In his best moment in the final, Bernardo threatened Rodolfo’s back. Photo: Ivan Trindade

A lot of times we remember Jiu-Jitsu athletes in terms of their accomplishments or better yet, their signature moves. For the Mendes brothers it’s the berimbolo. For Romulo Barral it’s the spider guard. For Marcelo Garcia it’s the x-guard and his ADCC fame. In the case of Bernardo Faria, he is the king of deep half guard. We may not remember their names at first but most definitely, Bernardo has been referred to as “that deep half guard guy” more than a few times.

The move will always and forever be a part of this Alliance super-heavyweight’s strategy no matter what others have told him regarding its efficiency. As it turns out, his blue belt days served him well as his blue belt half guard move has survived to this day– after three black belt world titles.

While he just missed the gold at the 2014 World Championship, he gave everything he had and earned some proud moments along the way. Check out how Bernardo Faria describes his journey at worlds, some history in his half guard and some other moments he’s proud of:

GRACIEMAG: What was your  journey like at Worlds?

BERNARDO FARIA: In general it was a very good tournament for me. I had a total of eight matches– four in the open class and four in my weight division. It is the fifth year straight that I got to the finals. I won against many tough guys like Abraham Marte, Yuri Simoes, Igor Silva, Braulio Estima, and two others.

Most of my matches I won by submission or by a large score of points, and I did EVERYTHING I could against Rodolfo Vieira [in the super-heavy final]. In the finals I got a little bit frustrated because I saw the opportunity to beat him, I almost got the sweep, almost got his back, and I felt him getting very tired, but once again he did very well and I was able to defend everything I tried even while tired. He is for sure the toughest opponent I had in all my career.

Unfortunately I didn’t win the Worlds this year but I’m happy about my performance and about the way I fought. I received a bunch of messages from people saying that I inspired them, so this is what really matters for me, to be an example for other people winning or losing.

Besides Rodolfo, who was your toughest match?

He went half way into the sweep. Photo: Ivan Trindade

I think probably against Yuri Simoes. He scored three points from passing the guard. But I was with my chest on the mat and the referee gave him the points. I thought the referee was wrong but later someone told me that currently to be considered passed the guard you just need to get to the guy’s side and hold for three seconds. It doesn’t matter if he has your back or your chest on the mat, it will be three points, so the referee was right and it was my mistake. And at this level to start losing by three points to a guy as tough as Yuri, it is hard to revert, but thank God I kept calm, adjusted my favorite positions and I got two sweeps and one back take. And I won the match by 8 – 5 points.

You mainly play deep half but have incorporated some new moves since training with Marcelo Garcia. What do you think of his game and what type of moves have been effective for you?

Since I was blue belt I have done half guard. I have two types of half guard: the deep half guard, and the one I call “blue belt half guard”. This is the one I started doing when I was a blue belt thats why I call “blue belt half guard” and it is the one I always try to do against Rodolfo–the one where I end up in the single leg.

Since I moved to NY (Marcelo’s school), my half guard hasn’t changed so much. I probably just adjusted it even more, because Marcelo’s way to pass the guard is very good against half guard, so training with him and all his students definitely helps to improve my half guard. But one thing that I improved a lot since I moved to NY, was my back attack. Marcelo taught me how to submit from the back, and I’ve already seen big results in tournaments.

During just the Worlds alone I got four submissions and two were from the back. This is just one example showing what I’ve improved since starting to train with Marcelo, but there are many others. His game is the most effective game I have ever seen and I always try to pick up everything I can that combines with my game. I’m very happy to be around him, training, learning and teaching at his school.

Buchecha said that it is useless to try to play half guard with Rodolfo, for not only you, but anyone because that’s his strongest position to pass from. What do you think of this statement?

I think if he said this he probably means against Rodolfo this year, as a super-heavyweight, because if not then it doesn’t make sense considering most of the times that Buchecha swept Rodolfo in the other matches it was from half guard. So I think he probably means now that Rodolfo went up to super-heavyweight he gave Buchecha a hard time in the half guard at the [Abu Dhabi] World Pro.

But in my case, 90% of my sweeps are from half guard; I’m not a wrestler nor judo player. Rodolfo will never pull guard against me, so I have to do half guard, and one thing that I learned in BJJ that I even use in my general life, is that we have to trust in ourselves It doesn’t matter who we are, what we do, if you have something that you do well, you have to believe and trust that it is going to work against everyone.

Before my first World title as a black belt I heard many people telling me that for me to win the Worlds as a black belt I would need to change my game because having only half guard would not be enough. And I was able to prove to myself that it is possible winning [the Worlds] in 2010, 2012 and 2013. So Im going to keep believing in what I do, and of course always trying to find ways to improve it. For example now I started doing wrestling to see if I can finish my single leg from half guard better.

Do you ever change your strategy based on who your opponent is or do you believe that playing your “A” game is always most effective?

Bernardo pressures his opponent into turtle. Photo: Ivan Trindade

I used to change my game using my game. I have a game plan with different positions. For example, closed guard, or deep half guard, or blue belt half guard, or wait for the opponent to pull guard and play on top– things like that. So depending on my opponent, I try to make the right strategy according to my game. Against some guys I play the deep half guard, against others the blue belt half guard, against others the closed guard, or maybe for wait them to pull guard, so thats how I think. I never change to something that I’m not used to doing, like spider guard for example.

What is your most proud moment so far in 2014?

I think it was probably my fight against Braulio [Estima] at the Worlds, when I scored 26 points. I think in BJJ one way to be unforgettable in the sport is by doing things that no one ever did. Whenever I see someone winning against him it is by a very tight score, so I was very happy to get to fight so well against him. I have a lot of respect for him and he has, in my opinion, one of the best resumes in all of BJJ history: five-time world champion, ADCC division champion, and ADCC open class champion. So earning this win against him like this is a moment I’m sure I will never forget for the rest of my life.

I would like to thank everyone who supported me after the Worlds on my fan page, facebook.com/bernardofariabjj sending me messages; I really appreciate it. I’m going to keep training and competing hard because you guys are my motivation. Thanks a lot.

Edwin trains at his academy, GB Northridge. Photo: Erin Herle

One of the many competitors entered into the 2014 World Championship is purple belt Edwin Najmi of GMA Gracie Barra Northridge. A student under multiple-time world champion Romulo Barral, the drive for success has clearly been passed down.

While he’s already won the Pan title four times and he’s accomplished the Abu Dhabi WPJJC gold medal as of last month, it’s the world title that he has yet to claim. He’s made it to the podium, but he’s hoping this year he’ll stand at the top spot.

I talked with Edwin about his tournament season so far and what differentiates him from the rest of the hungry competitors out there. See what he had to say:

GRACIEMAG: How have you done throughout your tournaments so far this year?

EDWIN NAJMI: So far in 2014 I’ve won gold at the FIVE Grappling California, Pans, Abu Dhabi WPJJC, IBJJF San Francisco Open and Las Vegas Spring Open. Also, I won triple gold at the IBJJF Chicago Spring Open. It feels great to accomplish all of that so far and win all those tournaments. But I want the Worlds gold medal really bad. None of the other accomplishments combined mean the same to me as a IBJJF World Championship gold medal.

Describe a typical busy day for you.

Typical training day: I train two times a day for about 2-3 hours each session. That includes drills, specific training and a lot of sparring. Between those sessions I balance my time between managing websites and social media accounts, taking online college classes, and writing articles when I have time. Also, I do strength training 2-3 times a week depending on how close the tournament is. I don’t like to do any conditioning, I just train more Jiu-Jitsu.

What is your approach to training when rolling with the lower belts or non-competitive training partners?

When I’m training with the higher belts and my toughest training partners, everyone is trying to kill each other every day. But when training with the lower belts or someone that’s not a competitor I always have a plan of what I’m going to do. There’s no point when training with them to submit them a bunch of times using your A-game. I choose a specific game and keep on doing it over and over again, and improve those positions I’m not good at. Essentially, you’re making the sparring session into a specific training without the sparring partner knowing. I honestly do this sometimes without even realizing I’m doing it.

What do you think is your strongest quality in Jiu-Jitsu and competition?

I truly believe that the reason I have had a lot of success in tournaments recently is because I’m stronger mentally. I believe in myself way more now and I’m doing everything with passion. If you don’t do something with your heart and passion, you can’t expect to be successful in it. Whether it’s training or competing, you have to have the will to be the best. I learned this from my professor, Romulo Barral.

Every Jiu-Jitsu competitor all around the world is training hard for the worlds, that’s no secret. You have to have the desire and attitude to win more than anyone else. You have to be different from the rest.

————–

Don’t forget to register for the 2014 World Championship before the deadline of May 19!

You can register at www.ibjjf.org

Victor Estima in mount.

Having an older sibling can give you an example to learn from and footsteps to follow. For Victor Estima, his older brother Braulio led him into the gentle art of Jiu-Jitsu but over a decade later he has forged his own path.

Victor earned his black belt in 2006 under his long-time instructor Ze Radiola after extensive training in both Brazil and the UK. As a juvenile he entered his first tournaments and earned the first of many golds. He continued to test himself in competition and by the time he was a purple belt he had international recognition.

Teaching became a new way for him to advance his skills as his brother offered him the opportunity in England. Between the amount of time he spent on the mats, his understanding of the techniques and his success in the open weight divisions at major tournaments, he only spent two years from purple belt to black belt.

In 2011 Victor earned his first black belt world title at the No-Gi World Championship. All of  his matches were decided by footlock submissions. Months later he found success at the 2012 European Championship in Portugal as he won the black belt middleweight division.

Throughout his Jiu-Jitsu career Victor has aided his brother for top competitions but in turn has developed his own skills. The wins and opportunities he has today shows that he has made his own name, relative to but not dependent on his brother’s.

See how Victor takes to the mat at the 2013 BJJ Pro League in the light/middle division on Dec. 8. Watch this match below to see how Victor submits at the Abu Dhabi World Pro:

Learn more about the 2013 BJJ Pro League on Dec. 8 at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid at www.bjjproleague.com

Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde at the 2013 IBJJF Chicago Summer Open where he earned his first black belt gold. Photo: Ivan Trindade

Of the athletes to compete in the 2013 BJJ Pro League on Dec. 8, another new black belt has been added to the roster. The Ecuadorian Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde of Alliance Ecuador was promoted in June but has already earned himself three tournament titles.

Having started Jiu-Jitsu at an early age because of his older brothers, Sinistro found his path right away. He brought his talents to the States often growing up and earned three World titles, three Pan American titles to summarize.

As a purple belt he won the ticket to the Abu Dhabi World Pro and went on to earn two golds in the main event: one in gi, one in no-gi.

After placing third in the brown belt division at the 2013 Worlds earlier this year, Sinistro was promoted to black belt in the same month from the hands of Fernando Soluco.

In August Sinistro won his first black belt gold medal at the 2013 IBJJF Chicago Summer Open and earned a bronze in the absolute. At the Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship the following month he won the black belt division and earned yet another gold medal at the Abu Dhabi WPJJC East Coast Trial a month after that, solidifying his place in the main event for 2014.

His passion for competition was seen at a young age and the perseverance has brought him to this point. On Dec. 8 we will see Sinistro in the light/middle division against three other black belts at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid so stay tuned.

In the meantime, watch Sinistro’s final of the Chicago Summer Open against Philipe Della Monica:

Learn more about the 2013 BJJ Pro League on Dec. 8 at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid at www.bjjproleague.com

Keenan Cornelius of Atos. Photo: Ivan Trindade

Entering the black belt division hasn’t phased Keenan Cornelius. Between the Copa Podio Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi WPJJC Trials as a brown belt competing against elite black belts, the transition was seamless once he was promoted to the prestigious rank.

Keenan’s courage drove him to the podium at the 2013 ADCC in Beijing last month and also the submission finish in his superfight against Lucas Leite at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo.

Having started training Jiu-Jitsu as a means to look cool at school, his motivations have since changed. He now looks to be the best Jiu-Jitsu athlete in the world. Today he trains under Andre Galvao in San Diego, CA after finding great success at Team Lloyd Irvin from 2011-2013. It was during that time, however, that Keenan got on the fast track to success– and has stayed there.

Since winning double gold grand slam at all four major IBJJF tournaments as a purple belt–the only one to do so at any belt so far– doors have opened for him. And rarely does he turn down a challenge meaning the 2013 BJJ Pro League is no different.

Check out his submission finish at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo from Nov. 10:

Learn more about the 2013 BJJ Pro League on Dec. 8 at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid at www.bjjproleague.com

GFTeam black belt Rodolfo Vieira. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

Today is the four-time black belt world champions birthday and at twenty-four he has accomplished great feats around the world. In order to celebrate let’s take a look at then and now of the black belt hunter’s game:

In 2007 as a purple belt:

Similarly, in 2012:

And a video analyzing his passing game by GMA Bishop BJJ members:

The Walter Pyramid in Long Beach will be the stage for the West Coast Abu Dhabi WPJJC Trial on September 22. Photo: GRACIEMAG.

The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship is seeking out its 2014 athlete list. Soon, the trials will begin and the west coast is of the first to kick it off.

The west coast trial will be on September 22 at the famous Long Beach Walter Pyramid. There are multiple chances to compete for a travel package to Abu Dhabi for the 2014 main event but you will also be able to win a Fuji gi from their newest line.

Abu Dhabi USA Trials and Americas Pro Jiu-Jitsu are excited about once again teaming up with Fuji to offer our competitors a chance to win one of Fuji’s newest line of quality Gi’s. All west coast Trial Adult Champions will receive Fuji’s highly rated Kassen gi, retail price is $139.00! This gi has been modified to make it approved for any IBJJF competition.

Don’t miss your chance as time is running out. Registration for the West Coast USA trials ends September 16.

To register for the Abu Dhabi –USA West Coast Trials go to www.apjj.org

Manuel Diaz will compete at the Copa Podio Middleweight GP. Photo: Copa Podio

The Copa Podio Middleweight GP has undergone many changes since its first announcement however the roster is now set for the September 8 event. Manuel Diaz, a Mexican-American, will take on the spot that fellow competitor Keenan Cornelius left when he chose to opt out recently.

Manuel Diaz is a brown belt under Caio Terra who received his most recent belt rank on the podium of the 2012 World Championship at the hands of Caio. The Bay Area native has only been training since 2009 but already accumulated World and Pan American titles as well as a spot at the 2012 Abu Dhabi WPJJC after winning double gold at a trial event in which he severely injured his ankle half-way into his matches.

Known as a hard worker with a severe obsession towards what he loves (he played golf avidly for years) he takes his heart of gold to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in September to take on some of the best in the world.

GRACIEMAG asked Manny some quick questions during a break in his schedule, see what he says about his invitation:

GRACIEMAG: How did you feel when you were invited to a prestigious tournament on such late notice?

I was honored to be invited, honored to be considered even though I’m still a brown belt.

What is your training routine and are you making changes to accomodate this tournament?

Right now evening training is the only training I have due to a full time job, unfortunately. Although it was short notice I still feel I have plenty of time to prepare. I started training at 5 a.m. to adjust my body to the time change. I think this is the biggest change I’ve made for the event but other than that it’s still the same training at Institute of Martial Arts.

Who do you feel is your biggest threat?

Everyone in the tournament is very skilled and I feel that each of them are equally dangerous. They were invited because of this fact and I feel honored to be on the same card.

Do you feel that you are already a force at the black belt level despite still having a brown belt around your waist?

As far as me being a force on the black belt level I still feel I have a ton to learn. The only thing I can do is give it my all and leave it all on the mat; time will tell.

The Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix will be on Sunday, September 8; more information and a livestream feed available at: www.copapodio.com

Check out his preparation from the 2013 Worlds Camp at GMA Institute of Martial Arts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EVZqb_F9Xs

Training in Japan. Photo: Personal Archive

Marcos Souza and Roberto Satoshi are black belt Brazilian/Japanese brothers who live in Japan. They are making their mark not only in the Japan Jiu-Jitsu community, but in the competition scene as well. Marcos recently won the Abu Dhabi WPJJC last April and the younger Roberto completed the feat in 2012.

Today they focus on spreading Jiu-Jitsu in Japan and one way they’ve worked towards that goal is recently inviting three up-and-coming competitors to compete in the Copa Bull Terrier tournament in Tokyo, Japan. Purple belt under Romulo Barral, Edwin Najmi traveled from Los Angeles while new brown belt Michael Liera Jr. of Atos under Andre Galvao came from San Diego. Kit Dale, new black belt from Australia also headed over and was able to entertain them with his humor and good looks.

All three competitors won their divisions. When asked why he chose to bring these athletes out to Japan, Marcos said, “I selected some athletes to make the event more interesting and so I can give opportunities for some fighters to fight here. I feel happy because nobody ever gave me that opportunity but I feel I can help the Jiu-Jitsu community that way.

We asked the coordinator of the tournament about Jiu-Jitsu in Japan:

GRACIEMAG: What was the purpose of flying out competitors from America and Australia to Tokyo, Japan?

By inviting foreigners to compete at Copa Bull Terrier, we would like to help to develop Jiu-Jitsu in Japan. The competitors could have the chance to see and compete with worldwide athletes in a local atmosphere and thus gain insight into Jiu Jitsu in this area.

What kind of competitions are held out in Japan and what makes them valuable for those not living in Japan?

Copa Bull Terrier is one of the largest competitions in Japan. It gains the attention of Jiu-Jitsu athletes all over Japan. There were around 800 competitors this year. The competition is covered in Japanese, English and Portuguese media. We provide live broadcast through Ustream, and Japanese idols give out medals to the winners.

If you do well in the competition, you become famous and well-known in Japan’s Jiu-Jitsu scene.

What can you say about Tokyo in terms of what it has to offer for the Jiu-Jitsu world?

It’s the leading Jiu Jitsu country in Asia. The black belts from Japan go to the other places in Asia like Taiwan/ Korea/ Hong Kong/ China/ Macau, etc. to develop and spread Jiu-Jitsu to more people.

Marcos writes on Facebook: “In this car we have people from different teams from all over the world.. From Gracie Barra to Atos to Checkmat to Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu.. But more important then any team or competition are the friendships you develop along the way.. This is why i love Jiu-Jitsu.” Photo: Personal Archive

Francisco Iturralde with the black belt around his waist. Photo: Personal Archive

A pupil of Fernando Soluço, Ecuador’s Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde just got his black belt at the age of 21.

Sinistro is a well known face in IBJJF tournaments. At the 2013 Worlds in June, the lightweight nabbed third place at brown belt. Back in 2011, he won the WPJJC as a purple belt in Abu Dhabi.

“After eight years training a lot, I’m finally going to compete with the best black belts and represent Ecuador and Alliance in the big tournaments. I’m motivated and I’ll be training even harder to be the best in my division,” said Fracisco Iturralde on his Facebook page.

Our GMA representative in Ecuador, Fernando Soluço laid out his student’s characteristics and his new challenges. “He’s a skillful, technical kid who can play very well in various positions. Black belt lightweight is a very competitive category, but the brown belt today is also very tough. As either a lightweight or a middleweight, Sinistro is going to have a lot of potential,” he bets. “He’s a part of this new generation with a modern, submission-driven style of Jiu-Jitsu. But if I were to pick a single quality, I’d say Francisco is an excellent competitor. He’s one of Alliance’s big promises.”

In the second video report of the series featuring the training camps for the 2013 Worlds, we paid a visit to black belt and seven-time world champion Leticia Ribeiro.

Once again, she is preparing a strong team for the female division.

Bia Mesquita, Carol Vidal, Penny Thomas, besides Leticia, lead the team of 20 girls (14 were training the day we visited them).

Watch the video and see how they are getting ready to compete in Long Beach. 

And you still have two hours to register. The deadline is 11:59PM (PDT). Hurry and do it now here.

Luca Atalla during live GRACIEMAG Google+ hangout with Roberto Tussa in the Pan

Continuing with our 18 reasons for following the 2013 World Championship in honor of its 18th edition, we give you number three:

Enjoy our live coverage on our Google+ page for live interviews on Google Hangouts.

For every event, GRACIEMAG presents live coverage on Google + by posting pictures, videos, results and details as to what is happening at each event. This includes when, who is winning, how the event is being run and what you’d miss if you weren’t there.

With our Google Hangouts we interview athletes and coaches during the event giving you information right on the spot as we get it from the source. Get a chance to offer your own questions by watching out for our posts on who will be up next. And if you miss the live broadcast you can head to our youtube page for archives. Check out our interviews from Abu Dhabi WPJJC here as well as the Pan American Championship.

Prepare now for the coverage by bookmarking this link: gplus.to/graciemag. Easy enough, right?

The 2013 World Championship will be held at the Long Beach Pyramid, 1250 N Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840. To see more information and/or register please go to www.ibjjf.org

Check out this interview from the 2013 Pan American Championship with Caio Terra: