Photo: Personal Archive

Esdras Jr is in the midst of a great phase on the competitive circuit of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). The black-belt from Ares has been going strong for four consecutive tournaments – he became champion at the IBJJF’s Dallas Open, Houston Open, New Orleans Atlanta Open and, most recently, at the No-Gi Pan, one of the most important competitions on the 2021 calendar.

His latest triumph, along with the points won in previous tourneys, caused Esdras to grab the top spot in the master 1 feather division with 135 points – nine more than the UFC fighter Rani Yahya.

In a recent interview, Esdras Jr spoke of what makes him a champion in 2021. “It’s hard to talk about just on aspect, but I think consistency is the key to reaching any goal. Maybe I’m not even training more in terms of volume, but without a doubt, I’m trying to train in a more intelligent way. Knowing how to understand your body and respect your limits is very important to comprehending when you have to do that training session where you’re fighting for real – most days! – or train by trying to understand and control the situations more. I’ve been going hard in my physical preparation since late last year, focusing a lot on injury prevention work. I’m feeling very well physically and mentally.”

To earn the gold medal at the No-Gi Pan, Esdras Jr had to defeat three tough opponents, including Silvio Duran (Nova União) in the semifinal round and Ermilio Lima (Fight Sports) in the final.

According to Esdras, he felt well and prepared for each match. “I was happy with my performance,” he said. “But I can say the toughest fight this time was cutting weight. The last time I weighed less than 67kg, I was in middle school! This Pan was the first time I hit feather in no-gi, which is well below feather in the gi. On the day of the competition, I woke up weighing 66kg – there I woke up feeling well and ready to fight. It was an incredible journey.”

Photo: Personal Archive

He went on to offer advice on winning any BJJ competition: “First, one should not worry about the result! Perhaps it seems like madness to say that, but when we think about results too much, the tendency is to demand a lot of ourselves, and I believe this demand brings about unnecessary tension. Step on the mat alert, but with tranquility. It’s about doing what you trained to do, match by match, trusting yourself and your jiu-jitsu. That’s all you should think about. Have patience to play – jiu-jitsu is like chess.”

And finally, on the subject of mindset, he said: “When you do what must be done, it works out! It’s a matter of training hard, dieting, physical preparation, technical and tactical training, knowing your strong points and developing a game plan. It’s impossible not to feel well and prepared. Step on the mat and believe that your plan is going to work. Work on your mind to be positive when things don’t come out as planned, because knowing how to control your mind is important. Believe until the end! I couldn’t go without mentioning also Fellipe Barros, my mental coach, who is always there when I need him.”

In the United States, Esdras trains beside Osvaldo Queixinho at Ares BJJ in Phoenix, Arizona.

Os combates foram acirrados. Primeiro, AJ Agazarm estrangulou Ituã Sales para abrir o placar. Em seguida, Breno Bittencourt empatou o jogo, ao superar o casca-grossa Sérgio Benini nos pontos. Depois, foi a vez de Cláudio Caloquinha entrar em açaõ e superar o faixa-marrom Hugo Marques nas vantagens. Na penúltima luta, Fernando Carsalade não conseguiu superar Yago Rodrigues, e a disputa ficou empatada.

Para decidir a peleja, entraram em ação os atletas Servio Túlio pela GB, e Rafael Marques pela Soulfighters/Ares BJJ. O duelo, você confere no vídeo abaixo, gravado por nossos parceiros da Gallerr.

Assista e confira o desfecho que deu à Gracie Barra o título!

GRACIEMAG Premium BJJ Club member school Ares BJJ is offering an amazing opportunity for you to add some high level training to your 2016 Worlds champ.

Team leaders Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Queixinho, Milton Bastos will welcome a team of black belts for nine days of training in Modesto, California, on May 21-29.

The camp is open for all affiliations and you can choose between packages for the whole camp and single classes.

Email info@aresbjj.com for more info on how to join.

Bernardo Faria and Leandro Lo at the 2015 Pan

The 2016 Pan Jiu-Jitsu championship is knocking on our door.

Scheduled March 16*-20, the second most important event of the calendar should be once again one of the highlights of the year.

As competitors get ready to go, we decided to list a few options for you to improve your training experience leading up to the 2016 Pan.

Some of the biggest Jiu-Jitsu teams are organizing training camps.

Read below to know what you have to do to join the classes.

Gracie Barra: In Irvine, California, the red shield team will gather from March 12th to March 16th for five days of intensive training under no other than Master Carlos Gracie Jr. This camp is exclusive for GB students and the investment is $100. Click here to know more and to sign up now.

Caio Terra: In San Jose, California, Caio Terra is also inviting for a training camp for the 2016 Pan. It actually started this Monday, Feb. 29, and goes on until March 16. If you join it, you’ll be able to train with the likes of Caio, Yuri Simões, Kristina Barlaan, Victor Paschoal, Kim Terra, among others. The camp is open to all affiliations and the investment ranges from $55 for 1 day to $350 for the full camp. Click here to know more and register now.

Samir Chantre

Ares JJ/Soul Fighters: The two teams have joined forces to put together one of the strongest camps for the 2016 Pan Jiu-Jitsu championship. They will gather an impressive roster of black belts to offer some of the best instruction and training available. The names include Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Queixinho, Rafael Formiga, João Gabriel Rocha, Milton Bastos, Marcus Antelante, Manny Diaz, Vicente Junior, Nick Maez, Vinicius Agudo, Aaron Zarballos. The camp will rotate among four different academies in Northern California, on March 5-13. They will offer two classes per day and the investment is $100 for students of the two associations and $150 for non-students. The cost for a single session is $40. For more info, email info@aresbjj.com.

Atos JJ

Atos JJ/AOJ: One of the strongest teams around, Atos JJ/AOJ is already training for the 2016 Pan. They gather in San Diego, at the teams headquarters under Andre Galvão; and in Costa Mesa, at AOJ, under the Mendes Bros. You’ll find some of the best training available, with the likes of Galvão, the Mendes, Keenan Cornelius, JT Torres, Michael Liera, Josh Hinger, among others. The sessions take place daily in San Diego, around 11AM and eventually in Orange County. Call (858) 292-5040 for more info on costs and requirements to join.

Black Belt Rubens Charles Maciel “Cobrinha”

Alliance/Cobrinha: In Los Angeles, Rubens Cobrinha will lead the Alliance team with a training camp at his academy on March 1-15. it will offer two classes per day on weekdays and 1 class on Saturdays. Some of Alliance’s big names should join Cobrinha in LA. Send an email to info@cobrinhabjj.com for prices and availability.

Don’t forget to register for the 2016 Pan. The final deadline is March.

Click here to register now.

Ares BJJ and Soul Fighters have joined forces to put together one of the strongest camps for the 2016 Pan Jiu-Jitsu championship.

The two teams will gather an impressive roster of black belts to offer some of the best instruction and training available.

The names include Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Queixinho, Rafael Formiga, João Gabriel Rocha, Milton Bastos, Marcus Antelante, Manny Diaz, Vicente Junior, Nick Maez, Vinicius Agudo, Aaron Zarballos.

The camp will rotate among four different academies in Northern California, on March 5-13.

They will offer two classes per day and the investment is $100 for students of the two associations and $150 for non-students.

The cost for a single session is $40.

For more info, email info@aresbjj.com

Samir Chantre.

GMA members Samir Chantre and Osvaldo Queixinho are inviting you for a BJJ vacation camp.

The event goes down on February 3-5, in Murrieta, GA, just before the IBJJF Atlanta Open, on Feb. 6.

You can register to take part in a sigle day of training or sign up for the whole three-day camp and pay less.

For more info, go to bjjvacationcamp.com.

First group photo of Ares BJJ Photo by Alex Barcelona

They say everything happens for a reason, and whether that is your philosophy or not, Ares BJJ Association grew from an idea into an action, into a reality. The four founding members, Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Queixinho, Milton Bastos and Alan Moraes, all with lasting impacts on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu have just opened their doors, wide, to their new association and are ready to show the world who they are.

Ares BJJ is putting family at the forefront. Their mission is to bring jiu jitsu to the next level and change lives. However, they have made one point very clear; and that is that they don’t just want affiliations, they want family member. A sense of home and community was the most important and driving force when launching the association. Expect big things for this new and solid team.

Check them out at www.aresbjj.com and get to know more about their philosophy and goals.