Registered nurse Gibran Amos Langbayan became the first Igorot to earn a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, which is lacking in most Cordilleran mixed martial art fighters.
Langbayan announced in his Facebook account he is deeply honored to have officially received his black belt from Leonardo Fernandes da Silva of Endurance Gym based in Abu Dhabi.
It took Langbayan nine years to earn a blackbelt in Brazilian jiu jitsu since he started combat sport more than a decade ago while busy with his work in Abu Dhabi.
In 2020, Langbayan, who traces his roots to Mountain Province and Benguet, was ranked number one jiu jitsu practitioner in the Philippines and 22nd in the world under the Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro (AJP) world ranking for male master 1 purple belts, and 10th in Asia.
It was also in the same year that Langbayan won gold medal in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tour in London, United Kingdom and elevated his rank among jiu jitsu practitioners around the world.
The London tournament is one of the toughest jiu jitsu competitions in the world, as it consisted of numerous matches across multiple weight and belt divisions.
His younger brother, Godwin, is also a serious jiu jitsu practitioner for over a decade now.
Langbayan’s achievement earned praises from fellow Cordilleran combat sport athletes to include former ONE Championship flyweight world champion Geje Eustaquio, who invited the former to share his skills to fellow Filipino athletes. – Harley F. Palangchao
April 29, 2024
