So, last weekend it was a trip off to London to compete in the Master 2, White belt Featherweight category, and as promised in another thread, here’s the videos of my matches.
My semi-final match, a 3-0 victory on points. It started with a minute and a half of both of us trying to catch a single leg without any success before my opponent decided he’d had enough and pulled guard. He didn’t quite manage to close it properly though, and this allowed me to pass into a scarf hold followed into side mount. I nearly flunked it soon after when I tried to get a knee on belly and nearly got tossed over. I somehow managed to stay in half guard on top, and from there I just concentrated on keeping him pinned down beneath me while trying to show the ref I was “trying to do something”. I know, not quite the most interesting gameplan, but with time running out it was up to him to take risks rather than me.
Final match…a 0-1 “loss” on advantage. The decisive moment starts at 2:15. I start passing his guard, and he defends by rolling into turtle. I try to apply a choke but he regains guard…should be an advantage to me! Instead, the ref raises his right arm instead of the left, giving the advantage to my opponent! (2:42).
I was sure I had won, and it was the biggest surprise ever when the other guy’s arm was raised at the end. AFter watching the video, I confronted the ref, and he admitted it was a mistake on his part and apologized, but that he couldn’t take back the decision now that the match was over.
I admit the silver medal on the podium after felt a bit of a joke, but on the other hand, I’m more determined than ever to work hard to win a gold in Rome next April (hopefully)!.
Good luck for Rome!