Caio against Barata at Las Vegas Open; photo by John Cooper.

Caio Terra is always competing. Furthermore, Cesar Gracie’s roosterweight trains the ground game with MMA beasts like Gilberto Melendez, Jake Shields, Nick and Nate Diaz. The repercussions from his winning the absolute division at the Las Vegas Open on the 14^th are still rippling. But now Caio only wants to hear about his upcoming challenges, like the American National championship and World No-Gi Championship. Check out what he has to say:

You became the lightest absolute champion in IBJJF history. How might that affect your career?
I’d won the absolute division at Naga this year, and I did my first absolute at the American No-Gi Nationals last year and took third place. But winning it at a tough IBJJF tournament like that one was truly a surprise for me. It made me really happy. But I think the thing I was happiest about was not getting hurt…

You even stripped off the gi that very Saturday and entered the American Nationals, participating in one of the most controversial matches of the championship, when you were eliminated in the semifinal. Did you expect to go further?
I certainly wanted to win, but I think it would have been tough; I’d had a lot of matches that day and hadn’t eaten anything. It was a true marathon for me. In spite of everything, when I make it to a final I always come up with some extra gas in the tank.

If we want the sport to be professional we have to be professional in every way, not just in our physical ability” Caio Terra

You lost to Diego Herzog via an illegal move, when he crossed his leg over your knee. What do you think of that rule?
At the last four major tournaments I competed in there were four major errors: this one in Las Vegas, in the No-Gi Worlds 2009 absolute, in the final of the 2010 Pan and the final of the Worlds 2010, when my opponent clearly ran off the mat carrying me piggy back…
They were major errors that kept me out of competition. I feel mistakes happen, but they are bothersome for all the time and money spent in preparing, training and traveling. We need professionals who pay more attention; looking in for the outside, everyone sees the errors without needing a replay.
As for crossing the knee from the outside in, truth is I feel it could count, as could the heelhook. But if it counts for one it should count for the other. I was playing within the rules and if it counted I would have tried not to expose myself in that way.

You’ve been a ref before. What can be done to make refereeing evolve?
Referees should be professionals, like they are in other major sports. Until that happens, other viable things can be done, like obliging refs to redo the refereeing course, before the event. It’s normal that one makes mistakes, but a lot of people make too many mistakes because they don’t know the rules.

And why haven’t you been refereeing lately? Did you decide to dedicate yourself solely to your career as an athlete?
No, there’d be no problem in carrying on refereeing. Truth is that the public and practically the entire Jiu-Jitsu community also don’t know the rules, so spectators complain and argue things that don’t make any sense. Anyone who studies the rules properly will see that everything is interconnected and everything makes perfect sense. I feel all the black belts who compete and take their students to compete should know the rules and thus need to study them and take the refereeing course. If we want to make the sport professional we need to start being professional in every way, not just in our physical abilities.

Terra in No-Gi Worlds 2009 final against Carlos Holanda. Photo: Alicia Anthony.

What are your objectives to come? Any absolute coming up?
My main objective is the No-Gi Worlds 2010; I want to become three-time champion at black belt. I also have a superfight in New Hampshire two weeks from now, and I want to also compete at the Gi American Nationals in September, and perhaps I’ll compete in São Paulo at the end of the year. Whether I enter the absolute or not I decide on the day, if I’m feeling well I compete, otherwise I’d rather spare myself to not risk getting injured.

Who do you have to thank for this good phase you’re seeing?
I want to thank my sponsors Budovideos, Shoyoroll, Dethrone and Versatile Fighter for their support, and all my students for helping me train and everyone who reads this interview and wants to carry Jiu-Jitsu forward. If you have any comment or opinion don’t keep from expressing them.

Check out Caio at the 2010 Pan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrU5Dek_nOM

Marcio Feitosa

One of Gracie Barra’s foremost masters, Marcio Feitosa was unable to make it to Las Vegas for a valid reason, but he was jubilant for his team’s conquest of the American No-Gi Nationals and Las Vegas Open.

“I’m here in Texas, but I kept up with everything on GRACIEMAG.com. I’m here working on a project that is very important for the team. We’re going to open new branches and we’ll have more news soon. Everyone can keep up with the goings-on by accessing www.gbaustin.com. Next week there should be the addresses and contact information for the new academies,” says the black belt.

“The guys did awesome over there. Flavio Cachorrinho fought really well, as did a lot of others. It was great,” he says in celebration.

“I want to thank all the teachers who put in the effort. They put together the teams, gathered the students and traveled to Las Vegas to achieve this important victory for Gracie Barra,” he says in closing.

And there’s more to come. On the 22^nd the Chicago Open will take place, and on September 4 there’s the Honolulu Open, which is still open for sign up (click here to find out more).

And of course, readers will be able to keep up with it all right here on GRACIEMAG.com.

No-gi absolute winners' stand

In the world capital of fight sports and gambling, anyone who bet on Caio Terra and the Gracie family came up big.

The scrawny roosterweight 2008 world champion dazzled on his way to winning the maiden Las Vegas Open event, an IBJJF championship held yesterday at Nevada’s Sport Center arena.

Caio took gold in the absolute and light featherweight categories, and even went back for more in the no-gi event held in tandem, the No-Gi Nationals, where the Cesar Gracie snapped up another gold at weight and took bronze in the absolute.

Ihe No-Gi Nationals another promising fighter shone, Gregor Gracie. The son of Angela Gracie tapped out Diego Herzog in the absolute division final after shutting out the medium heavyweight division with brother Igor – Igor and Gregor managed two tapouts apiece before reaching the final.

In the ultraheavyweight division the third brother, Rolles Gracie, also put on a show and took gold.

Despite the outstanding performances of the gi-clad athletes in the Las Vegas Open, the way the absolute no-gi absolute division played out was what grabbed the most attention.

Gregor Gracie, a Brazilian living in New York, beat Rafael Lovato via judges’ decision, leaving the teacher from Oklahoma outraged. At the other end of the bracket Diego Herzog attacked Caio Terra’s knee from the 50/50 guard, obliging Caio to tap and complain of an illegal hold, but the referee didn’t see things that way and validated the submission.

In the final Herzog again tried the hold against Gregor, but this time the ref disqualified him, to spectator Caio’s disbelief.

Check back with GRACIEMAG.com tomorrow for complete coverage of the event in Vegas.

Gustavo Dantas on the 2009 No-Gi Nationals podium. Photo: Personal archive

Nova União Arizona leader and GMA Gustavo Dantas along with Professor Steve Rosenberg will take a large team to the competitions to shake up Las Vegas this coming Saturday the 14^th, the Las Vegas International Open and the American No-Gi Nationals.

Dantas recently took a trip home to Brazil, where he won gold at the International Master and Senior tournament. The black belt plans to see action in Vegas, too.

“I’m taking 20 competitors, all with a good shot at placing. We’re taking some of Nova União’s standouts in the United States. At purple belt there’ll be Issa Able, Heilman Ryan and the recently-promoted Christian Broadnax. Also going is Rio Open 2010 champion Kristina Barlaan. Last year we took third at the No-Gi Nationals. That’s what we’ll concentrate on again,” says Gustavo.

The IBJF in conjunction with its affiliated federations will promote two more large-scale events in the upcoming weeks: The Chicago Open (sign up here) and the Honolulu Open (sign up here).