Mixed martial arts (MMA) team Sprawl MMA bagged four medals in the recently held ADCC Southeast Asian Submission Wrestling Open Championships in SM Sucat, Parañaque.
Sprawl grappling coach and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) purple belt Gilbert Ombao took gold in the intermediate division (above 91kg) after winning by points via guard pass against professional MMA fighter Igor Subora.
Wrestler and luta livre blue belt Karlo Sevilla also won by points after a takedown on Phuket Top Team’s Johnny Lippiatt, netting him the gold in the 83kg category of the intermediate division. The match went into overtime after no score was made by either competitor.
Ombao and Sevilla were the only Filipinos who won gold in the intermediate division of the tournament.
Xtreme Martial Arts’ Afonso Cego, the team’s luta livre coach, settled for silver in the advanced division after winning his first match via points and losing to a reverse arm bar in the second match. In the absolute division, Cego got bronze after fighting in two matches.
The ADCC, or Abu Dhabi Combat Club, hosts the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, a tournament widely considered as the premier submission wrestling event in the world.
According to ADCC Philippines, winners of their division will be rated by ADCC as the “regional champions of the sport”.
Sprawl MMA is the country’s first wrestling-based MMA team.It teaches various grappling arts, including wrestling, BJJ, and luta livre as well as striking arts, MMA, Filipino martial arts, and functional fitness—in its new gym in Cubao, Quezon City.