The Grapple Hub Glory At BJJ 24/7

The Grapple Hub (TGH) was established formally on 11th June 2022 and promotes the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling in the heart of the East End, Tower Hamlets, London. Since opening its doors it has gone from strength to strength in relation to participants, community cohesion and of course competitions. Nine members from The Grapple Hub took part in the BJJ 24/7 competition at the UEL Sport Dock in Becton on 28th August 2022. Many of the club’s white belts were making their debuts while some of the other experienced competitors were dusting off their cobwebs in contrary to others looking to set the mark.

To kick start the ‘comp mode’ Riaz made a brilliant start to the day by winning the first match for TGH in the under 64kg (Light Feather Division). He fought bravely for his next two matches to secure himself 4th place in his first competition. Salah Uddin was knocked out in the first round of the same weight category but promises to be back in action with hard work and dedication. Power house Pearse also continued the pace winning his debut match with a staggering 25 points victory. Pearse lost his second match to a tough competitor but redeemed himself with an epic ‘Arm bar’ submission finish in his 3rd match to secure bronze (3rd place) for the TGH.

A lot of learning has also been made for Musaddik who also debuted at the 70kg (Feather weight) category, he walked away having fought bravely with injuries and less mat time. Kamran finished with a ‘white belt whitewash’ securing double gold in both GI / No GI in the Ultra Heavyweight division (100.5kg +) with a total of 4 wins.

Staying true to the club’s motto “we don’t give up” Abdul Hannan was off to a bad start in the Blue Belt under 64kg category. He successfully defended 4 submission threats at the same time putting on a display for the audience. Having a bye in the bronze medal match secured, Abdul Hannan made a 3rd place finish. Shah Minhaj also fought bravely having signed up for the Ultra-Heavyweight GI, No GI and absolute. The former absolute champ walked away with silver with bye straight to the finals.

Azharul Khan held the fort in the Blue Belt division winning Gold in the GI under 76kg (Lightweight Division). He lost his first match in the No GI in close contest with the opponent securing a 3-1 finish in the final seconds. Still in high spirits Azharul fought back against a vicious leg locker through pressure and control securing a place in the final with his first opponent. It was a moment of revenge or retreat, Azharul fought bravely, with crowds cheering for both participants, the chants became louder and louder as the minutes ticked off. His opponent won in a close contest securing Azharul with Silver in the No GI after the total of 5 matches combined.

A podium finish for the club’s purple belts Coaches Abu Ubaidah Masters 1 Middle weight and Abdul Hakim (Tony) Masters 3 Middle weight (under 82kg). Abu Ubaidah was up first to debut in his first purple belt clash, he managed to secure an early take down, maintain pressure and finish with an Kimura (ARM Lock) finish. The finals ended with a draw with the referee favouring the opponent securing Coach Abu Ubaidah with silver. Coach Abdul Hakim (Tony) ended the night with 2 back to back finishes securing Gold. The first match ended early with a Head and Arm Triangle submission while the second match was fought closely with the winner (Coach Abdul Hakim) securing a dominant points victory win on the home run.

Coach Abu Ubaidah commented, “A huge well done to all those who completed, the most important factor is that we got to experience competition first hand. It can be scary sometimes especially if you are a beginner. Everyone smashed it, even if you lost. I’m sure you took away a lot from that, Osss”.

Coach Abdul Hakim ended the day with his inspiring words, “Well done everyone, back to the drawing board”.