The last weekend of April was big. It was not just because the UFC arrived in Toronto with a 55,000 person event but for me personally I achieved one of my goals as a Jiu Jitsu fighter. I got that first gold medal and I did it at Grapplers Quest.

I took Friday off work so that I could be at the UFC FAN EXPO where Grapplers Quest was holding a 2 day event. I weighed in at 149lbs for the first time and knew I was going to be the bigger guy in the featherweight division. That gave me the mental edge I needed. I watched many of my friends compete in the NO GI tournament throughout the day . There was a mixed bag of results with some great victories with great submissions but some tough losses.

We had hoped our Professor who was fighting Ryan Hall in a Super fight would secure a victory. Unfortunately Jorge was caught in an inverted heel hook and lost his fight. I was bummed about that and swore that I was going to go out and win that gold the next day - and dedicate it to him. I was not expected what happened on Saturday. Had Jorge won his fight the next day might not have turned out quite the same... 

On Friday, before leaving I took in some of the UFC FAN Expo exhibits and met the guys at Reevo Fight Gear. I passed along my compliments on their Gi's which I have been meaning to do for some time. When I got home I started to prepare for battle the next day.

Saturday
I woke up very focused on the task at hand. I could feel the energy running through my body like electric. I was mentally prepared, physically ready and 100% sure this would be the day I got my first gold medal. I was watching my Dustin Denes videos on the way to the event for that extra push. I was praying to God and asking for His energy.

I arrived early and slowly the team started piling in - including a Gi swinging Jorge Britto. Our Professor had showed up to lead us into battle and was going to compete himself. That spoke volumes in my opinion. Redemption was on his mind. I warmed up and waited until I was called. I did some light rolling, some grip fighting and kept my body warm. By the time I took to the mats, after some confusion with the brackets, my team mates had already started to lead the charge. I decided to forget about my camera, my Twitter and Facebook updates and just think about 1 thing. My fights.

My first fight I won on points against a great player from Montreal and then I had to wait for the final as the Superfight between Diego Sanchez and Ryan Hall took place; as well as the USA vs Canada superfight. I used this time to speak with my team mates who gave me some valuable advice heading into my final.

When the mats cleared and the tournament fights commenced I was first up. The CEO of Grapplers Quest, Brian Cimins, made a point of sitting ringside to watch my fight which meant alot to me. I'd mentioned to him in Montreal where I first met him one of my goals was to be a Grapplers Quest Champion. I can't say enough good things about Brian. My team mate gave me a strategy and when the ref started the fight I had 1 objective...close my guard and try to control my opponent and to be more active on submission attempts..I usually play open guard but gold was close and I did not want to risk him using his wrestling power. I played tactical and had my coach and a team mate cornering me.

At the end of the fight there were no points on the board and when my hand was raised as the winner I was a little emotional as I realized I had achieved my objective. I was just sad that my opponent took the loss badly and I was not able to celebrate fighting with him. But my team made me feel great and I shared all my success with them. I called home and spoke to my parents and was very happy to have pulled it off. I knew what I had accomplished after all the shortcomings in tournaments and time put in training. I did it!


Watch: Grapplers Quest Toronto Gold Medal fight

I then enjoyed the rest of the day by watching my friends from other schools, my teachers and my team mates fighting and claiming their own victories (and some losses) but it seemed that Toronto BJJ was doing a serious medal haul. It was the culmination of alot of hard work and dedication to training. 

Sadly, I left before the team picture was taken which I regret but I was fortunate to have a ticket to the UFC 129 event at the Rogers Center so I made my way home to get ready. I was on cloud 9. 

I want to thank all my team mates and my Professor for all the training and support. It meant the world to me. I want to congratulate everybody on the weekend.

Thanks to Vernon for all the pics and videos