Gregor Gracie has taken home gold at Master Worlds this year following a nail-biting finals match against Rafael Lovato Jr.
The athletes spent the first few minutes of the match fighting for grips and trying to break down each other’s posture, with Lovato in particular working for lapel grips. Eventually, both competitors were penalized for stalling.
With just under three minutes left to go, Lovato pulled guard and tried to sweep Gracie, who worked to pass. Lovato managed to get deep half-guard and nearly managed to take Gracie’s back, but Gracie worked his way out with some fast and flexible movement to wind up in on top in 50/50. The effort was enough to earn Gracie an advantage, and Lovato continued to work for a sweep.
Gracie kept the pressure on to stay on top as Lovato tried to work underneath him for a leg, but as the clock wound down, a scramble ensured. Lovato began to stand up, and Gracie tried to come with him to attach himself to the back. Then, Lovato tried to take Gracie down, which Gracie narrowly evaded with about ten seconds to go. Gracie then switched things up and took Lovato down, ultimately landing out of bounds in the literal last seconds of the match. Though Gracie didn’t get points for the takedown, he earned another advantage, cementing his place as the winner of the match and the open weight division of the Master 1 category.
