Kier Agda, left, poses with his silver medal in the blue belt ultra heavyweight division of the 2024 Copa de Marianas at the UOG Calvo Field House on Guam, Saturday.
AFTER a three-year hiatus, Kier Agda returned to contact sport and won a silver medal in the blue belt ultra heavyweight class of the 2024 Copa de Marianas at the UOG Calvo Field House on Guam, Saturday.
In his title match against Guam’s James Guerrero, Agda’s game plan was his signature smash game and aim for a submission finish.
“Either I take them down or if they pull guard, even better,” he said. “I drilled a lot of guard passes to side mount and ended with a bread cutter choke which I was able to get in my first match against Team FSM’s Joseph Redinalt,” Agda said.
However, in the finale, Guerrero scored early with a takedown and was able to secure Agda’s back and maintained the position for the whole round but with no submissions.
“I tried to fight off to get into a better position, but he had good control of me, which gave him the win by points,” Agda said.
He had to settle for a silver medal, but he is “super content” with his overall performance. “After not training and competing for three years and going straight back at it for only two months and competing right away and placing silver at a weight class that I was the lightest in, I’m super proud of myself for stepping up and facing bigger challenges. That’s where you get battle tested.”
To prepare for the jiu-jitsu gi event, Agda started training in November. “Day in and day out, I trained meticulously hard to be ready for competition,” he said.
“I would like to thank my team over at Trench Tech, my training partners, and Latte Built for helping me prepare for this event. My sponsors, Skydive Saipan and Micronesia Air Cargo Services for making my trip out here possible! And also, all my family and friends all around for the love and support! Thank you all very much!”
Agda already has a calendar of events set for the rest of the year. “Lots of competition ahead for me this year! I will be actively competing around Asia just as long as I’m healthy and injury free. My next competition on deck will be the Marianas Pro Manila on April 20, 2024,” he said.
