Kimura takes home another trophy

Kimura Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy again showed why it has the best jiu-jitsu in Boston and greater New England after winning the Long Island Pride Championships in New York. Kimura brought a staggering 50 competitors and earned more than 30 medals at the tournament held at Queens College in Flushing, New York March 7. Out of 40 schools, Kimura finished in first place for adult competitors.

“Congratulations to all our competitors and students,” said Kimura Master Jean Kleber. “The best thing about our school is that everyone fights for the team and not just themselves. We have developed a great unity and fighting spirit.”

Besides the competitors, more than 20 others in the Kimura family came to support the team. It was a fantastic tournament, and Kimura extends its gratitude to all of the other schools, sponsors, and organizers. Jean also thanked Kimura’s other instructors, Michael Fontes, Carlos Rosales, Rodrigo Macedo, Marcos Silva, and Joey Bell. He urged everyone to keep training hard for upcoming tournaments.

Jimmy Collins won a tremendous fight at the Full Force Caged Combat 30 held in Westport, Massachusetts last Friday night, February 19. After three explosive and exciting rounds, Jimmy won a unanimous decision over Boneyard fighter, Sam Elliot. The bout earned Fight of the Night honors and keeps Jimmy’s undefeated amateur record (3-0) in tact. Scoring takedowns in every round, Jimmy mixed a lethal dose of wrestling, ground and pound, jiu-jitsu, and improving boxing skills. In the second, he amazingly escaped out of a deep arm-bar attempt that caused many in the audience to cringe and would have forced most fighters to tap. Also avoiding a guillotine, he went on to decisively win the third round and the decision. Jimmy trains with Lauzon MMA, Peter Welch Boxing, and Kimura Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Way to go! Looking for the best BJJ in Boston? First class Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructors can be found at Kimura locations in Watertown, South Boston, Framingham, Marlborough, and Medford.

The Kimura group that competed at NAGA New England may have been small in number, but they came away with big honors. Kimura competitors won three championship belts at the NAGA New England Championship held at the Twin River Casino in Rhode Island on February 6. Carlos (brown/black), Cabeca (purple), and Diego (purple) all won their competitive divisions, each taking home a championship belt. Congrats! The tournament was also the first competition for some of the Kimura kids as trained by Paulista. Way to go! All of the kids fought well, including Clay and Ian Henrys, and Nate Chandler, a 6 year old, who took first place. Two of Kimura’s teenage students, Thiago and Lyle, fought for the first time as well and are to be congratulated.

Looking for the best BJJ in Boston? First class Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructors can be found at Kimura locations in Watertown, South Boston, Framingham, Marlborough, and Medford.

Top Kimura Academy competitors, Tho Vu and Joey Bell, both medaled in the 2010 European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championships. As hosted by the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation, the championships were held January 28-31 at the Complexo Municipal Esportivo do Casal Vistoso in Lisbon, Portugal. Tho took home a silver medal, placing second in the master’s purple belt feather weight division. Joey placed third in the adult purple belt feather weight division. Way to go Joey and Tho! It’s fantastic that our academies from around the world can continue to unite and compete together. This shows the true Kimura spirit. First class Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructors can be found at Kimura  locations in Watertown, South Boston, Framingham, Marlborough, and Medford.

Jimmy wins by submission

Early in November, Kimura fighter, Jimmy Collins, recorded his second MMA victory at a NAGA Reality Fighting event in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Collins (2-0) landed some early punches before hip-tossing his southpaw opponent, Anthony King, to the mat. After a little ground and pound, Jimmy took King’s back and sunk in the choke, winning by submission at just 1:08 into the first round. Congrats Jimmy!

Kimura Nova Uniao took home 1st place team honors at the 2009 CBJJE European Championships.  Tho Vu, a Kimura Boston Academy student, took home gold in his purple belt division.  Master Jair Lourenco, Master Jean Kleber’s instructor, took home 1st in the 194 lb black belt division despite his normal weight division being 181 lb!  Congratulations to Master Jair, Tho, and the rest of the extended Kimura team in making such a grand showing!

Kimura USA master Jean Kleber trained the jiu-jitsu-MMA standout at the academy’s Brazil branch.

“We are so proud of Formiga,” said Kleber. “We should remember that Kimura is not just the US. Kimura began in Brazil and has spread to Portugal, Switzerland, and now America. We are all a big extended family.”

A reporter for the MMA news website, Sherdog, described the action, “ All three rounds started more or less the same with Kojima pursuing a conservative standup game, snapping off low kicks and grazing high kicks. When da Silva worked up enough courage to press in close for dirty boxing, knees and takedown attempts, he succeeded in stealing the first and third rounds, getting BJ down on the canvas. In the third, da Silva took Kojima’s back and threatened with chokes and punches. The performance earned him a unanimous decision.” 

In Portuguese, “formiga” means “insect” or “ant.” The fighter earned his nickname for his small size, as Shooto bantamweights weigh in at 123 pounds. That’s an ant with a big bite!

Just a few Kimura competitors took part in the NAGA East Coast Championships in Rhode Island June 27, but they still have two medals to show for it. Digao took third place in a highly competitive adult purple belt division. Marcello took second place in an adult blue belt division. Thang also won two fights as a white belt, only losing in the semi-finals. Eric fought for his first time and fought well. Parabéns!

Master Jair (center-left) receives his gold medal

Master Jair Lourenco has won his fourth jiu-jitsu national championship. Master Jair, who is the founder of the original Kimura Academy, recently competed in the black belt 181-pound division of the national championships held in São Paolo, Brazil. Four straight impressive victories earned Master Jair his fourth national title. The prestigious tournament was sponsored by the Confederation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Esportiva. Congratulations, Jair. Parabéns!

Kimura competitors scored several wins at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships held in Long Beach, California June 4-7. While the eight Kimura competitors fell just short of winning medals, they recorded several wins and fought competitively at the prestigious tournament, which was held by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. Stanley Chen won three fights and narrowly lost his fourth fight by advantages. A victory would have guaranteed him a finish in the top three places for a medal. Jeff Hsu recorded two victories before being defeated in the third round and Diego and Bruno earned first-round wins as well.