Mixed Martial Arts in DC News Blog

Seph Smith of Fifty/50 BJJ faces off with Gordon Emery of Charlottesville BJJ in the finals of the brown belt division.

ASHLAND, Va. – The U.S. Grappling Richmond tournament was held on February 5, 2011 at Patrick Henry Highschool. The tournament attracted approximately 200 competitors from the mid-atlantic region. Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling teams grappled for first place medals and bragging rights at the national tournament circuit.

Among the teams competing was the Arlington, Va. based martial arts school, Fifty/50 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The academy was founded by Abu Dhabi medalist Ryan Hall and pro-grappling competitor Seph Smith. At the U.S. Grappling tournament, Seph Smith led the Fifty/50 BJJ team to win gold in the advanced no-gi division and the brown belt division.

Smith’s two matches in the no-gi division were won by heel hook with both matches taking a total of just over a minute.

Also battling illness, Son Duong took first place in the advanced no-gi featherweight division. An exhausted Duong shows his prize after winning in the finals.

When asked about his no-gi wins, Smith said, “They were over pretty quick. I just pulled guard right into a heel hook in both of my matches. I’ve been sick all week. I had a stomach flu. I was trying to get my matches over as soon as possible. The heel hook a lot of times is the best way to do that.”

In the brown belt division, Smith picked up where he left off, beating an opponent from Virginia Beach 36-0. In his fourth and final match of the day, Smith took on Charlottesville BJJ head instructor Gordon Emery in the finals of the brown belt division. Smith scored a sweep and a guard pass in the middle of the match to win 5-0. He would finish the day without anyone scoring a point on him.

Some of the other Fifty/50 BJJ highlights in the advanced divisions included first place finishes by Kenny Savercool in the advanced no-gi lightweight division and the purple belt lightweight division. Son Duong would take first place in the advanced no-gi featherweight division, giving Fifty/50 three of the six gold medal finishes in the advanced no-gi divisions.

Watch the video to see highlights of the Fifty/50 BJJ team.
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