Cuki makes finals of BJJ Asian Open

Trench Tech members pose for a photo before they compete in the 2018 Asian IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship last weekend at the Tokyo Budo-Kan in Tokyo, Japan. (Contributed Photo)

Trench Tech founder Cuki Alvarez figured in the finale of the brown belt masters 4 class of the 2018 Asian IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship held over the weekend at the Tokyo Budo-Kan in Tokyo, Japan.

Cuki won his first two matches in the featherweight division for the 45 to 48 age group to make it to the gold medal game where he was pitted against fellow unbeaten competitor Masahiko Kogo of X-Treme Jiu-Jitsu Academy.

“He was very strong and had a super strong grip on my collar and sleeve. We scrambled a few times throughout the entire match ( five minutes) when finally he was able to reverse me for the sweep. So, he got the 2 points with like a minute remaining in the clock and just held me there. He actually also got deducted by 2 points, for stalling but time ran out and I wasn’t able to reverse back my position. So, I lost,” Cuki said.

Before bowing to Ko and settling for the silver medal in the division that had several best masters BJJ practitioners in the region, Cuki recorded a close victory (by one point) in his first match and a submission in the second.

“I actually won my first match by an advantage, which was less than 1 point. My opponent kept attacking my legs and actually caught me in an ankle lock, but I escaped and fought to a better position, which earned me the advantage and the win,” he said.

“My second match was another very tough one. All the brown belts have a high skill set and were well prepared for the battle. My opponent kept forcing attackers and sweeps from his guard. It was hard to get out of his guard because he kept tight grips and had good movement in transition, which kept me from passing his guard. I kept working hard and finally secured the pass then was able to maneuver myself into a north south position and lock his arm for the Kimura,” Cuki said.

Besides Cuki’s silver, Trench Tech also got a bronze from Kier Agda, who competed in the white belt medium/heavy class. Agda saw action in the opening day of the tournament dubbed as “Asian Open” and earned an impressive 7-0 victory in his first match before losing the second one.

Shane “Pikaboo” Alvarez, Paulo “The Sang” Sangalang, Giovanni Taitingfong, and Vince “The Clinch” Masga also joined the competition that is recognized as one of the toughests in the region. Shane and Masga won their first match on points before losing via submission, while Sangalang and Taitingfong dropped their opener by points.

“Some very tough players from around the world entered this tournament so it was very competitive,” Cuki said.