Sporting his backpack, Gurgel wanders around the stands at City College gymnasium, in Manhattan, where the No-Gi Pan is under way.
“I just arrived, I was in Florida, I went to the inauguration of Marcelo’s [Garcia] new academy,” explains the coach, still with a bit of voice left after shouting at Tarsis, Cobrinha, Lepri & Co. throughout the day.
So Fabio sits and lets the conversation drift on:
“I also wanted to see the ATT infrastructure Marcelinho has been using, and which I had not seen before.”
On his student’s career, Gurgel is emphatic: “I told him to fight. Whatever it is, Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, the only thing he can’t do is be idle. This MMA contract of his caused him to lose out on over a year. How much is a year worth in a ten-year career?”
Even with his absence, according to the Alliance black belt, Marcelinho continues his meteoric rise. Impressed, he praises him:
“Sheesh, he’s on fire. I was really afraid his lack of activity would affect his motivation, but I had a welcome surprise. I’ve never seen him so well.”
At the end of the day, the team was awarded second place. Fabio commented:
“Look, Renzo’s team is really tough, but we didn’t come with our full line up. We only brought 20 fighters, and our “assassin” didn’t come for the absolute, he’s injured.”
He was referring to Gabriel Vella, who has been nearly impeccable in 2008 so far, and now suffers a pinched sciatic nerve.
“He’s gone back to training already, but not in time to compete,” the teacher clarifies.
With the competitive year almost over, Fabio stays one week in New York, and next Saturday will teach a seminar at Fabio Clemente’s academy, on Manhattan island.
