BARNEY Travilla, a Saipan-born athlete who currently resides in the U.S., won the Gi category gold medal and the No-Gi category bronze in the 2022 Copa De Marianas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament at the Father Duenas Memorial High School Phoenix Center on Guam on Oct. 29, 2022.
Barney Travilla, center, poses with his gold medal after topping the Gi category of the 2022 Copa De Marianas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament at the Father Duenas Memorial High School Phoenix Center in Guam on Oct. 29, 2022.
He said the Gi category title match ended quicker than expected.
He had a slight advantage as his semifinal bracket finished earlier which gave him the chance to study his would-be opponent in the finals.
“It gave me the leverage at knowing how to gauge my opponent and his style of grappling,” he said. “He seemed to carry the style of a wrestler and to be very explosive.”
Travilla said he decided to position himself as the bottom player at the start of the final match. After a few exchanges, he ended up in his “half guard” which gave him the chance to set up a “kimura” trap on his opponent’s arm.
He then threw his outside leg over his opponent’s head which forced his opponent to roll out forward, allowing Travilla to perform an armbar submission.
“Winning gold at the Copa De Marianas Championship held in Guam felt awesome!” Travilla said. “I got to compete against the very best jiu-jitsu competitors from the islands. Although I train and practice the martial arts in San Diego, I was born and raised on Saipan in the CNMI. Given the opportunity to prove myself in my homecourt, I feel I have the honor to now represent the CNMI in other competitions around the world within my division.”
In the No-Gi category, Travilla signed up for the advanced division which consisted of purple, brown, and black belts.
He defeated his first opponent via heel hook. For his second match, he faced Guam’s UFC fighter, Trevin Jones.
“Personally, this was my most exciting match,” Travilla said. “But after a few solid exchanges, he finally caught me with a rear naked choke. So I was eliminated” from the gold-medal match.
But Travilla vied for the bronze which he won after defeating his opponent via heel hook or leg lock.
A Marianas High School and Northern Marianas College alumnus, Travilla has been a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter for six years now and trains under Master Baret Yoshida in San Diego, California.
Travilla has also competed in the following competitions:
Grappling X
North American Grappling Association
International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (SD Open, Worlds, NoGi Worlds, Pan Ams)
Fight 2 Win
Arte Suave
Jiujitsu World League
