Continued Success For Murphy at the IBJJF European Championship

Following on from the success at the Paris Open in November, Tim Murphy, head instructor at Point Blank Gym, continued his good form by securing a gold medal at the IBJJF European Championship in Lisbon, Portugal.

The European Championship is the most prestigious and largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held in Europe by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation and has been held in Lisbon, Portugal since January, 2004.

Murphy, competing in the Brown Belt Master 1 Lightweight category got a bye to the quarter final when his scheduled opponent failed to show. In the quarter and semi finals Tim proved to have too much for his opponents winning on points 7-0 and 10-0 respectively, only failing to secure a submission finish in the semi-final with a bow & arrow choke due to time running out.

The final proved to be a tougher affair for Murphy against Omar Rashid representing Roger Gracie Academy. Mr Rashid looked to have secured an Omoplata shoulder lock early in the match only for Tim to escape but in doing so, gave up a sweep and conceded two points. Murphy retaliated by promptly snatching a single leg take-down to put the two competitors even on points with a couple of minutes remaining.

Murphy pushed the pace in the final minutes attempting to secure a guard pass and while he was unsuccessful the referee judged him to be the busier competitor and gave him the nod in the end. The match finished two points apiece with Murphy winning by referees decision.