SLCBJJ.com -- Rigan Machado Jiu-Jitsu in Salt Lake City, Utah

2007 BJJ Pan American Championships

WOW! What an experience.

If you train Jiu-Jitsu and you haven't competed at the PanAms then you absolutely must put it on your calendar for next year.

The Pan American Championships are second only to the Mundials (World Championships) in the level of competition and the prestige. This years edition of the PanAms lived up to its reputation with some of the most stacked brackets in the Adult Black Belt division that have ever been seen in BJJ competition.

Machado Jiu-Jitsu Utah sent three representatives to the "big show" this year (2007) and all three of us left everything on the mat and came away with some great memories, some new friends, and plenty to learn. Two of us even brought home some hardware.

Dave Johnson took 3rd in the Master Brown Belt Super Heavyweight division and Gerald Harris took gold in both his weight division (Senior 1 Brown Belt Super-Super) and gold in the Senior 1 Brown Belt Open Class/Absolute.

We'd like to thank Carlos Gracie Jr. for putting on such a great event and giving us the chance to compete against some of the best in the world.

We also want to thank Ricardo "Ica" Medina, who we still claim as one of our own, for all of his coaching and the hardwork he put in on our behalf. I honestly don't believe we would have brought home as much hardware without his help.

And last, but not least, we need to thank Jeff Kunze and Rigan Machado for giving us the tools that brought the hardware home.

We didn't take as many pictures as we have in the past, sorry. Most of the pics were of the Jiu-Jitsu tourist type . . . I hope you still enjoy them.