The SJJIF’s idea of ​​bringing the Worlds to Brazil this year is really cool, an event that will take place on the 11th and 12th of November, in Rio de Janeiro. How did this idea come about and what benefits does it offer to the Jiu-Jitsu community?

JOÃO SILVA: Our event has athletes from all over the world and has had, in one of its biggest editions, representatives from more than 60 countries. However, several participants have not been able to participate due to a visa to the United States, which for many is unfeasible. For a long time, at the SJJIF assembly, there had been talk about the option of expanding SJJIF events and having the SJJIF World Cup on a traveling basis, giving the entire Jiu-Jitsu community the opportunity to participate in the event and compete for the world title.

I believe that the decision to bring this edition of the event to Brazil is something to be celebrated not only because it is the tenth edition, but because once again we are innovating and promoting the SJJIF values ​​of integration, fair play, respect and Brazilian culture through Jiu-Jitsu.

I believe that all Brazilian competitors should make the most of this unique opportunity to compete for the SJJIF world title in Brazil, especially for competitors thinking about making a living from Jiu-Jitsu abroad in the future, as an SJJIF world title on an immigration card It could be the difference in getting a work visa approved.

In addition to the country that will host the big event, what are the other news about SJJIF Worlds 2023?

This is a huge opportunity to acculturate to where sport Jiu-Jitsu was founded and to get to know everything that Rio de Janeiro has to offer, such as tourism, training, competition and much more. For athletes who have never competed in an SJJIF event, I think this is a unique opportunity to be part of history, being the tenth edition, the first time in Brazil and with cash prizes, a huge medal, belt, ring, trophy and, the most important, the world title. This year we will have belts in different divisions, something unprecedented.

This is the tenth edition of the show, a huge milestone for SJJIF. What are the most memorable moments in this journey? And what are the main lessons you learned from these 10 editions?

From the beginning we have worked hard to bring something better to our community. Being an event that promotes inclusion through “Jiu-Jitsu for all”, having in one event not only athletes from all over the world competing for the traditional divisions but also Parajiu-jitsu, Deaf Jiu-Jitsu and Jiu-Jitsu Special, giving everyone in the Jiu-Jitsu community the opportunity to compete for their world title. Regardless of age or whether they are elite or amateur, the event has several divisions giving everyone the opportunity to participate.

We have gone through several memorable moments, either through exceptional fights by great gentle art athletes or with moments through adapted fights, which are always inspiring for everyone and a magical moment in our events. The biggest lesson I believe is the fact that we can always improve and how in Jiu-Jitsu victory is always rewarding, but it is through defeat that learning is most intense. The important thing is to do your best and do everything with love, passion, respect and not being afraid to try something new.

And the future? What level will the SJJIF Worlds be at in ten editions? What are the main challenges and objectives ahead?

I believe that in the next ten events a lot will change. This tenth edition is already a milestone that will open this new journey where the World Cup will travel every year from country to country, promoting not only the federation but the sport itself. Something that we are very excited to see, as we believe that in the coming years we will see a much greater growth in competitors.

Who are the players who have most impressed you in this long history of the SJJIF Worlds and which players will stand out in this 2023 edition?

In these ten years we have seen many champions and we have seen several fights. Children like the Ruotolo brothers who already won the world championship in all the children’s categories. We saw super exciting black belt fights, such as Tayane Porfírio, Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa, Keenan Cornelios, Kaynan Duarte, Jonnatas Gracie, Luiza Monteiro, Otávio Sousa, Renan Vital, Nathiely De Jesus, Dany Gerard, Kendall Reusing, Ronaldo Júnior, Kennedy Maciel and much more.

Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve never been good at guessing who would win past editions, so I’m not even going to try in 2023, but I’m very excited to see the champions of this tenth edition.

Photo: Personal Archive

Bibiano Fernandes, 41, has an appointment under One Championship for December 5. The bantamweight champion will be defending his belt against John Lineker, who has only fought three times in the organization, between 2019 and 2021. The announcement was made by One’s CEO, Chatri Sityodtong.

Throughout his career, which began in 2004, Bibiano has achieved 24 wins and suffered four losses. In One Championship, which has employed him since 2012, he has 11 wins and just one loss.

“I’m happy to be able to defend my belt again,” the Brazilian said in a recent interview. “I’ve been on this journey for a long time. I’m happy, healthy, well trained. I want to show younger people that with discipline and hard work, you can get to where you want. Bibiano is the result of a lot of effort, lots of faith and dedication.”

In his native state of Amazonas, where he was staying several days ago, Bibiano got in touch with his roots before returning to Canada to resume his training.

“I’m in Manaus to visit my family and friends and have contact with nature,” he said. “I always come to Brazil before I have an important appointment in my life. Out here, the other day, I did a lecture at a military school for more than 200 students, where I spoke about the importance of being confident, having discipline and courage.” He added: “I’m quite happy to be here.”

Bibiano also revealed that he’s not done evolving in Jiu-Jitsu, as was recently recognized by his teacher, Prof. Osvaldo Alves.

“I’ve received another degree on the black belt,” said Bibiano, who is a three-time BJJ world champion. “I’m happy to conquer another step in the black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, the sport that gave me everything I have. I lost my mom very early, and my dad had no means to raise us; I went to the interior of Amazonas, but if today I am someone, it was the sport that saved me and because I believed I could be someone.”

It’s a new year, time to start over again. To make some positive changes to your life, how about trying out that Jiu-Jitsu your friends and heroes in the UFC are always talking about?

Getting started is easy: learn to tie your belt; learn to fall; and learn that GRACIEMAG is the magazine that will accompany you throughout your journey, from white to black belt.

Will it take a long time? That, we can’t answer. But don’t get caught up in when. We’ll be here for you the whole time.

As testament to our allegiance, we kick off the year showing you how to tie a knot in the first belt of your gentle-art progression.

With problem number one out of the way, others will follow. But as Jiu-Jitsu and life teach us, it’s all about getting your wind back and keeping calm; everything will be resolved in due course. Something we can guarantee you, though, is that if you don’t give up along the way, you’ll be a great and worthy black belt some day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNcIMfgq6GY

Carlos Condit unleashes an elbow from the guard on Rory McDonalt at UFC 115. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa/Publicity.

Confident he’ll be fighting Georges Saint-Pierre for the definitive welterweight title at the November 17 UFC event, interim title holder Carlos Condit addressed the fight humbly in a conversation with GRACIEMAG.com. The American admits that he’ll need to see some improvements if he’s to leave the octagon with the coveted belt.

“It’s a tough task. He’s got great wrestling, great Jiu-Jitsu, really good standup. So I’ll have to improve quite a bit over the next couple of months and I think I’ll be able to fight a good fight,” he tells Nalty Junior in the interview. “He’s great with his takedowns and his control on the ground … So I think his top control is his best skill, so that’s what I’m going to have to overcome. … I know that most likely I’m going to end up on my back on the ground.”

With a ten-year professional career in the sport, Carlos Condit (28w, 5l) has faith in his game and his coaching staff, and explains how the training will be arranged so as to avoid conflicts of interest with his teammate, as well as why the similarities between his fight and the falling-out of Jon Jones and Rashad Evans end at them training at the same place.

Check out the complete interview with the holder of the interim UFC welterweight title.

The first rule change has to do with belt promotions for kids. In the photo, the IBJJF's Pan Kids, taken by John Lamonica.

A sign Jiu-Jitsu culture is also a process that changes and evolves with time, the IBJJF contemplated and decided to implement some changes to its rules, regulations and systems; criteria that in some instances have been around for 40 years but that now require some adjustment.

That’s the case with the system for kids’ belt promotion. To motivate and reward the young ones, different schools devised their own methods that albeit creative, for being so varied, the system become somewhat chaotic from academy to acadmy.

So the IBJJF stepped in and, on January 1, 2012, the new belt system for the little ones enters into effect.

Starting next year, kids who start training at four years of age will only be promoted once they turn seven.

However, so as to not demotivate the young ones and to to prevent a technical discrepancy between beginners and those more experienced, the Federation’s new system suggests a division be added to each already existing belt color.

Hence, each belt color will be divided into three “subcolors,” so to speak.

The grey belt, for example, shall now be extended to young people from 4 to 15 years of age.

With the new belt colors teachers will be able to promote their students every year. For example, the IBJJF recommends a kid who starts training at four stay at white belt for six months before being promoted to grey-white belt. Another six months, another promotion: solid grey belt.

After a year at grey belt the practitioner becomes a grey-black belt. At seven years of age, depending on how long they’ve been training, of course, they can be promoted to yellow belt.

At ten years of age, young practitioners who started training at six years of age at the latest will be promotable to green belt.

At tournaments, young athletes will be sorted by sold colors: white, grey, yellow, orange, green.

For a more thorough description of the new belt-promotion system, click here.

Antidoping and blue gi

Changes to the promotion system are just part of the greater changes to the rules, which will be released soon and only be implemented in 2012. One of them, according to a source close to the IBJJF, is a measure meant to make life easier on the referees, which is to require competitors bring two gis – one white and one blue – to competitions, with each of the two competitors in a contest wearing different colors to make them more easily distinguishable to referees. According to recent studies in Europe, this simple measure spares the referees’ eye sight and reduces refereeing mistakes by 20% in martial arts competitions.

Another subject on the docket is the question of antidoping. A source close to the IBJJF broke the news to GRACIEMAG.com that the request of the broader public and many readers, through comments here on the website, will become reality.

An expert in antidoping measures has already been consulted, and efforts should move forward next year. “Testing for banned substances doesn’t boil down to just testing and penalizing, it’s a process of educating the athletes. We need to define what is banned, and we’ve already started touching on that,” said the source, without specifying a deadline. But one can already start dreaming of a 2012 Worlds free of doping.

Check back with GRACIEMAG.com later for more on the new rules and Jiu-Jitsu championships.

“No, I don’t want to face him because I felt I won. I want to fight Lyoto because it’s for the title, and that is my dream. What I want most is that belt and, therefore, I want to fight Lyoto again.”

On the delay in setting a date for the bout – which only just happened now -, Shogun has no complaints. His greater concern is keeping in shape.

“I’m never going to worry about that. I leave the details of my fight and opponent in the hands of my manager. My only concern is training. But of course I want to fight Lyoto as soon as possible,” he said in finishing.