
Imre Pogacsas, Uilton Dias, Michael R. Smith.
SHELTON — Shelton Residents Michael R. Smith and Imre Pogacsas have both earned the coveted title of 2018 World Master Jiu-Jitsu Champion.
Smith, 50, won in the Master 4, blue belt, 207.5 lb. weight division in the 46 – 50 year-old class and Pogacsas, 52, won in the Master 5, purple belt, 194.5 lb. weight division in the 51 – 55 year-old class.
Both Smith & Pogacsas also placed 3rd in the absolute division, which is competing against the other weight classes in their perspective age and belt color divisions.
The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) hosted the international tournament held last month in Las Vegas, NV, August 22 to 25, 2018. It attracted more than 5,000 athletes from around the world.
Smith, a mortgage loan originator at Priority Lending, LLC in Shelton, is a former Div. III collegiate wrestler and began Jiu-Jitsu training just 2.5 years ago. He recently won first place at the New York IBJJF Open.
Pogacsas, a local contractor with Exclusive Companies, has been involved in Jui-Jitsu for more than 5 years and has won several local and regional competitions. Both Smith & Pogacsas are team members at Casa of Jiu-Jitsu in Ansonia, CT.
“We are very proud of Michael and Imre for achieving world champion status,” says Uilton Dias, owner of Casa of Jiu-Jitsu. “Our training philosophy at Casa goes to show that you can achieve anything when you believe in yourself and have faith in your abilities. Keep your dreams alive and remember all things are possible with discipline, hard work and surround yourself with good leadership.”