By Shama Ko, Contributing Writer
Gracie Grappling Cup hosting the first female Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt super fight
SAN ANTONIO, TX, November 7, 2012 – The Gracie Grappling Cup will host the first female Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt super fight in the state of Texas on November 10, 2012. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts, Christy Thomas from Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Austin and Fabiana Borges from Gracie Barra San Antonio, will be making history at this event by being the first women to participate in a female black belt super fight in the state of Texas.
Thomas has been a black belt for a year, and has been competing for eleven years nationally and internationally. She is the first and only female black belt under Master Relson Gracie. She fights in the heavy weight division. Her accomplishments include: 2nd place No GI IBJJF Worlds, several 2nd and 3rd place wins at the IBJJF Pan Ams and Gi Worlds, 1st Arnold World Gracie Championships and many more.
Borges has been a black belt for five years and is an accomplished competitor fighting in the leve (light weight) division. Borge has also been competing for close to eleven years and has won several championships over the years including 2x IBJJF Pan Ams Champion, 2x IBJJF National Champion, 2nd place and 3rd place IBJJF World Championships and many more.
Thomas and Borges are both avid instructors with their own academies in Central Texas and their day-to-day lives are filled with Jiu-Jitsu.
This is what Fabiana Borges has to say about the upcoming super fight, her thoughts on the significance of this event and how she hopes they will make an impact on women and girls.
Interview – Fabiana Borges (Gracie Barra)
You and Thomas will be making history at the Gracie Grappling Cup with the first female black belt open weight super fight in Texas. How does it feel and what does it mean to you to be a part of this?
I feel honored to be a part of this. I have been in Texas for a year and a half. Everyone here is so welcoming and makes me feel at home. It is always good to be the first. At Gracie Barra San Antonio, our doors are always open for others. In Texas we have a large number of girls training and competing. I believe they need some motivation and if Thomas and I can do it, it will be great.
There is a considerable size difference between you and Thomas. Does a size difference matter when it comes to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
It does matter when your opponent is the same level as you, but I am training a lot and this will not be an issue.
Have you tailored your training specifically for your opponent, because of the size difference?
Sure, this is the good thing about knowing who you are fighting. You can strategize against your opponent.
It wasn’t that long ago that there wasn’t any opportunity for female super fights. The fact that tournament promoters are supporting super fights like this are a testament to the changing of the times. What sort of impact do these types of female super fights have? What are the benefits?
Everyone needs motivation and goals to keep them consistently training, especially women and girls that have a busy life with their husbands, kids, school, and so on. I hope when girls see us fighting it motivates them to go back to their schools and keep training. Now-a-days we have a large number of girls training and I hope it keeps growing. BJJ is an awesome martial art that you can use as self-defense, fitness and a way to bond with your husband, friends and kids. I truly hope that more girls start training.
About the Author
Shama Ko has actively been a part of and contributed to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community in Texas for close to a decade. She is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu purple belt at Gracie Humaitá Austin, a champion competitor, a photographer/owner of Mean Streak Photography, a community/event organizer for Girls in Gis and Austin Women’s Open Mat, and most recently a contributing writer to TXMMA. Follow Shama’s endeavors online through any of the links above or through any of these sites: Twitter, Facebook, The Adventures of Shama Ko, ShamaKo.com, and SKOphoto.com.