The World Jiu Jitsu Expo 2014 is set for Sturday, October 19th, in Long Beach, California and will feature a superfight between black belts Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro and Nino Schembri. Both men are long time black belts and considered among the very best of the JJ artists at the start of the 21st century.This is another in a series of ‘classic’ matches that are springing up in the grappling world, and this one could be well worth watching.
Right now, BETDS is the only sport book on the internet taking odds on Jiu Jitsu and grappling events, and they have Schembri as a slight favorite at (-150), with the return on ‘Shaolin’ at (+130).
About 10 years ago, both men were considered among the finest active technicians in Jiu Jitsu. Check out Schembri’s incredible submission of Russian gold medalist wrestler Alexander Savko at the ADCC World Championships to get an idea of what Schembri s capable of:
Both men have faded from competition, though both crossed over to MMA as well. Shaolin ascended to be considered at one point on of the top lightweights in the world before going 1-4 in his last five fights and retiring with a fine 20-5 overall record. Schembri was not as successful in MMA, going 5-5, but he owns a 2003 victory over legendary Japanese fighter Kazuki Sakuraba.
Since this particular match up is at the JJ expo, both men will don a gi to compete for the first time in a long time, so there definitely will be rust, which is going to lead to a slow, cautious start by both men. After years off from competition, it is anyone’s guess whether either will ever get his motor started for this one.
A chess match is more likely to ensue. Shaolin may be a little taller and have more reach, while Schembri is thicker and likely to weight a little bit more. In his day, Shaolin was one of the better wrestlers among the JJ artists, and the match is probably going to come down to whether the guy who scores the first points can hold on and stall for the win.
If both men take the competition seriously and they come in fit, this has the potential to be a very exciting match, as neither men has been far from the game. We will see if years of teaching have quelled the competitive fire of either men.
