Dela Cruz eyes BJJ tournament in Japan

Saipan’s Clinton Dela Cruz, left, seen here posing for a photo with a fellow BJJ practitioner in Hawaii, received his black belt early this month. (Contributed Photo)

Fresh from receiving his black belt, Saipan-born Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner Clinton Dela Cruz is aiming to compete in a tournament in Japan this year.

“I’m strongly considering either the Asian Open in September or the Abu Dhabi Trials in October. Both of which will be hosted in Japan,” said Dela Cruz, who got his black belt—three notches away from the highest ranking in BJJ—at the US Caveirinha Jiu Jitsu Main Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii, early this month.

“They say that when you get your black belt that’s when the learning really starts, so this is just the beginning. In the immediate future I’m going to focus on getting ready for upcoming competitions along with my team. As far as the next step in my martial arts journey, I’d really like to travel a bit to visit other academies to share knowledge with other practitioners. I’m excited for the future, wherever it may take me,” Dela Cruz said.

The 27-year-old Dela Cruz rose through the ranks despite being a late starter and nearly fainting in his first BJJ class.

“I did not find martial arts until I was 20 when by coincidence a new jiu jitsu school was opening in my area at the same time as I was already contemplating on taking up self defense,” the Makaha, Oahu resident said.

“It all started on my first day of stepping onto the mats. I didn’t know what to expect but I knew that I wanted to learn self defense and BJJ was already gaining mass recognition due in part to its effectiveness in MMA. Funny story, during my first class I almost passed out from exhaustion. I still remember it vividly. The entire class I was confronted with my own shortcomings; I couldn’t touch my toes during the stretches, my movements were as stiff as a stick, and I felt winded after just the warmups. It was at the end of the class when we all lined up to take a picture that I started seeing stars and felt lightheaded. I remember telling myself, ‘if you pass out right now you’re never coming here again.’ Thank goodness I pulled through. From then on I was hooked and never looked back. This was a huge turning point in my life and one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Dela Cruz said.

While moving his way up to the ladder, the former Garapan resident also shared his BJJ knowledge to others.

“During my later blue belt years and all of purple belt, I was teaching around 8 to 10 classes a week which ranged from kids, juniors, beginners and advanced classes. Unfortunately, as my work demands grew, my teaching schedule shrank because I couldn’t commit to certain times anymore,” said Dela Cruz, who works as an operations manager in an energy company.

After getting his black belt, Dela Cruz, who left Saipan in 2001, plans to go back to teaching to get more people involved in BJJ.

“Although I don’t instruct as much as I would like to at the moment, I still make the hour drive (one way) from Makaha to Honolulu to train five or more days a week with the advanced and competitor groups at CJJF Honolulu. I’m actively working on revising my schedule so that I may again instruct on some level,” he said.