Brave Challenge II: Max Gimenis plans a team edition
After the second edition, with the roulette that picks gi or no-gi, organizer Max Gimenis told VF Comunica he is planning eight teams of three athletes for the next event.
Brave Challenge is planning a team event. After the second edition, held on Saturday, October 10, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, organizer Max Gimenis told VF Comunica exclusively that he is planning a competition between eight teams of three athletes each for the third edition. The roulette that decides whether each match is gi or no-gi, the event’s trademark, stays. The idea is still in the planning stage.
Max celebrated the second edition, which drew a full house and passed 6,000 views on the VF Comunica YouTube channel, which streamed the event live, at the time of the interview. He said the roulette format went over well with fans and athletes.
The roulette that picks the uniform
At Brave Challenge, no athlete knows ahead of time whether they will compete in the gi or in no-gi. Before each match, a roulette wheel is spun to decide, and matches last six minutes. That means everyone has to show up ready for both.
In an interview with VF Comunica before the event, Max explained the idea behind the format. “There is nothing on the market like Brave Challenge. Every match, the roulette is spun to decide whether it will be gi or no-gi. I strongly believe an athlete has to be complete,” he said.
Grand Prix, superfights and equal pay
The second edition had a women’s Grand Prix in the open class with eight purple, brown and black belts, a men’s Grand Prix with eight brown and black belts up to 185 lb, and ten superfights. The Grand Prix champions earned $1,000, the same amount for men and women. “If they deliver the same thing, why would I pay them differently? That’s my idea,” Max told VF Comunica.
Champions by division
After the event, the organization announced the champions of its professional divisions. On the men’s side: Enzo Yamazaki at lightweight (up to 75 kg / 165 lb), Angelo “The Truck” Claiborne at middleweight (up to 85 kg / 187 lb) and Lucas Montalvão at heavyweight (over 95 kg / 209 lb). On the women’s side, seven-time world champion Tayane Porfírio is the heavyweight champion (over 75 kg / 165 lb).
The other divisions are still vacant. According to the organization, upcoming Grand Prix events will crown new champions and, in the end, the most complete athlete, the one who can shine both in the gi and in no-gi.
What do you think of a team edition of Brave Challenge? Let us know in the comments.
Read more
- Brave Challenge II: gi or no-gi by roulette
- Max Gimenis: “I know the athlete’s pain”
- Brave Challenge will pay men and women the same prize money
