Gustavo Dantas threw his 3rd Southwest Classic Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Arizona last weekend, and decided he was going to give the winning Pro Division black belts a free ticket to the European Open in Portugal as a reward for their efforts.
Tanquinho tops the podium after one, decisive match. / Photos: Deb Blyth.
There were but two black belts in the light absolute bracket: Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes of Soul Fighters and Osvaldo “Queixinho” Augusto of Gracie Fighter. Tanquinho took first place honors, winning the only and final match, earning a free trip to Portugal.
Although Tanquinho was disappointed he only got to compete once that day – and against his friend Queixinho, who was Tanquinho’s student for two years –, he was still pleased with the results of the match. “We did a good job putting on a show for the crowd,” he says, “It was a friendly competition and we were able to show off our skills on the mats.” Additionally, Tanquinho was thrilled to win that plane ticket to Portugal. “That’s really why I signed up in the first place,” Tanquinho says, “I really wanted to win the ticket.”
Tanquinho was excited to be a part of Gustavo’s tournament. While in Brazil, he says he’d seen GRACIEMAG articles about them, they were just too far away from him to participate. This time, he was in Arizona with his girlfriend, Mackenzie Dern, Wellington “Megaton” Dias’s daughter, and Megaton, the president of the AZSBJJF, told him to sign up for the event. “Megaton told me how professional Gustavo’s tournaments are,” Tanquinho says, “He said Gustavo gets good referees and the tournaments are really well organized… I knew JT Torres was there last year, so I knew it would be good.”
Tanquinho playing guard against "Queixinho"
Tanquinho had to diet to make weight for the 3rd Southwest Classic, but this is typical practice for him. When competing at lightweight, he doesn’t have much to lose, but when he fights at feather, he has around 18 pounds or so to take off and it’s not always easy. “I lose like four kilos (8.8 lbs) slowly, then I lose the next five kilos (10 lbs) the day before an event,” he says, “I just fought the Worlds at featherweight because I won the World Pro at feather. I’ve decided that I’m going to fight the big tournaments at feather and the small ones at light.”
Tanquinho says he’s not sure if he’s going to register for the No-Gi Worlds this year or not, but if he does, he will compete as a lightweight. He’s sustained some injuries and needs to see how he feels before deciding. “I hurt my shoulder in training last week,” he says, “So my decision will be based on that, my weight, and who else is competing in the lightweight division.” If he doesn’t do the No-Gi Worlds, then he will be at the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in Brazil on November 19. “I will have to cut a lot of weight for that one,” he says.
Tanquinho says he’s been having a really great 2011 and is happy with his progress thus far. “I’ve won a lot of titles this year,” he says, “Unfortunately, I didn’t win the Worlds but I can’t complain. I want to do even better next year.”
Tanquinho started training in Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 14 and is now a second-degree black belt. He’s had his black belt for six years, and at the age of 28, has been training in the gentle art half his life. His ultimate goal is to win the Gi Worlds Championship as a black belt. “I’ve won it at other belts,” he says, “I know I can win at black belt. I have what it takes to win.” He says a lot of things are coming together for him now, so he has a good chance of winning in 2012. “All my training and concentration… I’ve already beaten the champ, Rafael Mendes, before, so I know what I have to do.”
Tanquinho says having to face so many great competitors in his bracket is what he loves to do. He’s not intimidated, threatened or dissuaded by all the athletes he has to get through to get to the top of the podium. On the contrary, it’s what he lives for. “I love that I have to fight so many tough guys,” he says, “All that hard work makes it worth more. Winning or losing – it makes it worth it. When you win, you’ve really earned it. Even losing to those guys… I have a chance to win, too, so it’s a learning experience.”
As far as having a favorite technique, Tanquinho says he doesn’t have one because he’s very versatile at any position. “I’m equally good on top as I am on the bottom,” he says, “I like playing everything. I definitely have a comfort zone but I think it’s important to be good at everything.”
Many Jiu-Jitsu stars have their eye on MMA, and surprisingly, Tanquinho is no different. He says he wants to have an MMA fight maybe a year from now after the Gi Worlds. “I want to represent Jiu-Jitsu in MMA,” he says, “But I also want to make some money because there’s more of it in MMA than there is in Jiu-Jitsu. Mostly, though, I just want to experience it. I want to get that MMA feeling and see what it feels like to fight.”
But Jiu-Jitsu will always be his first love, and he really appreciates what it’s given him. “What I love most about Jiu-Jitsu is what it’s provided me,” he says, “I’ve been able to travel around the world and meet new people, including my girlfriend. It’s given me a great lifestyle.”
That being said, Tanquinho and Mackenzie just finished a big seminar tour in Europe and they both say it was a big success. They’re forging ahead with their good fortune in the US, hanging around for about another month doing more seminars. If you’re interested in having them come to your school, you can contact tanquinhojj@gmail.com.
Tanquinho wants to thank Atama Kimonos and Copacabana USA for all their support.
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