Last weekend China hosted a feast of no-gi Jiu-Jitsu in ADCC 2013. On Saturday, the main attraction was the superfight pitting André Galvão versus Bráulio Estima.

The match ended in a clever back-take by André, which forced Bráulio to try and defend standing. But Galvão held on to the neck until the submission occurred via RNC.

The GB professor told GRACIEMAG what he has learned from the setback.

“It really was an amazing bout. I did the best I could according to my body’s limit. I think the best lesson I took from this was how my head handled the situation,” he reflected.

“I hadn’t been training well due to a lesion to the arms’ nerves, especially the left arm. So I was constrained, but when the time came I tried to fight like I usually do, and it turned out that extra energy was missing from the arms to help me lock in some positions where I usually do well. The explosion was missing,” Bráulio added.

“Thinking back, I should have calmed down and fought trying to avoid relying on the arms’ grips. For instance, I should have let him pass there, instead of getting on all fours. I didn’t have the arm strength to block his arm’s entry on the neck when it was needed,” said the 2009 absolute champion.

But Bráulio also made sure to give Galvão his credit.

“Kudos goes to André. He was in it to win it and he seized the right moment to attack. In the cage it’s do or die. He certainly had his obstacles as well. That’s normal – when the chips are down, he who’s gotten the most off his training wins. At the Worlds it was my day, at the ADCC it was his, and so it goes. I’ll take care of this lesion and I’ll return in top shape. I hope it’s nothing too bad,” Estima wrapped up.