The WPJJC Trials are a very hotly contested event with what are arguably amongst the most valued prizes in Australian BJJ. Those prizes are the title of winning a very prestigious event, a great medal and an all expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi to compete in the World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup. The event in Abu Dhabi is a world championship in its own right and also a real spectacle held inside amazing venues in front of royalty. Further to that, the winners of those divisions in Abu Dhabi receive not just the great pride and prestige of being the WPJJC World Champion but also
receive a good chunk of prize money!
 
ISOHEALTH had two competitors at the WPJJC this year, those two competitors being Craig Jones and Crazy Lachy Conway (we have 3 guys named Lachy in our team so we have to distinguish between them somehow, nicknames seemed like a good idea). Both Craig and Lachy competed in the Adult Blue Belt Light Open Weight division. This division is huge with 60 of Australia’s toughest Blue Belts battling it out for the chance to represent Australia in Abu Dhabi. The event this year featured a 24 hour weigh in just like an MMA event so some competitors made very clever weight cuts and came into the Under 80kg division looking huge! Craig and Lachy both grappled really well! Lachy had a huge win in his first match being up by something like 24 points before submitting his opponent, unfortunately his run ended in round two with an opponent he just couldn’t budge. Craig had a great day and won match after match, some in a very convincing and some as a really close battle (just as one would expect at an event with such a high level of competition). Craig went made it to the final 4 but unfortunately lost his semi-final in a really tight battle, he lost by just two points in a match that looked like it could have gone either way. The second we got back home I worked with Craig on what made him vulnerable to that sweep and I don’t think he will be getting caught by that again real soon. He learned a lot and has a great deal to be proud of coming in the top 4 of such an event. Craig’s opponent was a great bloke so at least that was some form on conciliation on having lost such a battle when the prize was so near. Both Craig and Lachy will be back next year better than ever and no doubt hungry for that trip to Abu Dhabi.