A false move and a trapped leg in the medium heavyweight final at the 2010 Worlds and Rômulo Barral’s world became more somber. The twist of his right knee tore a ligament, put him on the operating room table, and a long and uneasy recovery ensued. To make matters worse, on his return his knee started bothering him again. For a second, Rômulo thought about calling it quits.
A born competitor, the 28-year-old Minas Gerais native shrugged off the negative thoughts buzzing around his head and recovered his joy of training. If his performances and results aren’t quite what they were before, Rômulo is keeping calm about it. He knows that someone once considered one of the three best Jiu-Jitsu fighters of present times doesn’t lose the knack for it.
In an exclusive interview with the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog, Barral talks about his slow return to the top, confesses that he doesn’t feel he is a favorite in 2011, and reveals a desire to make it to the final of the absolute with Roger for a fourth time. He says he will do his all to lower the score that has the Gracie leading by 3 to 0.