The Gracie Invitational at the SENI exposition in May 2008 was my first BJJ competition; I also competed at the Kent BJJ Open in that year, shortly before a second knee injury took me out of that part of the game. I won my first fight by arm bar and below is a video of my second bout against Zoe Hull of Pedro Bessa BJJ; I took home the gold that day. This was an exhilarating experience which taught me a lot about myself and what I can be capable of under pressure.
Meg Smitley versus Seetha Udin: Kent BJJ Open 2008 | MegJitsu
15 Dec 2011 @ 2:23 pm
[…] 2008, I competed as a white belt at the Gracie Invitational at SENI and at the Kent BJJ Open (now the English BJJ Open). Here’s a video of my first fight […]
10 Years in BJJ Part 1: The White Belt Years | MegJitsu
7 Nov 2014 @ 4:38 pm
[…] That was a really tough match for me. My opponent, Zoe Hall, was all over me; younger, more experienced and really strong, she was great. I remember clearly feeling so tired of having her smash me and thinking, ‘I can end this with a tap’ (around 2:57 of the video), then rallying – ‘No! This isn’t training, keep going, fight, fight!’. I escaped and got to my feet. When she used her hand on her knee to stand up I knew she was tired too. I gave a big smile, ‘I’m fine, not dying inside – haha!’. I knew she’d go for another great takedown and got ready to sprawl – yes! Worked my technique and found the back and finished with an RNC. I brought home the gold that day. […]