Last weekend I competed at the highly anticipated Boa Super 8 event in Melbourne, Australia. It was the first event of it’s kind Down Under and in my opinion, the night went even better than I expected.

I was given a task of fighting Kate Wilson, who is a very decorated competitor and a brown belt. We had a 6 minute match at brown/black rules, which was something new to me. Training for last last 10 weeks has focused on not only improving all parts of my jiu jitsu, but also adding toe holds and knee bars into my game. Even though neither Kate or I went for them during the actual fight, I learnt so much just from the preparation.

Kate and I at the weigh in

Warm up W.L Fight Photography

I have set some themes for myself for the night, which helped me prepare mentally. They included ‘exploring my limits’, ‘strategy’ and ‘focus on me’. Whilst I always prepare for my opponents and I was super aware of Kate’s game, this time I knew what I wanted to do and where my strengths lay.

On the night, I was super worried about being too nervous – it was the first time I would fight on an elevated platform, with all eyes just on my fight, cameras and live streaming, whilst also being conscious of putting on a good show for the audience.

However, as soon as I heard my walk out song and it was time to go, my nerves were replaced by excitement and happiness. I was so pumped and completely in my element. It was a pleasure to fight with such a good mind set.

W.L Fight Photography

Luke Burnham

Kate scored 2 points early on for a takedown as I pulled guard. From then on I played x-guard but failed to capitalise on the sweep when I stoop up with the leg,  I attempted a triangle, an omaplata, nearly passed, nearly took the back, and then nearly passed again and nearly took the back one more time before the timer went. I received 4 advantages for my efforts, and ended up losing the fight.

Elvis Sinosic Photography

Luke Burnham

W.L Fight Photography

Luke Burnham

W.L Fight Photography

Luke Burnham

W.L Fight Photography

Luke Burnham

Luke Burnham

W.L Fight Photography

Of course, it is never, ever fun to lose, but this time I am not extremely disappointed. I am happy that I felt very comfortable from top, bottom and every position I was put in. I know exactly what I need to fix and improve on and have gained a lot of confidence from the night, knowing that I can trust both my guard and my passing. I actually achieved a lot of my small goals I set for myself, which I was happy about. As I said, I always play to win, but sometimes blessings come in disguise.

A great fight W.L Fight Photography

I hope we showed a high level of technical BJJ as a representation of women of Australia and put on an entertaining match for everyone. Thank you to Kate for fighting me, I feel privileged to have an Aussie of such high calibre and class to compete with and go through this amazing experience together.

Watch the fight here:

The support I received from my team mates, my coaches, and Melbourne BJJ community both after, but more importantly, before the show and during my prep was unbelievable.

All matches at BOA Super 8 were entertaining and showed some great jits. Even though Lachie performed very well he didn’t win the belt, but sharing the experience and the moment with him was unforgettable.

I hope there will be many more to come!  Thank you to Sy and Thiago for such a successful event and for looking after your athletes so well.

Kate Wilson – a friend and my competitor