2nd National Submission Grappling Championships |31 August 2016
Best fight Jean-Paul Labonte wins two individual titles
Jean-Paul Labonte won two individual titles as 11 athletes competed in the second National Submission Grappling Championships on Saturday.
Organised by the Seychelles Mixed Martial Arts Association (SMMA), the competition rules were based on standards set by the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) for No-GI (without Kimono) competition.
Altogether 12 athletes registered for the competition but only 11 competed and they were separated into the following weight categories:
Lightweight (70kg and under): Martin Michel, Shawn Asba, Ryan Tamayosa (Representing Elite Judo Team) and Reuben Pool representing MMAS.
Middleweight category (85kg and Under): Steven Freminot (representing Steven’s Extreme Insanity Cardio), Curtis Hoareau and Kunal Nagnesia both representing MMAS and Aaaron Bamboche representing Elite Judo Team.
Heavyweight category (Over 85kg): Jean Paul Labonte and Brandon Poussou both representing MMAS and Larry William representing Steven’s Extreme Insanity Cardio.
The winner of the lightweight division was young judoka Shawn Asba who recently represented Seychelles at the CJSOI (Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien) Games in Madagascar.
He was followed by Martin Michel who earned second place and Reuben Pool who finished with the bronze medal after submitting his opponent via Rear Naked Choke in the bout for third place. Asba won all his fights without giving up any points.
Steven Freminot earned the gold medal in the middleweight category after submitting Curtis Hoareau with a Kesa Gatame Leg Americana. Hoareau therefore finished with the silver medal followed by Kunal Nagnesia who submitted Aaron Bamboche in the bronze medal bout also via Rear Naked Choke. Holder of a black belt in karate, Freminot also finished first in the Mixed Martial Arts Championships in 2014.
The winner of the heavyweight category was Jean Paul Labonte who submitted Larry William in the final with a No-Gi Ezekiel Choke while Brandon Poussou finished in third position.
Labonte was named best athlete for the MMA Association in 2015 and recently competed in the Ultimate Submission Championship in Mauritius where he was also victorious.
At the end of the competition athletes, judges and the referee were given the opportunity to vote for who they believed was the best fighter of the day. Between the three gold medallists, Labonte received most votes and ended the day with an additional trophy and title of best fighter of the championship.
SMMA chairman Adrian Nanty said “overall the event was a success”.
“We are very happy with the performances of all the athletes and are especially happy that members of other teams Steven’s Extreme Insanity Cardio and the Elite Judo Team agreed to participate. The judokas for example have never competed under these rules and therefore showed great sportsmanship by agreeing to participate and help make the event a success. On the other hand, we hope to see more participants for future events. We are also very grateful to our sponsors and partners including Technoguard who helped make the event possible and we are obviously also very thankful to the National Sports Council and the Seychelles Judo Federation who also made the event possible,” added Mr Nanty.
Contributed