Brazilian jiu-jitsu: 'Training' session turns gold

Rotorua's Tairi Ford (second from right) picked up a gold medal at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu No Gi Nationals at the weekend. Photo / Ben Fraser

Tairi Ford walked into the Trusts Stadium in Auckland looking for a good training session.

She came out with a gold medal and a national title.

Ford was among a big group of local fighters taking part at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu No Gi Nationals at the weekend.

She decided to take part in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament as a training run of sorts for her main discipline, mixed martial arts.

To test herself, she even moved up into a higher weight class than she was used to - the beginner women's light division for fighters under 66.5kg.

"I did not really prepare for this as I have been really busy," she said.

"I have a cage fight for MMA in a few weeks and thought this would be a really good training day. I took it as a training rather than a competition and was really happy to come away with the win."

Ford won three fights to take out the beginner women's light division on Saturday.

She said it probably helped her going into the competition without any expectations.

Ford is a member of the Immortals MMA/Tu Kaha BJJ gym in Rotorua. She said she began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2011, when her partner got her into the sport.

Not long after, she broadened her focus to mixed martial arts and has since taken up boxing and kickboxing as well.

Ford recently set up a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class for local females wanting to get into the sport, at Immortals gym on White St on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

She said a few of the ladies had their first fight at the weekend in Auckland and really enjoyed the experience.