Sapateiro Invitational 6 features Hector Lombard, Vinny Magalhaes

The new year is kicking off with some major grappling events in January. This Saturday, the Sapateiro Invitational brings together some of the most dangerous and successful grapplers in the sport today. When looking at the rule set and the men scheduled to compete, this is a must-watch event for any fan of the competitive grappling space.

The biggest names in the event include the likes of Bill Cooper, Hector Lombard, and Jeff Monson. Each of these men competed on some of the largest stages in the mixed martial arts arena. While that doesn’t necessarily translate into success in all grappling events; each of these men has shown an ability to get the job done and win major events.

Cooper is a former Pan American gold medalist as a brown belt and has also seen success within the absolute division. He saw some success in MMA where he competed on Strikeforce Challengers events back in 2011. However, he would return to the world of grappling where he’s continued to compete in some of the biggest events around the world.

At 45 years old, Monson brings a wealth of experience and success across both grappling and MMA. He’s medaled at multiple ADCC events including winning the tournament in 1999 and 2005. He’s also an accomplished wrestler; competing in events for USA Wrestling and FILA.

Lombard is another recognizable name due to his time as an Olympic Judoka for Cuba and his run as a mixed martial artist. The former Bellator champion and UFC contender is known for his diverse set of Judo throws that he hits from a variety of different entries.

Gordon Ryan, Richie Martinez, Enrico Coco, Marcel Goncalves, Jesseray Childrey, Jimmy Friedrich, Dan Martinez, Chase Davis, Adam Sachnoff, Craig Jones, James Brasco and Bruno Bastos round out the field for this event.

The rules for the Sapateiro Invitational 6 include a ten minute, submission only match. One overtime round is set for the semifinals; however if no submission is earned, both fighters go to the losers’ bracket. The quarterfinals and finals will feature a continuous overtime until one fighter gets a submission. All submissions are legal and a fighter can slam to get out of a submission. Stalling is also called for tentative athletes and getting two stalling calls results in a DQ.

What’s most interesting about this event is that the promotion is sharing the Pay-Per View revenue with the fighters. Not only is the grand prize a $10,000 payout, but athletes that get fans to purchase the event using their promotion code will receive 50 percent of that sell.

Sapateiro Invitational 6 is set for Saturday, January 21 from the Stageworks Theater in Tampa, Florida. Viewers purchase the event through sapateiroinvitational.com.