Acting as a qualifier for the richest and most prestigious Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event on the planet, the Abu Dhabi Pro, the West Coast qualifier will saw the best of the best congregating upon Northern California in the United States. The tournament was hosted by Claudio Franca - 5th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt – at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California on 1/24/2010. First, want to give credit to Mr Claudio Franca for another great tourney – and his team for keeping the matches on schedule. This is the fourth event I have photographed for Mr. Franca, by far the most organized. Lots of action, competitors definately brought their A game…winners of each division get an all expenses paid trip to compete in the Abu Dhabi championships hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Shooting from the mats, I found myself easily distracted by the performances from these atheletes. Injuries were minimal, everything showed great sportsman like conduct. Shots from the event can be seen here:

http://galleries.daleshirley.com/MMA-Events/Abu-Dhabi-West-Coast-2010/