First for Margaret River Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club

The hugs were plentiful last weekend at the first-ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament held in the Southwest, with the Margaret River BJJ ‘family’ heading north to take part.

Hosted at the Held at the Geographe Leisure Centre, the inaugural South West Jiu Jitsu Championships drew contenders from all over the state.

Competitors from Margaret River Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stormed onto the mats in style, proving when it comes to BJJ, the Margaret River team wasn’t playing around.

“We’ve trained for so long locally, it’s always been a mission to commute (to Perth) to compete,” said head coach Mauricio ‘Baddie’ Bandeira. “I truly hope we see more competitions like this.”

Chemistry within the Margaret River team was tight, with each member supporting and celebrating one another’s victories.

Justin Burley, Aaron Lim, Leroy Davies, Raymond Thomson, Abel Wessels, Virgil Smart, Jay Freeman, Paul McGarvey, Rocco Holt, Tom Mitchell and Finn De Ribs all competed for Margaret River’s adult team, while Diaz Fellows, Lucas Church, Jackson Motzouris and Johnny Jakimowicz represented the local juniors.

“Each competitor’s victory was like our victory – we’re a family,” said Aaron Lim.

There are plenty of good vibes on the mats in Margaret River at the moment, with training held every afternoon from 5:30pm.

To find out more, visit facebook.com/margaretriverbjj