Best of Claudio Calasans 2016

By Corey Kuropas, August 11, 2016

Claudio

The year of 2016 has been very good to Claudio Calasans thus far. The BJJ and Judo black belt has competed at some of the more illustrious tournaments in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world and done very well, showing the fans some incredible matches. This rising star is going nowhere but up! Here are Claudio’s three best matches of 2016.

Claudio Calasans vs Erberth Santos @ Copa Podio 2016

This is the only match on this list that didn’t end in a win for Calasans, but it didn’t end up as a loss either. At this year’s Copa Podio, he took on Erberth Santos in a close match that ended in a draw. What makes this match a great one is the fact that Erberth was much bigger than Calasans, yet Calasans pushed the action. The constant passing of Calasans was technically beautiful to watch. He stayed aggressive and had nice pressure against Erberth who is one of the top dogs in the BJJ scene.Claudio Calasans vs Gustavo Campos @ World Pro 2016

This is another match that is really awesome to watch from a technical stand point. At the World Pro this year, Calasans took on the dangerous Gustavo Campos in a match which featured more of his trademark guard passing. As Campos was content to pull guard through the match, Calasans gave no room and did not let up. He continued on with his top pressure and passing game, and was able to win on an advantage to take the victory.

Claudio Calasans vs Romulo Barral @ World Pro 2016

My favorite match that Claudio participated in this year (so far) was his match against Romulo Barral at the World Pro. Calasans had quite the tall order in front of him, taking on Barral who is a modern legend in Jiu Jitsu with a championship list a mile long. For this match, Calasans and Barral battled most of the time from the 50/50 position. While Barral elected to play top position, Calasans opted to work his half guard. Claudio was able to position himself into a kneebar and finished Barral with it not too long after. It showed Calasans leg lock ability and his skills off of his back.

Claudio Calasans has to be one of the most dynamic competitors in all of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Watching him compete is always a spectacle. With his abilities to beat an opponent in one match with guard passing and another with leg locks, it will be only a matter of time before he starts racking up more championship wins.