BACK IN KL

Waiting in KLIA for my flight back to Kuching, and there's a booth with free internet access so hey.

The no-gi day was really good. It went by much faster than I expected, and it turns out I could actually have competed in my division before going (the absolute would have made me miss my flight).

There were a lot of good matches on show, with at least one flying armbar and loads of very cool sweeps. The highlight of the day, possibly both days of the competition, was the Advanced division, which was packed with talent. Sebastian and Scott were in it, as were Marcos Escobar, Jason Bukich (from BJJ Taiwan) and Makoto Ogasawara (who was also representing BJJ Taiwan.

I did get to watch Marcos and Jason go at it before I had to leave, and it was an amazing match. Simply amazing. It was back and forth and back again, with Marcos losing out on a single advantage point. I actually thought it was going his way but for a last second submission attempt.

I'm really happy I got to go, even with all the delays and quirks of the trip and what not. I don't regret it mainly because of all the awesome people I got to catch up with (or meet for the first time). I enjoyed hanging out with the Escobar BJJ team and hope to see them more in future competitions (and for them to take part in the absolute, you know who you are!).

Finally, I have to say it was worth it for one more competition with Aziz. He quit his job and will shortly depart on a truly epic globe-trotting adventure. Biking it across the UK, visiting Africa, and even training BJJ in Brazil with Demian Maia's people!

I'm really going to miss not hanging out with him at my competitions (he was there at my last four, he's like a fixture!). Safe travels, my friend, and hope to roll with you again one day soon.