(Press release from Sprawl MMA’s wrestling coach, Karlo Sevilla)

Rodian “The Redeemer” Menchavez, an athlete for ONE Championship – “the premier MMA organization in Asia” – won the gold medal in the 90 kg, men’s division of the beach wrestling event held last May 25 during the 2019 Philippine Beach Games (PBG) in Lingayen Beach, Pangasinan.

Enroute to the gold, Menchavez of Brawlers’ Lab martial arts and fitness gym, beat three other wrestlers; the toughest being former Philippine national wrestling team mainstay Maxwell Francisco, Jr., who settled for silver.
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Excellent matchups, no circus of any form, just fights — the return of Tiger BRAWL Bacolod is in the books. Seriously, the only real intermission that night was when the crowd sang “Happy birthday” to Rio Saoy. On a night filled with thrilling performances, here are a few that stand out:

Mark “The Shark” Nimanand (6100 Martial Arts and Fitness) vs. Rio “Pitbull” Saoy (Mactan Combat Sports)

A well-conditioned Saoy absorbed the best of Nimanand’s punches, and even took him down in the heat of battle. But Nimanand had takedowns of his own, and finished strong on all three rounds to take the unanimous decision.

>> Huge props to the young Nimanand for forcing a former Muay Thai national team member to take the fight to the ground on several occasions. With the backing of a solid team, this young prospect may find his place in the industry if he gives the sport enough focus.

Joemar “The Island Fighter” Bayang (Legacy Gym Boracay) vs. Pablo “The Boomer” Meñosa (Pure Muscle Gym)

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Count on Encore House of Athletes to stay at the forefront of promoting the sport of jiu-jitsu in Pasig. Last December, coach Joshua Abella and the team successfully organized the 1st Encore Jiu-Jitsu Invitational Tournament despite the heavy rains.

It was a two-day event that featured gi and no gi action courtesy of Encore’s resident stranglers along with other grapplers from NorCal Grappling Crew, KMA, New Era Wrestling comprising of Sprawl, Atos, and Origins BJJ members, as well as independent competitors.

On day 1, brothers Joaquin and Joshua Dy brought their impressive guard game to make their presence felt, topping their respective divisions in the gi, just like Emerald Tayag and Jigs Quesada. The following day, returning competitors Mitchell Ian Nadres and Ansis Barretto proved they still have it as they impressed in their respective categories. Joshua Cabalinan took his division and the absolutes.

The first Encore Jiu-Jitsu Invitational Tournament was supported by Entrap FightGear, which provided prizes and discounts to the podium finishers. Encore House of Athletes, on the other hand, gave out free gym passes.
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