Success for Eustace at Munster finals

There was success for Ennis Brazilian jiujitsu (BJJ) fighter John Eustace in Cork last weekend when he won gold and silver medals at the Munster Brazilian Jiujitsu Championships.
Head trainer at his gym, Fightsports Clare, Eustace won the blue belt middleweight category in the gi competition (the gi is the uniform traditionally associated with martial arts) and came second in the blue and purple belt no-gi open weight category.
With nearly 200 competitors in attendance, the tournament is the largest of its kind in Ireland and the first to ever have a black belt category. BJJ is still a relatively new sport to Ireland, one of the cornerstones of the sport of mixed martial arts, so this was a watershed moment for the sport.
BJJ fights are won either by submission due to choke or joint lock or on points.
Weighing in at 82kg (12 stone 9lbs approx) for the gi competition, Eustace won the first of his three six-minute bouts by points. He went on to win the semi-final using the seldom-seen Azamba choke before clinching an exciting final with a combination arm-bar/wrist lock.
Later the same day John fought in the blue and purple belt no-gi open-weight division. No gi grappling is a faster, more aggressive type of grappling than its more technical counterpart. Unlike the other categories, the open weight division has only two brackets – all competitors weighing 75kg or less and all those 76kg and over. 
After getting a bye to the semi-final round, Eustace faced a much bigger opponent, performing impressively despite the sizeable size difference, to defeat him on points.
“He was a like cross between a human being and a grizzly bear,” said Eustace, describing his semi-final opponent.
“He’s the biggest guy I’ve ever fought in competition but I train with big guys all the time so I was confident that I could put him in my guard and either submit him or turn him over, which is what actually happened in the fight. Once I got on top I worked to improve my position and keep him from using his strength to power out from the bottom,” he added.
In the final, he fought well against another, bigger, grappler before succumbing to a triangle choke.
Also flying the Fightsports flag at the Munsters were Leon Cornu and Damien Werner.
In the 76kg (11stone 9lbs approx) white belt competition, particularly impressive was Leon Cornu, despite going out in the first round of both gi and no-gi competitions. Despite being relatively new to the sport and making his debut in BJJ competition, he held his own against both his opponents – both of whom went on to win their respective competitions – losing by points rather than being forced to tap.
Werner was unlucky both in losing to an overweight opponent in the 64kg (10 stone) blue belt bracket and, in injuring his arm in the process, being unable to compete in the no-gi competition.
“Some people choose to compete and others choose not to. That’s up to the individual and I don’t put pressure on anyone to fight in tournaments,” said Eustace.
“The two lads chose to go to the tournament and test themselves in a pressure situation and every time someone does that they will improve mentally and technically. With more experience, Leon and Damien will both be champions and there will be many more from the gym in the future too,” he added.