Kimura BJJ student and competitor, Tho Vu, traveled some 3000 miles to Carson, California only to find out that he had to face a former champion in the first round of the Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship held March 28-30. But that didn’t make him flinch one bit.
His opponent, Chuong Pham, from the well-known BJJ Revolution, had won the 2006 Championship in the same division (Super Feather Weight, Blue Belt, Master). Tho and Pham would meet for the first round of the prestigious three-day tournament held at California State University (Dominguez Hills) just outside of Los Angeles. Other Kimura BJJ competitors traveled to the event and are also to be congratulated for their efforts. (For complete results, log on to the IBJJF site: http://www.ibjjf.org/results/2008pan.htm.)
As Tho recounted the fight’s early moments, he said that his opponent attempted to sink in a triangle choke on him from the guard. Tho weathered the choke and slipped out of it, however, eventually passing the guard and gaining side control for three points. From there, he didn’t look back and ended up scoring a dominating 12-0 decision.
“Some people might have thought I was a 100 to 1 shot to win, but when I go into a fight, I go in with confidence,” said the 32 year old, who moved to the United States from France. “I had trained for the tournament since January, and I knew I was ready.”
In the second round, Tho won a razor-tight 0-0 decision over Paraestra Ikebuk’s Joji Horii with Tho scoring an advantage for the win. Tho described the fight as a defensive stalemate, as his opponent held him in the guard for over four minutes and waited for Tho to make a mistake. Instead Horii lost one of grips, allowing Tho to knock him off balance and to sink in a lapel choke, earning him an advantage for the attempted submission and eventually the win.
The close victory was as close as it would get for Tho, who went on to defeat Saulo Ribeiro’s Keith Trader 10-0 in the finals for the division’s championship. What is even more remarkable is that Tho has only been training in jiu-jitsu at Kimura BJJ for 15 months!
“Not too many people develop as fast as Tho in jiu-jitsu. It is amazing,” said Kimura BJJ Master Jean Kleber. “Tho can be an example of how to be a champion. We have many guys at Kimura BJJ who are at his level, but Tho has been training like a champion needs to train.”
Master Kleber noted that Kimura BJJ is for all levels and for those who want to compete and those who just want to learn the basics of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“Most people come to Kimura to learn some jiu-jitsu and to get in shape. That is great. We welcome everyone,” said Kleber. “If you want to compete and become a top competitor or champion, you have to do the right things in all aspects of your life.”
“Tho trains six days a week, sometimes two practices a day. He eats healthy foods. He does not drink. He does not smoke. He does extra conditioning. He stays focused and always tries to improve his game.”
For Tho’s part, he said it helped him to start preparing three months in advance and to train and drill the same moves and positions again and again, including variations on moves to give him more options for a given situation. He also mentioned that he never hesitates in asking Jean Kleber or another instructor questions.
Tho recalled how he had been looking to train in the martial arts when he first came to Boston to work as an athletic coordinator at the International School of Boston. At first, he wanted to train in judo, as he had a background in the sport in France
“I started with two practices [at Kimura BJJ],” said Tho. “Then, I was done with judo.”
Tho was thrilled to learn the BJJ art, and the tournament comes as a great achievement for him after just a little more than a year of training. He noted that the tournament also allowed him to meet several jiu-jitsu superstars, such as Rickson Gracie, Jacare, and Jean Jacque Machado.
Tho Vu is just one example of the many outstanding competitors and individuals at Kimura BJJ. Look for more news stories and competition results on our site.