Referee Brian Beauchamp Clinches First Place Win at IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships
Brian Beauchamp, one of the few referees in the sport of mixed martial arts to hold dual black belts in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, took first place at the recent IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Long Beach, California. The event was the first ever World Jiu-jitsu Championship exclusively dedicated to athletes over 30 years old. Beauchamp took first in the Black Belt Senior 4, Medium-Heavy Division, defeating his opponent by arm bar in the finals. He now holds a BJJ World title at all belt levels.
According to Brian Beauchamp, “I am very pleased with my win. I put in a solid three month training camp under the watchful eye of Professor Marco Costa of the Body of Four BJJ Academy in Toronto, so I was well prepared. Competing in the sport and constantly evaluating the different positions helps me prepare to work as a referee for the ever evolving sport of MMA. I am one who believes that officials should understand the sport from the athlete’s perspective.”
The event, which took place at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid, attracted nearly 1,000 athletes including many legends of jiu-jitsu. The 12 mats in the venue became the stage for some thrilling performances from experienced warriors such as Saulo Ribeiro, Xande Ribeiro , Brandon “Wolverine” Mullins, Milton Bastos, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, Eduardo Telles, Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros, Gustavo Dantas, and many others.
Brian Beauchamp possesses a wealth of knowledge when it comes to mixed martial arts and is arguably one of the most decorated athletes to become a referee in the sport. Not only does the former member of the Canadian National Judo Team hold a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Judo, he also earned a BJJ Black belt under elite grappler and former U.S. Judo Olympian Teimoc-Johnston-Ono, who is a BJJ World Champion himself.
Beauchamp, who has officiated for a number of notable fight organizations including Maximum Fighting Championships (MFC), Aggression Fighting Championships, Bellator and many others, recently expanded his resume’ to include International fight leagues. He is currently in India officiating for the Super Fight League (SFL), India’s largest MMA fight organization. For more information on Brian Beauchamp and the fight leagues that he officiates for, please follow him on Facebook.
About Brian Beauchamp:
Brian Beauchamp is one of the few referees in the sport of MMA that holds dual Black Belts in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is also a 6X Pan American BJJ champion, 9X World Masters BJJ Champion, 5X U.S. National Black Belt Master’s Division Champion, and was named Grapplers Quest Canadian Grappler of the year in Judo. Beauchamp has parlayed his experience to MMA where he is both a referee and judge, bringing a wealth of combat grappling experience to the MMA arena. For more information on Brian Beauchamp and the fight leagues that he officiates for, please follow him on Facebook.
