By Mike Calimbas (Writer / BJJ Photographer)
After 6-Year Hiatus RCJ Machado Returns with 2013 Naturally Fit Grappling Games This Saturday In Austin
Although this will be an entirely new event, those of our readers that have been around for a while should be familiar with the group led by Carlos Machado and brothers.
The RCJ group used to play host to a regular assortment of competitions including the annual “BJJ Winter Wars” event in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since the early 2000’s before taking a break from the competition scene. Carlos Machado himself is also the first BJJ black belt to have made his home in Texas, setting up his school in Dallas way back in 1995 – originally out of the same building in which student Chuck Norris filmed his television show, “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Now after seven years of growth and attention to growing his affiliation and academies, Carlos and RCJ Machado are eager to return with this weekend’s tournament and moving forward from there.
“We are getting our feet west again in the tournament scene and we’re excited about it,” says Lindsay Thompson-Machado, wife of the BJJ great. “This weekend will be really excited and then we’re bringing back Winter Wars in the first weekend of February. That will have cash prizes in the open class black belt divisions and it will also be the largest GI-only double elimination event in Texas. We’ve been gone six years but we’ll see how it goes!”
As for the 2013 Naturally Fit Grappling Games, the event to be held at the Palmer Event Center this Saturday should be quite the interesting tournament indeed. The event will be part of the Naturally Fit 2013 Super Show and will be part on an event slate that also features all kinds of Sports & Fitness competitions including CrossFit, Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Special Olympics and all kinds of other events. As for the action on the mats, this will be a 16 year old and up adult event so that should most certainly be a benefit to the organization as they get re-acclimated to the tournament climate here in Texas.
As always TXMMA.com will be there to cover this event with photos and video as we do all the top events in the Texas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament scene so make sure to tune back here and on our TXMMA Facebook Page come Sunday morning.
To register for this event, please visit the 2013 Naturally Fit Grappling Games website.
For high-resolution event photos afterwards or to book dedicated photo coverage at this event, make sure to contact Mike Calimbas Photography as well.