Fight Night Championship 4
All good things must come to an end, and 2019 has been just that! A year full of jiu jitsu, competitions, training sessions, gradings and much much more - Galeb Brothers BJJ has had a very accomplished year and to add the cherry on top was the fourth event of Fight Night Championship, which was held this past Saturday night at the Quality Hotel, Mermaid Waters.
FNC has gained a lot of traction throughout this year with a lot of great match ups and awesome nights of entertainment. We have had competitors from Galeb Brothers on all four events with all competitors winning their matches via submission or draws, as the format is submission only.
Saturday night saw Rodrigo Cabral, Sean Macfarlane (2nd time on FNC) & Emmanuel Fallah testing their skills against very tough opponents and once the night ended, everybody was talking about the boys performances.
EMMANUEL FALLAH V JUSTIN HAMMOND
(Blue Belt - Lightweight)
The first match of the stacked 12-fight card was Emmanuel Fallah v Justin Hammond. These two just recently had a match at the 2019 Rickson Gracie Cup, where Justin won a close match via points, so Emmanuel was looking to avenge his loss and he did that in fine fashion.
The 10 minute submission only match started off with both competitors being very poised, not giving an inch before Emmanuel pulled guard and attempted to set up a submission from where he works best from, de la riva guard. It didn't take him long to lock in a very tight ankle lock, which his opponent had to tap. The first match of the night and the first submission victory for Galeb Brothers BJJ. Emmanuel set the tone for the night and the rest of the competitors followed.
SEAN MACFARLANE V ERIK KALLEN
(Purple Belt - Light Featherweight)
For the second time this year, Sean had been invited to compete on FNC and both times he has faced very skilled opponents. This time he was up against Erik Kallen from CAZA BJJ. This wasn't their first time competing against each other, as earlier this year at the QLD State Championship they faced off, which saw Erik winning via 1 advantage point in a very close match. Just like Emmanuel, Sean was eager to even the score.
Both fighters started the match with a double-guard pull, before Sean started to set up his berimbolo game and work towards a back take. Erik defended the back take well with a foot lock attempt, but Sean's defence didn't let him advance any further. Sean then started to push the pace with many guard passes and a near submission with a lapel choke from top side control, which his opponent slipped out of with just 1-minute left on the clock.
The last 1-minute of the match had everybody in attendance and watching via live stream very anxious as to how this fight would pan out. However, watch the below video and you can see for yourself how it ended.
With just 4 seconds left on the clock Sean managed to secure an arm bar and win by submission, this earning him the Fight of the Night bonus of $500!
This was the second time in a row a Galeb Brothers BJJ athlete has won the FOTN Bonus of $500 (FNC3 Felippe Martins won with his Bow & Arrow choke victory)
RODRIGO CABRAL V LUCAS VENEZIA
(Black Belt - Catchweight 76kg)
The last athlete from Galeb Brothers BJJ to compete at FNC4 was Rodrigo Cabral and he was to face a tough opponent out of the Sunshine Coast in Lucas Venezia.
Rodrigo who is coming off a shoulder injury earlier this year hasn't competed in quite some time, but that did not deter the hard working black belt as his training schedule was set to have him competing at his best. The 10-minute back and fourth battle was a very entertaining fight which was mostly played on the feet. Rodrigo managed to secure an excellent single leg takedown mid way through the bout and a near toe-hold submission, however was unable to secure any submissions worth the victory.
The time ran out and both competitors left it all on the mat, but unfortunately ending in a draw. Nothing but respect from Rodrigo to his opponent. That's what jiu jitsu is all about.
