Felipe Costa (far left) and Rodrigo Comprido (far right) / GRACIEMAG.com archive photo

Felipe got the idea for these training sessions because he’s always found it difficult to put together a group of higher belts who are light, like to train hard, and want to compete. “Whenever I get the chance to talk to my opponents at various competitions, we light guys always agree about how hard it is to only train with heavier training partners at our academies,” Felipe says, “So, I thought why not bring people together who share the same passion, but just happen to be from different teams? We can help each other get better. In the end, that’s what we all want, right?”

Jiu-Jitsu practitioners from Brasa, De La Riva Team, Soul Fighters, GFTeam, Nova Geracão, Carlson Gracie, Gracie Humaitá, and Brazilian Fight, to name a few, all attend Felipe’s training sessions. “We have about 40 people who come to train three times a week,” he says, “This is something unique to the world, so many top fighters under 73kgs from all over come to train. Cross-training between teams was something unimaginable when I started back in 1991, but things have changed and we all need to adapt. So, everyone is welcome, as long as we think alike.”

“It’s like making a new Jiu-Jitsu team”

Thinking alike includes the five basic training principles. “Despite your rank or team, once you join our training team everyone is the same,” Felipe says, “It’s like making a new team, at least while inside the mats. No one is allowed to make fun of or put down another training partner. That’s respect. Everyone who comes to train is loyal to his own team, but also loyal to the training partners who are giving their best to help each other. So, to show ethics, we do not comment about our training to our teammates from our original team.”

Felipe also says they don’t hide or hold back techniques. There are no secrets on the mats. “We just want to get better, so the best way to do that is to share our knowledge,” he says. As far as discipline goes, everyone must arrive on time and only miss training in the case of something extreme. “It’s our way to show respect for our training partners’ time and effort to be there,” he says, “And lastly, without trust, there is no improvement. Despite our team flag, we are friends and there is no need to oppose each other. This is the biggest lesson we can teach the world.”

Felipe leads the training sessions, but follows the recommendations of physical fitness trainer Itallo Vilardo. “He’s the best BJJ trainer I have ever had,” Felipe says, “We are lucky to have him leading us through the training. The results are amazing.”

So far, Felipe has enjoyed much success with his “little guy” training sessions. “I spoke to Ricardo de la Riva about the idea of this training, and he was the first one to say we could use the space in his academy to do it,” Felipe says, “He also joined us and gave us the honor of getting to roll with him a little. He deserves all the good things people say about him. He is a legend in the sport and we are all so honored to have the chance to be friends with him and have him roll with us and teach us in each session.”

 Caio Terra’s way

Felipe says, although this type of cross-training has not been accepted in the past, he and another famous small fighter from Gracie Fighter, Caio Terra, are good friends and have trained together since Caio was a white belt. “The fact that Caio enters the open weight and gets great results is amazing and living proof that technique can overcome strength,” Felipe says, “He is no doubt the best rooster today. When Caio was still living in Rio, he used to invite people from different academies to train with him at his house, where he had mats laid out. I was often there and we helped each other get ready for many competitions. With all the traveling I do throughout the year, visiting many academies all over the world that defend different flags, I have learned that it doesn’t matter if someone fights for a different team than yours. In the end, if someone does BJJ, he shares the same passion as me, but he just happens to be on a different team. So what stops us from being friends and training together? The politics from the old generations aren’t holding up anymore; this new generation is stepping up and changing this.”

Felipe says his training is really making a difference in the life of small fighters because little guys have some major challenges they have to overcome as Jiu-Jitsu fighters. “The truth is the small guys suffer!” Felipe says, “But I think everyone agrees that the small guys who don’t give up usually become the most or close to the most technical guys in the academy. If I had to give advice to a new small Jiu-Jitsu guy today, I’d tell him to first learn how to defend himself, learn how to avoid injuries, understand the limits of your body, and then, once you pass that phase, you will be very good at the art!”

Yuri Simões wearing his new black belt / Personal-archive photo

With all of these accolades, it’s no surprise that Yuri’s professor Ricardo Vieira gave Yuri his coveted black belt over the holidays. “Ricardo told me that 2011 was going to be my last year as a brown belt,” Yuri says, “That’s why I was so nervous at the Worlds. I wanted to make sure I got the Mundial gold in my brown belt before I got my black belt.”

Yuri says that December 30 was one of the happiest days of his life. “It was a very special moment because I became a black belt from Ricardo,” Yuri beams, “I still feel a bit awkward every time I tie on this new belt. Now, I have the biggest challenge ahead of me: my mission is to become a world champion black belt. I know I’ll be ready because I’ve got the best training partners in the world, who will help me achieve this dream.” Yuri is referring to his teammates in California, including his coach, Lucas Leite. “He is the best competitor out there today,” Yuri says, “He smashes me every time we train. I learn so much from him.”

Yuri’s first experience with Jiu-Jitsu was at 7 years old. It was 1997 and his dad was a purple belt. “He used to teach me little things like simple takedowns, armbars, and self defense,” Yuri says, “But I used to be a trouble maker as a kid. I loved fighting in school and always had so much energy. So, my dad put me into a proper BJJ school when I was like nine years old. I trained there until I was 16. Then my Master, Mauricio Miguel Pereira died. He was like a second dad to me. It was really tough on me. I promised him that I was going to win the Worlds before he died. I wanted to make him proud. He died before seeing this happen. I know wherever he is now, he is looking down at me, happy and proud.”

After Yuri lost his master, he began training under Ricardo Vieira. “It’s been a great experience training with him since I was a juvenile blue belt,” Yuri says, “I have been very successful on my journey and I’m very thankful to Ricardo because he is one of the best BJJ coaches in the world and has made many champions. Now it’s my time to go after the gold in the black belt division. I know I can do it. I want to thank Ricardo, Lucas Leite, Marco Machado Sharpei, and my family for their support. I promise that I will go 1000% to get that Worlds title. Nothing’s gonna stop my dream from coming true.”

Felipe currently has affiliated schools in seven different Mexican states. Felipe says, “In total, we have 10 academies that fight under the BRASA flag.” Felipe has been visiting his schools in Mexico since 2004 and today has students who hold black, brown, and purple belts teaching in those academies. “I visit Mexico at least two times a year and the main students try to visit me in Brazil once a year as well,” Felipe says.

The Mexican Nationals have been taking place for several years, but 2011 was the first year they were held under the affiliation of the IBJJF. Felipe encouraged his students to register and compete at the tournament. “Our initial plan was to put 30 competitors together, since our academies are spread around Mexico and it’s very expensive for them to travel,” Felipe says, “I got there three weeks before the event and visited many of the academies to train with and motivate the students before the tournament.”

Felipe says the Mexican BRASA group is very well integrated, so instead of 30 registrants entering into the Mexican Nationals, they got 130 competitors to go.

Felipe Costa and his crew / Felipe Costa's personal archives

“The Mexican Nationals had over 600 competitors this year, the biggest group so far,” Felipe says, “In the end, we made 182 points, which was only five points behind the first place team. But they brought over 70 competitors more than us. So, that means we had 35% less fighters, but 46% better results!” Now that is a successful trip.

Felipe hung out in Mexico for about three weeks for this particular trip, but he’s been traveling there for many years. “This time I got the chance to visit Mexico from North to South and I went to many cities, yet there is still so much I want to see,” he says, “Mexico is one of the most beautiful places I have visited in the world. I recommend everyone who loves to travel and likes BJJ to give it a try.”

Jiu-Jitsu is growing rapidly in Mexico and Felipe says he has a lot of respect for everyone who practices the sport, regardless of their team affiliation. “I just want everyone to know that any visitor from any team is welcome in our academies in Mexico,” he says, “Mexicans are very warm and welcoming. You can feel the love in its people and places.”

Felipe is grateful to have been able to help change the lives of others through the art of Jiu-Jitsu, and his time in Mexico only added to that feeling. “The Jiu-Jitsu benefits are huge,” he says, “Besides a great sport and a way of keeping a healthy lifestyle, it helps build confidence and that makes a big difference in anyone’s life. Jiu-Jitsu crosses all boundaries. It doesn’t matter what a person’s nationality is or whether it’s just a hobby to a regular person or a lifetime pursuit and dedication to an athlete. It benefits everyone.”

Felipe, himself, learned the benefits of Jiu-Jitsu from an early age. He started training in Jiu-Jitsu at 12 and will be 34 years old in 2012. He’s a third degree black belt under Rodrigo Comprido. He says, “I’m the first, and so far, the only, BJJ World Champion to achieve the world champion title at the black belt level, without ever winning any major tournaments in the lower belts. All my biggest titles were after I got my black belt, something very unusual, since most top fighters are seen to be natural born champions. I like to believe my history brings hope to a lot of people who are dedicated, but haven’t had as good of results as they’d wished for as they rise in their belts.”

Felipe says he’s conquered all his goals in relation to the major IBJJF gi tournaments as a black belt in the adult category, except for the Pan where he’s won silver the last three years in a row. He also hasn’t competed in the Asian Open yet, so that’s on his bucket list as well. Outside of that, he says he will continue to fight in the adult division, but he is already mixing it up and starting to compete in the master’s division in some categories. “I still feel the urge to train hard and compete, so it’s super pleasant for me to do so,” the Jiu-Jitsu veteran says.

As for his 2012 goals, Felipe says, “I’m going to fight in the biggest IBJJF tournaments for sure. And Comprido and I are planning our Brazilian Black Belt Jiu-Jitsu Camp for 2012 in Cancun. It will be held on September 20th and UFC fighter Demian Maia is going to be our special guest. He’s going to teach the MMA set. Places are going to fill up very fast. We are really looking forward to having our traditional camp in Mexico for the first time.”

If you would like more information about Felipe and his schools, programs, and camps, you can contact him three different ways. At his official website: www.felipecosta.com, on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/felipecostaBJJ or on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/felipecostabjj.

Lovato at WPJJ Trials / Photo by Mike Calimbas

This tournament will mark the last Abu Dhabi Trials before the actual World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in April. Rafael Dallinha, coordinator for the San Diego Trials, says the event is a five-star trials, compared to some of the others that have been three- or four-star affairs. “What that means is that we are going to be giving away a lot of tickets to Dubai,” Rafael says, “And not just plane tickets. This includes hotel, food, registration – everything. It’s going to be a huge event.”

Rafael says he expects to see a big crowd this year, since this is the last trials before the main event in April. “We are ready for everyone and excited to see all the great contests that will occur at the tournament,” Rafael says.

If you need information about sponsorship or how to get to the San Diego trials, please contact Rafael at rafabjj@hotmail.com.

Robson Moura / Photo: personal archives of Gustavo Dantas

Robson has known Gustavo Dantas for years and the two are the best of friends. “Gustavo was so happy when he was talking about us during his speech, and everything we’ve been doing since 1995,” Robson says, “He’s worked really hard to create this [Nova União] family. It’s the best school ever. It was really emotional for me to get this honor, to see him, and to have him speak about us.”

Robson and Shaolin had a great trip. They grew up together at the same Jiu-Jitsu school in Brazil, but now Shaolin is in New York and Robson is in Florida, so they don’t see each other as often as they’d like. “Sharing this time with him and Gustavo was a blast,” Robson says, “I’m glad I had the chance to be there. Gustavo does such a great job with his competitions. I learn so much every time I spend a few days with him. He wants to see everybody happy. He’s doing a great job.”

Robson, Shaolin, and Gustavo held a seminar for the Nova União students as part of the event. They worked diligently to pull something together their students would really enjoy. “We spent hours on the mats deciding what to teach,” he says, “We all had ideas, then we went to work on techniques, which worked out really nicely. Each guy showed a little bit of technique. We had about 90 students on the mats. At the end of the seminar, we were able to spar with them, from white belts to black belts. I don’t normally do that because there’s no time, but we did this time. It was great!”

Known to be one of the most technical and creative black belts out there today, Robson thrives on creating new Jiu-Jitsu techniques and then teaching them to his students. “Ever since I was a blue belt I’ve loved to create new techniques,” he says, “It’s hard for me to say why these things come into my mind. I can have a dream about a situation or new technique, and then wake up and create it.”

Robson says his greatest and most creative move so far is his Robinho cross-guard technique, which is now available on DVD. “I spent a lot of time creating every single detail about submission sweeps, taking the back, and everything else,” he says, “It’s really nice. I didn’t want to share it with people until I was sure it would work. I trained in it and worked on it every day. Now I know it works because I’ve created so many situations with it. It’s my signature move.”

Robson’s creative vision of Jiu-Jitsu, his love of learning, and his passion for the sport are a few of the reasons why he’s such a great practitioner and competitor. “Everything in life that you really love…if you give yourself to the sport or anything else, you’re going to do well. I was 10 years old when I stepped on the mats. Now I’m 33. I can’t even remember when the last time was that I took one week off. Jiu-Jitsu is everything to me. It’s my life. I can always learn more whether I’m teaching a class to my beginners, or sparring with high-level black belts. My mind is so open to learning…I don’t think I know everything. I’ve been a black belt for so long and a world champion, too, but I’m still learning and improving, and I can see what I can do to be better and better.”

It’s hard to imagine Robson getting any better when you look at his Jiu-Jitsu record over the years. In the year 1996, Robson held three belts: In January 1996 he won his first Worlds championship as a purple belt. He received his brown belt on the podium. From January to November he was a brown belt. He was the 1996 Pan American brown belt champion and a Brazilian National Champion. In November 1996 he received his black belt. He then dominated the super feather black belt division, winning Worlds championships in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. In 1998 he was also the Brazilian National Champion. In 2001 he was a bronze medalist at both the Worlds and the ADCC’s, and in 2002 he was the World Cup champion. Robson then took five years off from competing. Remarkably, he came back to the Worlds in 2007 and won gold in his division again!

When asked if winning tournaments came to him from learning through lots of losses, Robson laughs and says, “No, I won all the time growing up. I’ve competed my whole life, and fought in every single belt. I have 23 years competition experience now. I don’t have any nerves before a competition, but I used to put a lot of pressure on myself. I hated to lose…I still do, but after so many years competing, I’m really confident and know what to do when I step on the mats.”

These days Robson has a better understanding of his own competition style and the sport itself, but he still doesn’t like to lose. Once again, the superstar hadn’t competed since 2007 when he received and accepted an invitation to the 2011 ADCC’s. He ended up coming in 4th place, and although he couldn’t sleep for two or three nights after his competition, saying the loss gave him “bad dreams,” he was still able to give himself a break and acknowledge that he did a good job. “I’m always building to be a better competitor,” he says, “I was able to go to the ADCC’s and do a good job after many years of not competing. I haven’t competed at that high of a level since 2007. I was able to go and think, ‘I’m 33. They’re inviting me. I’m going to go and have fun.’ And that’s what I did. I’m really proud of myself. I will always do my best. I will always give everything I have. I’m there to win, but I know if I lose, I tried.”

Robson tries to share his competition philosophy and experience with his students. “I tell my guys, ‘if you want to be a competitor, I will be there to support you,’” he says, “I tell them, ‘every time you step on the mat, clear your mind, do your best, and do what you do in training. If he beats you because he’s had better training, go back and fix your mistakes and then go back for the next one.’ You have to know you’re going to learn and get better.”

The bottom line is, competition or no competition, Robson simply loves Jiu-Jitsu. “You can be a great black belt with or without the competitions or the winning,” he says, “I, personally, just love the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle. I’m big time on that. I know it can change people’s lives. It changed mine. Jiu-Jitsu is my life. I grew up in a bad place. Jiu-Jitsu took me from nothing to where I am today. Now I take care of my family through it. Jiu-Jitsu gives you confidence. Everything is better in life when you have confidence.”

Over the years, Robson’s been able to put his hard work, his love for the sport, and his passion all together to create a full and happy life. “Coming from what I came from, the only option I had in my life was Jiu-Jitsu,” Robson says, “I grew up close to nowhere. I had to take a bus and travel 1 ½ hours to train, I slept on the mats, I didn’t have money for lunch. Jiu-Jitsu was my green card to get a better life to help my family. I had to give everything I had and do the best I could do. I’m always going to love my job. Thanks to God that I was able to accomplish all this in my life.”

From left to right, old friends Robson, Gustavo Dantas and Vitor "Shaolin" / Photo: personal archives of Gustavo Dantas

Robson loves to give back to others and he’s able to do it through teaching at his two schools in Tampa, Florida, and at his affiliate schools all over the world. “I teach and give seminars every weekend,” Robson says, “I have 22 association schools around the world. I teach at my schools every day, and then I leave Friday for my seminars, whether they’re in Illinois or Canada or Europe. I come back Sunday or Monday and then start teaching again. But I really like to teach a lot. I love seeing my students becoming better. When they tell me how much Jiu-Jitsu has changed their lives, it means a lot to me.”

Along with his love for Jiu-Jitsu, Robson also tried his hand at MMA, fighting for Shooto in Japan. “I had four MMA fights,” Robson says, “I won two, lost one, and had one draw. My last fight was in 2004. I still train in MMA and I still want to do it again. With Jiu-Jitsu, I close my eyes, and I’m so happy with all of it. With MMA I still think I still have something more to do there.”

With Robson so busy in his life and work, he still has more goals to accomplish in 2012. “I’ve met every single goal as a competitor,” he says, “But I’m not done. I still like to compete. I don’t plan competitions in advance, but if I’m training, then I will decide to jump on one when it comes up. So, maybe you’ll see me competing at the Worlds in 2012. For now, I’m going to continue to teach classes and seminars, and watch my guys improve every single day. That’s my goal…the thing I really enjoy. I want to build my new school and I want to get more involved in MMA. That’s on my mind for the next year. I’ve dedicated myself to the Nova Uniao association. I’m also going to continue to work on my website: robsonmoura.com. It talks about where I grew up, my history and my journey in Jiu-Jitsu.”

As for his long-term goals, Robson wants people to look at him and see that he dedicated his whole life to represent Jiu-Jitsu. “I’m not talking about my school or Nova Uniao,” he says, “I’m talking about Jiu-Jitsu. I want my name to come into people’s minds when they talk about it in general. I want people to follow me. When they go online to learn about competitors, I want my name to be there. I always want to be remembered as one of the best competitors of all time. Robinho was the guy who made history. I hope that happens.”

Photos by Mike Calimbas

Manny’s road to Dubai has been an interesting one thus far. He was a golf professional before he began training in Jiu-Jitsu. He was trying to become a playing professional, but ended up a teaching professional. “I played golf eight to 10 hours a day for years,” he says, “I dropped it just like that for Jiu-Jitsu. I have barely played golf in three years.”

Manny started training in 2009 at Sandro Batata BJJ. He claimed gold at the Pan and received his blue belt on the podium. He’d only been a white belt for three months. As a blue belt, Manny attended the 2009 Abu Dhabi Pro Trials in Santa Cruz. “I was two matches away from going to Dubai when I lost by an advantage point,” he says, “I knew then that getting to the Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup was one of my main goals in Jiu-Jitsu.”

Manny took silver at the 2009 US Open, the 2010 American Cup, and the 2010 Worlds. He then took seven months off from training Jiu-Jitsu to pursue MMA and his standup, but he still competed at Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, winning the 2010 American Nationals and claiming double gold at the US Open, taking both his medium heavyweight division and the open; he was promoted to purple belt on the podium. Manny then had one MMA fight, which he won.

He attempted competing at the 2011 Abu Dhabi World Pro trials in San Diego, but lost to a referee’s decision in his first match. “I was unprepared,” Manny says, “It was my first purple belt competition, and I’d only trained for about a week.” Then Manny came back, competed at the Pan, and took silver. “I felt like I really shined there,” he says, “I surprised a lot of people. No one really knew who I was.”

by Mike Calimbas

His success at the Pan motivated him to continue training hard, but his plans to open his own Jiu-Jitsu school got in the way. He signed up for the Worlds but didn’t realize how much work it would be getting his school ready. “I just had no time to train,” he says, “I ended up having to go up a weight class because I hadn’t been watching my weight. I was so tired from working. I just wasn’t mentally or physically prepared.” At the 2011 Worlds, Manny lost his first match by two points.

Watsonville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu opened the following weekend and Manny made his academy his main focus. He still wanted to compete, but he had a hard time balancing his priorities. “My training time was cut in half,” he says, “I was trying to train twice on Sundays to make up for it.”

Then over the summer, Manny began driving to San Francisco to train with Antonio Braga Neto until A.B.N. had to leave for Brazil. “It meant a lot to me to be able to train with him,” Manny says, “I hadn’t been exposed to that level of training before. I had never been smashed like that ever. He walked through me. He demolished me! He opened my mind and made me see possibilities I hadn’t seen before. It propelled me forward.”

Manny attended the Las Vegas Open in August and won double gold in his weight and the open. “You can’t beat having a world champion kick your butt,” he says, “A.B.N. made me feel like a white belt. It got me going, gave me my confidence back. After training with him, everyone else felt like air to me. The pressure I felt going against my opponents was nowhere near what he did to me.”

Manny attended the 2011 US Open. He’d won it the past two years in a row and he wanted to win it as a purple belt, which he did. Manny was a double gold winner, taking both his weight and the open class. “I feel like my game has grown to a point where I don’t have to worry about my opposition,” he says, “I can focus on what I’m going to do to them, not what they’re going to do to me.” Manny started training with Caio Terra at the Institute of Martial Arts and says that Caio and his team really helped him refine his game. “They offer me really great support, which has been the most important thing to me,” he says.

In November, Manny flew out to compete in the 202 lbs. category at the San Antonio Trials. He had three matches in his weight. He won the first on points, the second via armbar, and his final with a loop choke to take gold. In the absolute he had four matches and caught three of his opponents in armbars, finishing one of them in just 15 seconds. He won his semifinals match by a referee’s decision, but unfortunately, his foot snapped during the contest. “Everyone heard it and thought I broke my leg,” he says, “I thought I broke my ankle, but I kept attacking anyway. I almost caught him in a couple armbars, but he kept getting out of them.” Manny persevered and won the match to move on to the absolute final.

by Mike Calimbas

In his last and most important match of the day, Manny says he tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but everything was wrong. “I couldn’t put any pressure on my foot,” he says, “I pulled guard right away. I worked sweeps… I could hear Samir [Chantre] coaching me to do other things, but I couldn’t do them because of my foot.” Manny started playing spider-guard and ended up tapping his opponent out with an armbar, giving him double gold for the day and a ticket to Dubai in 2012.

“It was very emotional for me,” Manny says of his big win, “I can’t describe it. It still hasn’t set in. I felt like these last three years went into that moment. Seeing all the people who get to go to Dubai… only the best. I told myself if I had a goal in Jiu-Jitsu, other than winning the Pan and the Worlds, this is it. I want to go and be amongst the best. I’ve always wanted to see how I would stand with them.”

Now, Manny is going to heal his foot before his big trip in the spring and prepare himself for his 2012 goals that lay ahead of him. “I want to win the Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup, the Pan and then the Worlds,” he says, “I’m going to continue to move forward and do my best.”

Vanderson Gomes of Gracie Barra St. Louis is winding down the 2011 year, while already gearing up for the 2012 tournament season. The master’s division black belt is currently training and preparing to fight in the adult division next year. In 2011, he reached a level of success that has led him to believe he can still compete at that level.

At the 2011 American Nationals, Vanderson won silver in his ultra heavy weight division for the gi and silver again in his no gi weight division. He then clinched gold in the no gi open class. At the North American Championship, he won gold in his ultra heavy division and silver in the open class. At the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Vanderson was a double gold winner, winning both his division and the absolute. He received a bronze medal at the 2011 No Gi Worlds in his weight class.

The interesting thing is that he didn’t get in a whole lot of training time in 2011. Vanderson says with all of his working and teaching responsibilities, it hasn’t been easy making time to train for tournaments. To add to that, in November, Vanderson moved from GB Costa Mesa in California to GB St. Louis in Missouri and became the head instructor there. Vanderson is also an IBJJF referee, so when he’s at tournaments, he has to ref all day and compete in between.

“It requires a lot of mental and physical focus and preparation,” the 32-year-old says of trying to keep it all together, “Now, I train after my students leave. I don’t have time to relax. I just change my clothes and get ready to go, but I am ready to start competing back at the adult level. I’m training hard every day, all day. I’m doing a lot of running and other cardio activities. I also work on specific training for grappling, which is known as Greco Roman.”

Vanderson says his goal for 2012 is to be faster and lighter, so he can succeed in his fights. He is hoping he can repeat some of the same successes he had in 2011. “I just want to do my best and improve myself each time I train and compete,” he says, “I have the energy and motivation to keep working hard. So, I’ve now decided to focus on all the big 2012 tournaments, competing at the adult level. I know I’ll have hard fights, but I’m ready for whatever is coming! There are no victories without sacrifices. So, I’m giving my best, and training up to my limits. When the time comes, I will be able to show our Jiu-Jitsu art on the mats. That’s the place where the street fighters should be, instead of fighting or killing innocents out there.”

Mackenzie playing guard / Photos: Deb Blyth

In facing Jessica, Mackenzie says she played closed guard the whole time and ultimately won via points. Mackenzie says she’s hopes her opponent learns to absorb the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle since she seemed a little upset by her loss. “You have to have fun in Jiu-Jitsu win or lose,” Mackenzie smiles, “It’s important in this sport. That’s what it’s all about.”

In the absolute Mackenzie had three matches. Her first opponent was DQ’d and she won the second on points. In her third and final match, she faced off against Alexis Du Fresne of American Top Team. “She was tough!” Wellington “Megaton” Dias’s star daughter says, “She attacked with a guillotine in the beginning… we both pulled guard at the same time. Then I had her in a guillotine and lost it. I had to defend until the end of the match. It was 1 advantage to 1 advantage. I got the decision, but it could have gone either way.”

Mackenzie was thrilled with her double gold medal win and capped off her day saying, “It’s been a really great experience!”

Pedro (green shirt) and his Striker JJ crew

Pedro Agrizzi of Striker JJ had the time of his life at the 2011 No-Gi Worlds. The 18-year-old Jiu-Jitsu athlete started training five years ago and only received his purple belt two months ago. He had five matches in his lightweight division and won them all by points. Then he entered the absolute and again outpointed all three of his opponents, making him a double gold medal winner for the day. Pedro’s final match in the absolute was against ultra heavy Jordan Hayman of The Avengers. “I pulled guard and swept him,” Pedro says, “At the end of the match I just held my position until the time was over.”

The 2011 No-Gi Worlds was Pedro’s first major tournament outside of Brazil. “This was my best competition ever!” the newly crowned champion exclaims, “At the end of my eighth match I could have done more! I’m never tired.” Leave it to a teenager to come into the No-Gi Worlds, have eight matches on the day, all going the full time limit and still have a full gas tank at the end of the day. “I want to be one of the black belts in the world,” he hesitates, “Number one in my weight for sure… and maybe in the open, too.”

Pedro says he will be at all the major tournaments in 2012. “I want to thank everyone who helped me get here today,” Pedro excitedly says, “I have no sponsors! I need one!”

Yuri and DJ Jackson / Photos by Deb Blyth

Yuri had three matches in his heavyweight division and won all three by submission. “I hurt my foot in my second fight,” Yuri says. Days later he would say that he actually broke his foot in that match, which makes his wins even more extraordinary. “My foot popped during a foot lock, but I got out of it. I promised myself I would win the absolute so I continued to fight.” Yuri hobbled into the heavyweight final match and got a quick foot lock against Matheau Smith of Easton BJJ for the gold.

Yuri knew going into the absolute that he had to do everything in his power to avoid letting anyone touch his foot. “I knew I wasn’t 100%, so I had to be smart,” he says. Yuri had four matches in the open class. “I won my first match by an advantage, but I popped the same foot,” he grimaces, “Then I fought DJ Jackson from Lloyd Irvin and he was the toughest guy I fought.” Yuri ended up beating DJ the powerhouse by a sweep and then pulling guard.

Yuri won his third match by points and then had to face off in the final against Lloyd Irvin’s ultra heavy big guy Willie Leonard. “I tried to go under and pull guard, but I couldn’t take him down,” Yuri recounts, “I protected my foot. He got an advantage for getting a foot lock on my other foot. Then I almost swept him again.” Yuri ultimately won the match two advantage points to one advantage point, making Yuri the big double gold medal winner for the day.

Yuri admits that if he’d had another match after Willie, he would not have been able to endure it, but he did what he had to do to reach a dream. “I’m so happy,” Yuri gushes, “I’ve never won the No-Gi Worlds before. I came to the US to train with Lucas Leite and Sharpei. I dedicated myself 100%. I expected to win today. This is the first time in my life I did nothing but eat, sleep, and train.”

Yuri Simões with mother and sister

In 2009 Yuri closed out the Worlds with teammate Marcus “Bochecha” Almeida, and they both got their brown belts on the podium. Bochecha has since received his black belt and made his mark on the competition circuit. Yuri is looking forward to doing the same. “I really want to fight as a black belt,” Yuri says, “I’ve been training since I was nine years old. I’ve been training for my dream – to be a world champion black belt.”

Yuri is now back in Brazil, but will be back in the States for the Gi season. “I will do all the big tournaments in 2012,” he says. Yuri wants to thank Lucas Leite, Sharpei, and “my parents and family,” he says, “They are everything to me. I also want to thank God because there would be no other way for me to win and be here today if it wasn’t for Him.”

As the world knows, Brazilians dominate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The record books prove it. Rafael feels his world champion title stands out more because, as an American, he’s beaten the Brazilians at their own game. Rafael won the title in the heavyweight class last year; this year he took gold in the medium heavy division.

Rafael and Pablo in the No-Gi final / Photos: Deb Blyth

Rafael had three matches in his division, winning the first by rear-naked choke, then outpointing GB great Otavio Sousa, and finally fighting for the title with Pablo Popovitch, who Rafael greatly respects and admires. “Most people don’t think of me as a No-Gi guy,” he says, “Pablo is one of the greatest No-Gi guys ever. He hardly ever loses. To beat him in the finals was incredible.”

Rafael says he knew he had to play a really tight game. “He was sitting in my closed guard,” Rafael says, “He got a third warning for stalling and it cost him points and gave me points. He’s a cautious player and has a very tight, slow game.” Rafael says he didn’t want to give Pablo any space at all because he knew he’d use it to his advantage. Pablo went for Rafael’s foot, but Rafael defended. Rafael went on top and got two more points. Pablo tried an arm drag. The two eventually went back to standing.

As the buzzer sounded, Rafael had won the match 4-0, and his second No-Gi World Championship title. Rafael says, “It feels so good! I lost to Pablo at the ADCCs and it made me so hungry. It motivated me to fight him again. I knew I could beat him, but I have so much respect for him. I’ve been walking around at my smallest weight ever,190 lbs, and I lost a few more pounds just to ensure I’d meet up with him again. Now I’ve won the title in two different weight classes. I couldn’t be happier.”

Rafael with Brazilian black belt counterparts Cobrinha and Romulo Barral

Rafael’s goal for 2012 is to come back and win the Gi Worlds twice as well, too. “I’ve gotten silver and three bronzes since winning in 2007,” he says, “I want to win gold again.”

Rafael’s other goal is to have as many champions on his team as possible. “This is all I do,” he says, referring to his love for Jiu-Jitsu, “This is all I want.” Rafael says his prized black belt, Justin Rader had a good showing at the No Gi Worlds and he was very proud of his student. “Cobrinha is one of the greatest ever,” he says, “Rader went all the way to the end with him. It was a 0-0 match for 9 minutes. I’m very proud of him. He’s made the finals two years in a row.”

As for his personal goals, Rafael says he wants to be an inspiration to others. One of the things that makes Rafael’s accomplishments so amazing is that he never had a black belt instructor growing up. “My dad started training when I was a teenager and I trained with him,” the world champion says, “I got my black belt one year after he got his. We never had black belts teaching us. I just competed as much as I could and never stopped. Now, it’s just me and my students. I live in Oklahoma. I’ve had to travel everywhere for any of the training I’ve ever received. It’s all been worth it in the end. If you’re a good person and you work hard, you’re gonna have your moment. I’ve had hard moments, but I’ve also had days like today. You can’t ever stop trying.”

After a 12 ½ hour drive from Oregon, Brent and Billy headed straight to Legends MMA to train with Eddy Bravo until about 11:30 pm, before setting out to find a hotel close by in the Los Angeles area. Not really knowing where they were, the two selected a Comfort Inn on Vermont Street and checked themselves in. “We decided to find a close hotel,” Billy says, “We were told later that we were in a bad part of town.”

As fate would have it, they went up to their room and tried the key, but the door wouldn’t open, so they had to head back downstairs to get another one. Just like a plot out of a movie, Brent and Billy came walking out of the elevator with their bags, completely unaware of what was going on in the lobby.

An armed robber, later tagged as 31-year-old Luis Rosales, was holding up the hotel clerk and demanding money, a gun pointed straight at him. Apparently, the clerk told Billy and Brent later that he had quite a few stacks of twenty dollar bills in his drawer but only handed the gunman two stacks and closed the drawer. He told the robber, “That’s all you get.”

That’s when Brent and Billy stepped out of the elevator. “I’m not sure what would have happened to that clerk if we hadn’t appeared at that time,” Billy says, “I don’t know if the robber would have run off with the money or not. He was pissed off at the clerk knowing there was clearly more money there.”

Once Luis had the money shoved into his duffel bag, he began to walk towards the door. Unfortunately for him, he walked straight into Brent and Billy. “The manager looked straight at us and said, ‘He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun!’” Billy says, “The robber looked shocked when he saw us. He was five feet away. The clerk jumped on the robber’s back and tried to body lock him. The guy was basically dragging the clerk with him as he headed out the door. He put his hands toward the bag… all I heard was, ‘Gun!’ Brent and I dropped our bags and went to each side of him. I came around and got back control. I tried to hold the gun down.”

Brent goes on to say, “I saw the gun go into the bag. I grabbed his gun hand. There was money in the bag. I held his hand. I couldn’t see if he had his hand on the trigger or not. The clerk kept trying to pull his hand out of the bag as we were trying to hold it down, so the gun kept coming up and we kept pushing it back down! The gunman made eye contact with me and said, ‘I need this money for my little girl.’ I said, ‘Do the right thing.’ I was holding his hands.”

The clerk then ran up to the three of them involved in the scuffle and began pulling all the money back out of the duffle bag. He still hadn’t called the police. Billy says by then they were just trying to calm Luis down and give him the sense they were going to let him go. So, when the clerk called out to them, “Should I call the police?” They said, “No.” But Billy says he had plenty of time to call them, “Especially when he was taking the money out of the bag and then left for a couple of minutes. I don’t know where he went, but he didn’t call the cops. I don’t know why he didn’t.”

At that point, Luis said to Brent and Billy, “You can let me go now – you’ve got the money.”

Brent said, “I can’t let you leave with a gun, man.”

Luis said, “I can’t give it to you.”

Brent replied, “You’re not leaving here with a gun in your hand. Show me your hands.”

Brent finally got the gun away from Luis a few minutes later and it dropped into the duffle bag. The clerk came back and grabbed a 9 mm handgun out of it and took it away. Brent and Billy yelled at him to call the police. He ran off to make the call.

Brent says Luis wasn’t punching or kicking. He was just struggling to get away. So, Billy moved to the front of Luis and Brent took his back, got him in a body triangle, and then applied a rear-naked choke. The two say the police video that has gone viral on the web has been edited quite a bit. The three of them struggled for a long time but it was behind a wall, so you couldn’t see them, and it was ultimately cut out of the video.

Luis began choking and struggling, saying, “I can’t breathe!” Brent loosened up his grip a little and he and Billy sat and waited there for the cops to come, which they finally did. Billy says, “The cops were surprised to see us. They jokingly said that we obviously had it taken care of when they saw us on the floor with the guy in a chokehold. They asked us about our training. We told them Brent trained in krav maga, so he used it to control his wrists and he used his bouncing experience, from a communication-wise perspective, to talk the guy down. We obviously used our Jiu-Jitsu to subdue and hold the guy. One of the sergeants there said they were going to have to have department-wide training in martial arts now!”

Brent and Billy became national heroes from the incident, but neither of them considers what they did news worthy. They both say, “We don’t really think what we did was a big deal.” And they legitimately look confused and dumbfounded by all the attention they’ve received from their acts of valor.

As Brent reflects back on the situation, he wonders why he didn’t just knock Luis out. Although he’s trained in krav maga and weapons training, both Brent and Billy train in MMA first and Jiu-Jitsu second, so they are somewhat mystified as to why their Jiu-Jitsu skills came into play first and foremost.

Brent surmises, “I think I took the gentle route because the guy just didn’t seem violent. I looked in his eyes and just didn’t see violence there. He kept talking about his little girl, so we just kept trying to talk to him… I think maybe it was stupid now, but at the time, the gun just didn’t register to me. I was more concerned about his well-being. I was a bouncer for years and that and my Jiu-Jitsu just went immediately into play.”

A couple days later, the two showed up to the No-Gi Worlds, not expecting all the attention they received. In fact, they hadn’t even realized that their story was all over the news. Announcer Tony Torres announced their presence at the No-Gi Worlds and a big round of applause went up all over the pyramid.

Billy Denney (left) and Brent Alvarez at Worlds / Photo by Deb Blyth

As far as their No-Gi Worlds performances went, Billy took home a bronze in his middleweight blue belt division after four matches. He won the first with an arm-triangle choke and won the next two by points. Purple belt Brent won his first match 14-0 and was submitted in his second, knocking him out of medal contention.

As an aside, the LAPD youtube video has now reached over 584,000 views in one week, making it the second-most-viewed LAPD youtube video of all time. The most-watched video has 708,000 views, and that is two years old, so Brent and Billy may take top spot before too long. “I know it seems like a big deal, but it’s just not registering as a big deal to me,” Billy laughs.

This was Billy’s first time to Los Angeles and at the No-Gi Worlds, and he excitedly says of his experience, “I had a blast! I can’t wait to come and compete again next year!”

Guys, just please promise us all that you ‘ll get a hotel recommendation and a reservation BEFORE leaving Oregon next time!

Lucas and crew / Photos by Deb Blyth, homepage photo by Dan Rod

At the 2011 No-Gi Worlds, Lucas moved up two weight classes to compete at heavyweight, seeing as there were four of his CheckMat teammates in the medium heavy division. “My coach, Marcel Louzado, told me to go to heavyweight,” Lucas says, “I’m always training with big guys anyway, so I knew I could win. It’s easier for me in No-Gi.” And win he did, taking on three matches in his division. He won the first 6-2, the second 10-2 and then faced off with Roberto “Tussa” in the final.

Lucas and Tussa had come up against each other at the No-Gi Worlds two different times before, with them each taking a victory. Now the stakes were high, as they competed again to see who would claim the 2011 No-Gi Worlds champion title. The two tried to take each other down for a good part of the match, but it was the end of the match that counted most when Lucas attacked Tussa with a single-leg attempt. He was able to finish off the match 4 advantage points to 3 advantage points, resulting in a very close match.

Lucas, who turned 29 two days before the No-Gi Worlds, says this world title was a birthday present to himself. He hurt his wrist against Claudio Calasans back at the 2011 Pan, but says nothing could stop him on Saturday. He wanted this victory badly. And although he loves to win, he’s got a very balanced view overall about competing, winning, and losing. “Every championship is special,” he says, “Even losing one you have something to learn. I’m just going to keep competing for as long as I can put in a good performance. One day I will stop competing, but for now it’s a lot of fun to see old friends and I always have a great experience out here.”

Lucas, who’s been training for 15 years and is a first-degree black belt, has one more reason to celebrate. He just received his green card, so his other present to himself will be getting to go home to see his family in Brazil. “I haven’t been home in four years,” he says.

Lucas says he will now begin to lose weight for the Gi Jiu-Jitsu season coming up next year. He needs to lose about 10 pounds. He will also continue to focus on his teaching responsibilities, which he loves, and clearly, as shown by their presence at the No-Gi Worlds, his students love as well. “Teaching is my life,” he says, “I love teaching. My students are so supportive of me.”

Lucas would like to thank RVCA and Hakai and says next up for him are the San Diego World Pro trials – “I want to go to Abu Dhabi,” he says – and then the 2012 Pan.

There were other belts who shined as well: brown belt Yuri Simoes of Checkmat pulled off a big open class win against Lloyd Irvin’s ultra heavy Willie Leonard, purple belt Mackenzie Dern won all three of her absolute matches, and 18-year-old Pedro Agrizzi of Striker JJ clinched a big open class win, after only receiving his purple belt two months prior.

This year at the No-Gi Worlds there were 930 competitors registered for this huge one-day event. Those numbers would seem almost impossible to pull off in one day, considering matches can run up to 10 minutes long each in the black belt divisions, but the IBJJF pulled it off flawlessly. Andre Fernandes, Event Director of the IBJJF says he tried to book the Long Beach pyramid for two days, but at this time of year the venue wasn’t available, so they had to run all the competitors through on Saturday. “We could only reserve the pyramid for one day,” Andre says, “This is a busy time of year for other sports, but we are going to try again to book it for two days next year, and we’ll see what happens.”

Andre says they have the right team assembled to make this event happen in one day. “Last year we had 800 competitors,” he says, “this year we had 130 more. That’s 15% growth over one year and we still had to turn people away because we reached maximum capacity. We have a mathematician on staff to create the brackets.” Andre is referring to Marcelo Araujo, who seamlessly puts together the brackets so the event runs smoothly in an incredibly organized and efficient manner. In fact, Marcelo has it worked out so well, if a competitor only competes in his weight and not the open, he will be in and out of the event within a couple of hours.

Although the rise of MMA seems to constantly be pushing the No-Gi numbers higher, Andre says at this point, more people still train with the gi than without it. “Our Gi tournaments are still bigger,” he says, “But I hope the two events will eventually even out and that No-Gi will be as big as Gi. You can see here today that the level of competition is really high. That’s what you can expect at a world class event like this.”

At the first No-Gi Worlds, in 2007, Andre says they limited the competitors to a small number to provide organization for the event and to set the standards for what it is today. They wanted to establish a No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu tournament that was consistent with the same high level as their Gi tournaments, so they gave out rash guards with the sleeves the same colors as a competitor’s belts. “We wanted to show everyone the right way to do this kind of event,” Andre says, “Once everyone learned what it was we wanted, we opened up the competition and it has grown every year since. All the numbers are crazy now.”

Andre says the IBJJF invests in their system and it shows with the high quality of tournaments they are able to produce. “We put the money earned from these events back into our future events,” he says, “We have the best mats, the best venue, the best referees. We have more people working the event to keep it organized and running on time. And we send our team around the world to ensure that IBJJF tournaments are run consistently everywhere. We really invest in our events. We put the money back into the sport.”

Brandon Mullins on top / Photos: Dan Rod

The match against Joseph was a repeat of last year: the two ended with the same amount of points from the same moves, a takedown and a guard pass, and luckily for Brandon, it resulted in the same ending: a gold medal for him. “Joseph is always an incredibly tough opponent,” Brandon graciously says, “His game was a lot different from last year. It was a hard fight and he had me in some bad positions.” Brandon says he came into the No-Gi Worlds healthy, but after his one super fight, he’s leaving with a twisted neck and foot.

Brandon, who turns 32 in December is a first-degree black belt and has been training for 12 years. He says he feels like he’s in his prime and, although he may look young, he doesn’t fight like he’s young. He competes all the time, and the No-Gi Worlds is his 15th tournament this year. “I try to do two a month,” he says, “I hit all the local Houston tournaments, NAGA, Grappler’s Quest… I like to meet new people. I find it easier to make improvements to my game when I compete against people I’ve never met before. I can try out new aspects to my game and create new strategies that they’re not expecting.”

At the No-Gi Worlds Brandon says he changed it up this year and used a different takedown and opened his guard from the opposite side that Joseph is used to seeing. He doesn’t have a favorite Jiu-Jitsu move, he just takes whatever’s given to him, so he has worked on his defense a lot lately. “Joseph is a great competitor,” he says, “He studies an incredible amount of tape. So, I refined and tightened up my game. I improved my defense.”

Brandon says his greatest strength is his willingness to work hard and never miss training. “I love to train,” he says, “A lot of people don’t, but I do. This makes it easy for me to improve. I have a really great time with Professor Draculino and Pablo Silva. I really love training with them.”

As for his great performance at the No-Gi Worlds, Brandon says, “I look forward to the opportunity to prove that I’m the best again.” Brandon would like to thank Professor Draculino, everyone at GB Texas and Campbell’s Compounding.

Cobrinha playing guard / Photos: Deb Blyth; Homepage photo: Dan Rod

The 31-year-old superstar thought when he moved to Los Angeles last year and opened up his school, he’d have way too many responsibilities and no time to train or even think about competing but he says his students have been so supportive of his competition lifestyle, he doesn’t have any excuses not to get back out on the circuit and compete again. “My students keep asking me to compete,” he says, “They motivated me. Everybody supports me. My life is beautiful. Life is easy. We just make it hard. I realize now that my family is here in California, so I’m gonna stop saying I’m retiring. I’ve got a lot left to do in Jiu-Jitsu. I haven’t done enough. I can do more. I can win three or four more times in a row.”

Cobrinha has already done so much in his career, He has won the Gi Worlds and Pan four times apiece. Now, he can add three-time No-Gi Worlds winner to his resume.

Squeezing out the armbar

On Saturday, Cobrinha had two matches for the day in the featherweight division. In his first match, against Renan Borges of Brazilian Top Team, Cobrinha submitted him with a choke from behind. He did the same in the final, against Justin Rader of Ribeiro JJ, but Cobrinha says the two had a really great match. “It was a scramble,” Cobrinha laughs, “I showed that I still feel 22 years old! Justin was scrambling and I attacked. I played open guard and looked for submissions. I have to give him credit. I’ve fought him before. He’s a young kid, and he’s hungry. He did great. He deserves this win as much as I do.”

Cobrinha’s goals for 2012 have changed completely, and his fans will be thrilled with their transformation. “My fire’s back! I’m going to do every tournament – the Pan, the Worlds, the World Pro… I’m going to compete as much as I can. The one thing I learned from my mom was to be smart. She used to tell me, ‘When you open your mouth, make sure you’re right about what you’re saying.’ So, the next time you hear me mentioning retirement, it’ll be because I’m going to open my own bakery in L.A.!”

In Saturday, Cobrinha also fought in the absolute. “I did the absolute too. I ended up losing in the quarterfinals by the referee decision. It’s always great to compete in the absolute. I’ll be in it whenever I get a chance.”

Photos by Deb Blyth, photo on homepage by Dan Rod

Well, this year at the No-Gi Worlds, he can be known for one more thing: Caio Terra is the only black belt to have ever won the No-Gi Worlds a whopping four times in a row. He won 2008, 2009, 2010, and now in 2011 he has won again, making history within the event.

Caio has had a rough year. He says there isn’t a place on his body that isn’t injured. Coming into the No-Gi Worlds his hands were completely bandaged because he burned the skin off of them while trying to train before the event; not to mention both his shoulders are damaged, one completely separated; he has a rib injury, a knee injury, and a foot injury among other things. He says he’s only been able to train something like 60 days this whole year. “I feel bad that my performance has not been up to par lately,” he says, “I want to apologize to everyone for that, but now I need to take some serious time off to heal my body. I will be back for the Gi Worlds next year, but hopefully before that if I can.”

Caio says that he doesn’t have plans to compete at the 2012 Pan, but he probably will. He can’t resist competitions, which is part of the reason why his body has steadily fallen apart over the course of the last year. But with all that being said, Caio turned up at the No-Gi Worlds and had three matches in his light featherweight division and won them all. In his first match he submitted his opponent with an armbar, and he beat his second opponent on points. In the final he faced Laercio Fernandes of Lotus Club, saying that it was a good, tough match between the two.

Laercio trying to pass Caio's guard

“Laercio was smart and got a takedown right away,” Caio says, “I was losing by two points and I was getting desperate. I got a sweep and attacked his foot a few times. I also had him in a kneebar. They were all deep. It was incredible how he didn’t tap. Did you see how flexible he was?”

Caio in 50/50

Caio and Laercio scrapped for a little while longer, Laercio sweeping Caio back and getting him in a really tight position. Caio swept Laercio at the end of the match and Laercio almost swept him back, but Caio held on. “I got my foot stuck in his uniform,” Caio says, “I couldn’t stand up, but I was able to keep my balance.” This allowed Caio to pull off his 4th big, history-making No-Gi Worlds gold medal win.

Caio's hand raised against Fabio Passos

“With all the injuries I’ve been dealing with, this is a really important win for me,” Caio says, “I was out of shape before coming here. I hadn’t trained much and had only rolled lightly at the seminars I’d given recently. My MMA coach, Kirian, told me to start working on the VersaClimber to help me get ready for the No-Gi Worlds. It was helpful in getting me here today.”

“I really just want to give a shout out to Laercio,” Caio says, “He is a really tough opponent.” Caio goes on to say, “I don’t need to prove anything here today. I’ve already proven it, but I like to come to these events to learn more so I can teach my students the best Jiu-Jitsu they can get.”