“When you train your hardest, it doesn’t matter about your weight,” Costa said. “The fighters are the same, the weight is the only thing that changes. I like to face different types of weights.”
Though they both came away with multiple medals, Costa and Frabetti Junior won’t celebrate for long, with the Sharjah Open Championship coming next month.
“After this, I’ll go and have lunch and then I’ll get back to work,” Frabetti Junior said.
Meanwhile, Jessica Cristina Santos had her fingerprints all over the female divisions, capturing gold in the brown black adult 65kg and the brown black adult open weight.
The 23-year-old Brazilian, fighting for Equipe Miquinho Jiu-Jitsu, clashed with compatriot Marina Soares Ribeiro in the final of the 65kg, before repeating the feat in a rematch in the open weight class.
It was more of the same for Santos, who came away with gold in the brown black adult open weight and silver in the brown black adult 65kg the last time she competed in the Open series in Al Ain last October.
Jordan’s Shadia Bseiso also finished with two gold medals for the women by winning the white adult 75kg and white adult open weight divisions.
