“O Jiu-Jitsu transforma e conecta, e eu me sinto abençoado por ser esse elo entre a arte suave e a comunidade”, diz o faixa-coral Denys Darzi, nosso GMI à frente da Denys Darzi BJJ, em Boca Raton, Flórida, Estados Unidos. “Para quem sonha em ser um professor relevante, mais importante que o domínio técnico ou didático, a minha dica é clara: ensine com o coração. Estude. Escute. Respeite. Individualize. E, principalmente, seja humilde. O tatame não é palco para vaidade, é altar de aprendizado.” Especializado em aulas de BJJ para crianças neurodivergentes, Darzi conversou com a equipe da GRACIEMAG e revelou dicas inspiradoras. Não pare, não retroceda, não desista. Mesmo que tudo diga para parar, mesmo que o corpo reclame, vista o kimono e treine mais um dia. A jornada é fantástica e vale a pena.” Confira a entrevista completa a seguir. Oss!

Quais os benefícios que um professor de Jiu-Jitsu oferece à comunidade onde atua?
DENYS DARZI: Ensinar Jiu-Jitsu vai muito além de quedas, finalizações ou defesa pessoal. É formar pessoas, prepará-las para enfrentar a vida com confiança e determinação. É construir pontes e oferecer um caminho baseado em disciplina e autoconhecimento. Ao fazermos bem esse trabalho, contribuímos para que crianças, jovens e adultos enfrentem melhor os desafios e vivam com mais plenitude. Aqui, no sul da Flórida, Estados Unidos, onde há tanta diversidade cultural e social, meu objetivo é criar um ambiente seguro e acolhedor, onde os alunos aprendam técnicas eficazes e desenvolvam valores como disciplina, respeito, autocontrole, autoconfiança e foco. Adultos recuperam a saúde e a autoestima, criam laços de amizade, e todos aprendem o valor da superação. O Jiu-Jitsu transforma e conecta, e eu me sinto abençoado por ser esse elo entre a arte suave e a comunidade.

Um dos destaques da sua academia é o trabalho excepcional com crianças neurodivergentes. Como você se especializou nesse tipo de trabalho?
Esse trabalho nasceu da observação e da escuta. Percebi que algumas crianças não se adaptavam aos modelos tradicionais de aula. Comecei a observar mais de perto, estudar e me aproximar de profissionais da área da saúde (terapeutas, fonoaudiólogas) para compreender melhor esse universo. Adaptei meu método, respeitando os ritmos, o tempo e os limites de cada um. O resultado é impressionante: o Jiu-Jitsu contribui para o foco, a coordenação motora, a comunicação, a socialização e, principalmente, para a autoestima. Muitas dessas crianças encontram no tatame um lugar onde são aceitas e valorizadas. Procuramos entender suas necessidades e ajustamos a abordagem para atender cada uma de forma única.

Outro destaque da sua escola é o curso de defesa pessoal. A que você atribui tanto sucesso nesse segmento?
Eu não consigo imaginar o BJJ sem a defesa pessoal. Essa é a essência da nossa arte. Muitas academias e professores acabam focando apenas em competição, que é algo completamente diferente. A defesa pessoal precisa ser realista, simples e aplicável. A maioria das pessoas não quer se tornar lutadora, apenas deseja se sentir segura, e é isso que entregamos aqui na academia. Meu curso é adaptado para todas as idades: crianças, mulheres, adultos e idosos. O foco está sempre na prevenção, em capacitar cada aluno com técnicas condizentes com sua realidade. E, mais importante ainda, em despertar o “brain response” certo diante de uma situação de risco. Ensinamos que a melhor luta é aquela que conseguimos evitar, mas, se for inevitável, que estejamos prontos para agir com segurança. O sucesso desse trabalho vem do respeito, do cuidado com cada aluno e do comprometimento com que visto meu kimono todos os dias.

Em relação ao Jiu-Jitsu de competição, qual é o segredo para transformar um atleta mediano em um grande campeão?
Com muitos anos de estrada, posso afirmar que três pilares são fundamentais: consistência, disciplina e mentalidade. Muita gente foca no talento, mas o verdadeiro diferencial está na mente. Um atleta mediano se torna campeão quando aprende a perder, a se levantar e a seguir em frente. Eu trabalho o lado emocional com o mesmo empenho que dedico à técnica. Ajudo meus alunos a entenderem que a maior luta é contra os próprios medos, contra a preguiça e o desânimo. Quando vencem essa batalha interna, o resultado no pódio é apenas consequência.

Como você se define como professor de Jiu-Jitsu? Qual é a filosofia por trás da sua escola?
Sou, acima de tudo, um educador. Uso o Jiu-Jitsu como ferramenta de transformação. A filosofia da minha escola se baseia em acolhimento, respeito, inclusão e propósito. Aqui, todos são bem-vindos, do competidor ao aluno com necessidades especiais, do iniciante ao idoso, homens e mulheres.

Quando alguém hesita em treinar Jiu-Jitsu, o que você costuma dizer para incentivar essa pessoa a vestir o kimono e começar a jornada na arte suave?
Academias de arte marcial podem parecer intimidadoras para muita gente. Dar o primeiro passo, cruzar a porta, não é fácil. Por isso, sempre digo ao novo aluno: “Você não precisa estar pronto. Precisa apenas começar.” Aqui, ninguém inicia lutando. Os alunos têm, em média, dois meses de adaptação, com uma atenção quase individual mesmo nas aulas em grupo. Nesse período, eles aprendem os fundamentos básicos, ganham confiança e se sentem preparados para seguir. Ninguém começa sabendo aplicar armlocks voadores. O Jiu-Jitsu não exige perfeição, ele constrói. No tatame, todos começam do zero. Vista o kimono e permita-se. A transformação acontece passo a passo.

Quem é o seu grande ídolo na carreira, aquela pessoa que serve como guia nas suas decisões mais importantes?
Tenho profunda admiração por Carlos e Hélio Gracie, pelo legado que deixaram e pelas oportunidades que criaram para tantos brasileiros mundo afora. Eles tiveram coragem de romper padrões e não desistiram. Também tenho grande respeito e admiração pelo meu Mestre, Francisco Mansor, por todos os ensinamentos que recebi e pela incrível família que construiu nos tatames, um espaço onde tenho amigos de uma vida inteira. Mas, acima de tudo, meu maior guia é a consciência de que meus filhos e meus alunos me observam. Minhas decisões precisam honrar essa responsabilidade. Não tomo decisões pensando só em mim, mas no exemplo que deixo.

Quais são suas metas para o futuro?
Quero expandir meu trabalho com crianças neurodivergentes, abrir mais turmas para idosos e, quem sabe, escrever um livro. Um livro que mostre como sair da zona de conforto, como transformar quedas e derrotas em aprendizado, e como, com um bom mestre e a fé em Deus, é possível superar os próprios limites. Meu maior sonho é que meus filhos, netos e alunos levem adiante os valores que transmiti em cada aula. Legado é isso: fazer a diferença mesmo quando já não estivermos mais aqui.

Na final do absoluto, o aluno de Marcelo Garcia finalizou o experiente Rico Bastos (Bruno Bastos Association) na kimura.

Veja:

The standout was newly promoted Marcelo Garcia black belt, Matheus Diniz, who won his first open class gold medal in the new ranking.

He defeated Ricardo Bastos in the absolute final.

Watch the video:

Here are the other results in the black belt division:

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather

First – Jonathan Paul Thomas – Alliance

Second – Andre Carvalho Monteiro – A-Force BJJ Academy

Third – Vitor Atalla Riciotti – Fight Sports

Third – Wesley Davi de Oliveira Fe – Alliance

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light

First – Mansher Khera – Alliance

Second – Rafael Henrique Pereira – Gordo Jiu-Jitsu

Third – Jônatas Sampaio Gurgel – American Top Team

Third – Eduardo Ramos da Silva – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle

First – Jonathan T. Satava – Alliance

Second – Dillon Danis – Alliance

Third – Pedro Henrique Monteiro Palhares – Luiz Palhares Jiu Jitsu

Third – Javier Valenciano Yamuni – Renzo Gracie International

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium Heavy

First – Murilo Silva Ferreira de Santana – Barbosa Jiu Jitsu

Second – Matheus Oliveira Diniz – Alliance

Third – Rafael Rosendo dos Santos – Alliance

Third – Diego Gamonal Nogueira – Brazilian Top Team – Florida

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy

First – Vitor Fabio Martins Toledo – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

Second – Morris Humberto Ayala – Zenith BJJ – Las Vegas

Third – Daniel Thomas Cobb – Gracie Humaita Canadá

Third – Vitor Moscon Schlosser – American Top Team

BLACK / Adult / Male / Super Heavy

First – Leonardo Pires Nogueira – Alliance

Second – Arnaldo Maidana de Oliveira – CheckMat

Third – Nathan Albrecht Mendelsohn – Coalition 95

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra Heavy

First – Manuel Diaz – Soul Fighters BJJ

Second – Daniel Correa de Azevedo – Fight Sports

Third – Ricardo Bastos Cruz – Bruno Bastos Association

Third – Leonardo Henrique D’avila Corrêa – Atos Jiu-Jitsu

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class

First – Matheus Oliveira Diniz – Alliance

Second – Ricardo Bastos Cruz – Bruno Bastos Association

Third – Diego Gamonal Nogueira – Brazilian Top Team – Florida

Third – Mansher Khera – Alliance

In the teams competition, the results were:

1 – American Top Team – 258

2 – Fight Sports – 239

3 – Alliance – 176

4 – Gracie Barra – 165

5 – Carlson Gracie Team – 130

6 – Brazilian Top Team – Florida – 105

7 – Team Lloyd Irvin – 68

8 – Renato Tavares Association – 53

9 – Gracie Humaita USA – 37

10 – Jaco Jiu-Jitsu – 37

For the complete results, go to ibjjf.com.

The competitors at GMA Carlson Gracie Miami. Photo: Personal archive

Last weekend was the 2014 IBJJF Boca Raton International Open and a small group of competitors entered the tournament commanded by GMA member, Nova Gerecao third degree black belt  Michel P. “Buiu” Pereira.

The team went in with high expectations but never imagined the great results they received: nine golds, five silver and eight bronze. To the surprise of some of the bigger schools, “The Ghost Squad Team from Carlson Gracie Miami” placed number seven out of 64 registered academies at the tournament. Not bad for a team of less than 22 strong and willful athletes that just assembled their competition team early this year.

A few weeks ago, some of the members of the squad team traveled to the 2014 IBJJF New York Spring Open bringing home one gold, one silver and three bronze medals out of seven competitors. They once again proved the strength of their small team.

“The dedication and camaraderie at the dojo is second to none, everyone looking out for each other, making sure they are drilling and exchanging feedback on a daily basis, no ego tolerance, a family atmosphere and respect is the order of the day” says Professor Buiu.

In response to the success of his team he says, ” I want to congratulate each and every one of you that competed for placing so high with such a small group. This is a phenomenal accomplishment! Believe. I also want to thank the ones that took time on their busy schedule to support the team thorough the day. It really show our commitment to each other.”

Congrats to: Daniella Rodriguez, Matt Flores, Michael Shannon, Erick Rosado, Victor Levy, Christian Perez, Harold Castedo, Javier Mendez, Simone Lee, Jorge Marquez, Jordan Basit, Stephen Heaven, Hans Castedo, Daniel Fundora, Catherine Jones, Jon Pineiro, Vincent Ruales, Lazaro Amaro and the rest of the team.

For information on Carlson Gracie Miami please visit : www.carlsongraciemiami.com

Carlson Gracie Miami. Photo: Personal archive

Tammi earns her first black belt world title with a kimura submission at the 2013 No-Gi World Championship. Photo: Erin Herle

At nineteen years old, black belt Tammi Musumeci has made us all look incompetent. Not that she means to, but she definitely stands out as one of the most tenacious people I have ever met. We all know the studious ones in school who take the toughest classes, join all the right clubs and read books instead of gossip magazines. She is one of them. But more than just the academic achievements is the rare title of Jiu-Jitsu black belt world champion she can proudly write on her resume.

She continues to push the pace in her Jiu-Jitsu training and competition because she loves Jiu-Jitsu. She continues to push the pace in her academics because she wants to secure a future for herself that she’s imagined. It doesn’t involve a Jiu-Jitsu academy or the Olympics but rather a life of numbers and six-figures, perhaps, too.

I spoke with Tammi about her time on the mats and whether or not it ever became a job for her like it has for some. I wanted to know whether she pictured herself the world champion before the straight-A student. But I guess it didn’t matter because she found herself as both.

GRACIEMAG: I want to hear about your training with Jiu-Jitsu and if it has always coincided with school and any other priorities.

TAMMI MUSUMECI: I started training Jiu-Jitsu when I was six years old in the first grade.  Jiu-Jitsu has been a large part of my life, throughout my whole school career, and continues to be today. Balancing Jiu-Jitsu and school proves to be a challenge. In high school I had even more priorities besides studying and training. To get into a good college, I not only needed good grades, but an involvement in the community and school activities.

So throughout high school, I was involved in the various clubs and societies, which were extremely time consuming. Because community service hours were so important, I volunteered at various places such as libraries and hospitals. I completed a total of 475 community service hours.

In addition, throughout high school I took intensive SAT classes and spent my weekends, that were already spent working on various honors and AP class work, taking at least four hour long SATS. Good grades never came easy to me; I had to work very hard to achieve the grades I got.

With much of my day occupied with stressful obligations, I still made sure to find the time to train and workout hard, and to go on and win world titles at blue, purple, and brown belt, along with three pan titles, two at purple, one at brown all in the adult division.

[While in college she has earned a black belt world title from the 2013 No-Gi World Championship and a black belt pan title from the 2014 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship.]

Tammi wins the 2014 Pan black belt title. Photo: Erin Herle

How much is Jiu-Jitsu a priority?

Because of my busy schedule, prioritization is extremely important if I want to achieve all of my goals. Because school and school-related activities consequently have a huge impact on my future occupation those of course would be my number one priority.

Whatever time that was left would be spent between Jiu-Jitsu training, conditioning, eating and sleeping.

But I have also found an interesting relationship between jiu-jitsu and school: Jiu-jitsu helped me unwind from the ever present pressures of school. Even during my most stressful times, I always made sure to workout really hard, eat healthy, and get in some training sessions.

What are your studies like?

I guess I was, am, and will continue to be a big nerd. Throughout my life in school, I would spend literally hours studying when the other kids partied or went out. Socializing was not a priority for me.  As frustrating and grueling as studying was at times, I always hoped that it would pay off one day. This was and is the motivator that keeps me going.

My hard work landed me full scholarships to some of the best schools such as University of Miami, New York University, The College of New Jersey, Rutgers University, and Drexel University.

I chose to go the Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida because I received a full scholarship to their six year Accelerated Law Program BS/JD – 3 years undergraduate in accounting, 3 years law school.

All that studying and sacrifice paid off. Those tedious hours of studying sometimes till the wee hours of the morning were well worth it. Today, I continue to study really hard to get good grades and hope one day get a good job that will allow me to secure my future.

Incidentally, I never told anyone in school about Jiu-Jitsu. So when I went to school with the occasional facial scratch, bruise, or black eye, I would get the most interesting looks from my teachers and classmates.

I’d really love for you to spell out what your busiest day of the week from last semester.

In the final against Mackenzie Dern at the 2014 Pan. Photo: Erin Herle

My busiest day of the week last semester had to be Wednesday because I had to attend classes in the morning, be at a drilling session with my brother, Mikey, and Manny Soares at Jaco Hybrid Training Center at 1:30 p.m. After that, my brother and I would go straight to strength and conditioning with our trainer Cody Schovitz at Speed Evolution in Boca Raton, FL. From there at 5:30 p.m., I would rush back to Jaco Hybrid training center to teach my women’s class. Then on most nights my brother and I would attend an intense competition training session with Emyr “Shark” Bussade at ATT Wellington. The rest of the night would be spent studying, which sometimes would consist of an, “all nighter.”

What is your philosophy on competition?

I don’t believe that competition is necessary for all, but it is a great way to test yourself against other fighters besides the ones you train with. I love to compete, but most of all I love training for competing. It allows me to push myself to the limit and beyond that. I believe that real growth can only come from being uncomfortable. So I am very familiar with being uncomfortable.

How much do you love it versus how much is it about the end result?

The end result is very important to me as a fighter because it validates all the training and conditioning. I personally enjoy competing. I have been doing it for many years and it has become intricate part of my life.

How hard are you on yourself?

I am extremely hard on myself to the point where it is a flaw. This flaw is not only limited to Jiu-Jitsu, but also school. Somewhere along the line I came to believe that if you work real hard you will get the desired result you are looking for. But if you don’t get the desired result, you didn’t work hard enough. At this level however, I am working on changing my thinking because I am competing against the best athletes in Jiu-Jitsu and understand that I will lose not because I am not good but because they are just as technical and prepared as I am. I have a great deal of respect for my opponents and feel honored to even be competing against them.

What do the titles mean to you?

The titles I have won mean a lot to me. They tell me that my Jiu-Jitsu training, diet and conditioning were right on point. Again, I am extremely humbled by the thought of even competing at this level with such amazing fighters. So winning means that much more to me.

Will you ever open an academy?

I am not planning on opening an academy. I teach the women’s class at Jaco because I like to help the women achieve their goals and gain confidence, but I will not make a career of this.

What are your career goals?

My career goal is to become an accountant and lawyer and pursue a job in some aspect of business law or forensics accounting.

What parts do you not enjoy about Jiu-Jitsu if any?

The part of Jiu-Jitsu that I do not enjoy is the drama sometimes associated with it. There are times when beginners think they know all there is to know about Jiu-Jitsu when in reality, Jiu-Jitsu is a lifelong learning experience. I do not like when people are disrespectful to the instructor or to each other. A huge part of Jiu-Jitsu has to do with respect. Without respect, there is anarchy–not a Jiu-Jitsu class I would like to be at. I do not like when people refuse to tap. This is one aspect that I will never understand. Refusing to tap could result in serious injury that could side-line an athlete for months, or even years. Whether it be ego, or pride, this is a serious problem.

Finally, the last thing I do not enjoy about Jiu-Jitsu is when people react negatively when they lose. I believe that losing is an essential component in the making of an athlete.  No one is infallible.  I know I’m not.

It’s not how we win, it’s how we lose.

Roberto Cyborg, campeão absoluto. Foto: Ray Santana

Novidade no calendário da IBJJF, a primeira edição do Boca Raton Open viu Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu como o melhor da faixa-preta, ao vencer o absoluto do evento, no dia 26 de abril.

Na disputa pela medalha de ouro, o líder da Fight Sports venceu por pontos Lincoln Jeferson (Gracie Elite), que resistiu e não bateu apesar de ser montado.

Nas outras divisões de peso, o equatoriano Francisco Iturralde (Alliance) dominou o peso leve, Marcello Salazar (BTT) brilhou no meio-pesado e Diego Gamonal (BTT) beliscou o ouro no pesado.

Por equipes, Cyborg celebrou novamente. Os resultados oficiais foram:

1. Fight Sports – 259

2. American Top Team – 234

3. Alliance – 153

Para conferir todos os campeões, acesse o site da IBJJF, aqui.

The 2013 ADCC open class champion, Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu was the standout by winning the adult male open class gold medal.

In the final match, Cyborg faced Lindoln Pereira and won by points despite trying to submit from the mount for over two minutes at the end of the match.

In the teams competition, Cyborg’;s Fight Sports came on top:

1 – Fight Sports – 259
2 – American Top Team – 234
3 – Alliance – 153

Here are the other results of the black belt division:

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light Feather
First – Daniel Beleza G. de Andrade – SAS Team USA

BLACK / Adult / Male / Feather
First – Spenser Anthonin Gilliam – Solis Martial Arts Academy
Second – Wesley Davi de Oliveira Fe – Alliance
Third – Zachary James Adamson – Lovato Jiu-Jitsu

BLACK / Adult / Male / Light
First – Francisco Antonio Iturralde Lara – Alliance
Second – Rafael Henrique Pereira – Gracie Elite Teamhird – Bruno de Freitas Sena – Fight Sports

BLACK / Adult / Male / Middle
First – Marcel Goulart Cubel Gonçalves – The Avengers

BLACK / Adult / Male / Medium Heavy
First – Marcello Salazar Bergo – Brazilian Top Team
Second – Morris Humberto Ayala – Zenith BJJ
Third – Leonardo I. Iturralde Aguirre – Alliance
Third – Rafael Rosendo dos Santos – Alliance

BLACK / Adult / Male / Heavy
First – Diego Gamonal Nogueira – Brazilian Top Team
Second – Walnan Presto Constantino – Gracie Humaita
Third – Lincoln Jeferson Pereira – Gracie Elite Team
Third – Marcelo Meleiro – Nova União

BLACK / Adult / Male / Ultra Heavy
First – Roberto de Abreu Filho – Fight Sports

BLACK / Adult / Male / Open Class
First – Roberto de Abreu Filho – Fight Sports
Second – Lincoln Jeferson Pereira – Gracie Elite Team
Third – Leonardo I. Iturralde Aguirre – Alliance
Third – Francisco Antonio Iturralde Lara – Alliance

BLACK / Master 1 / Male / Feather
First – Rafael Leondy Rebello – American Top Team
Second – Bruno Maniaudet Bastos – American Top Team
Third – Adam Marc Brofsky – Gracie Elite Team

BLACK / Master 1 / Male / Light
First – Thiago Silva Ramos – Carlson Gracie Team

BLACK / Master 1 / Male / Heavy
First – Gustavo de Oliveira Katayose – Exodus BJJ

BLACK / Master 1 / Male / Super Heavy
First – Bruno de Almeida Jorge – Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Brasil
Second – Raul Francisco Jimenez Trivino – Alliance
LACK / Master 1 / Male / Ultra Heavy
First – Ranieri Paiva de Albuquerque – Gracie Elite Team
Second – Márcio Ribeiro da Cruz – Marcio Cruz Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

BLACK / Master 2 / Male / Middle
First – Bernardo Pitel – Nova União
Second – Marcelo de Mattos Souza – Gracie Barra
Third – Christian Wolfgang Ledwon Soria – Alliance

BLACK / Master 2 / Male / Medium Heavy
First – Francisco Soares Costa Junior – Jaco Jiu-Jitsu
Second – Rafael Corrêa de Lima – Start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Third – Ailton Azevedo Barbosa – American Top Team

BLACK / Master 2 / Male / Heavy
First – Leandro D. Valdes – Brasa
Second – Fábio Franco da Silva – Gracie Humaita

BLACK / Master 3 / Male / Middle
First – Marcos da Matta Meira – American Top Team
Second – Kevin D. Landry – Start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Third – Michael William Geery – New Port Richey Jiu Jitsu Academy

BLACK / Master 3 / Male / Heavy
First – Paulo Roberto de Castro – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Master 3 / Male / Open Class
First – Paulo Roberto de Castro – Gracie Barra
Second – Kevin D. Landry – Start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

BLACK / Master 6 / Male / Middle
First – Nico de Haan – Gracie Barra

BLACK / Master 6 / Male / Open Class
First – Nico de Haan – Gracie Barra

For the complete results, go to ibjjf.com

The location of the 2014 IBJJF Boca Raton Open

Floridians, your backyard will soon host an IBJJF tournament. On April 26 the 2014 IBJJF Boca Raton Open will hold its first edition at the Florida Atlantic University Athletics venue.

Athletes from white to black, juvenile to master 5 will have a chance to win gold in the sunshine state. The cost per person is $113 and deadline for registration ends on April 18 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Already on the athlete list are residents traveling as far as Venezuela, Costa Rica, California, Oregon, Nevada, Illinois, Texas, Puerto Rico, New York, Maryland, Georgia and more. From within Florida there are multiple teams that have RSVP’ed such as American Top Team, Gracie Barra Orlando and more Gracie Barra affiliates, Fight Sports, Renato Tavares Association, Alliance Tallahassee/Zicro BJJ, Team Popovitch, Nova Uniao and more.

The location of the event is 777 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33431.

Don’t miss the April 18 deadline and the chance to win gold in Florida as well as prepare for the World Championship in late May!

Register at www.ibjjf,org

And check who has already signed up in your division here.

Now check out who else qualified for April’s World Pro Jiu-Jitsu event:

Lightweight blue belt
Chris Cruz

Heavyweight blue belt
Leonard White

Male Purple/Brown/Black
Pedro Torres (purple belt)
Jim Alers (purple)
Ailton Barbosa (black)
San Mc Coy (brown)
Ricardo Ribeiro (purple)

Female lightweight white-black
Hillary Williams

Female heavyweight white-black
Tammy Griego

Tammy Griego, in a photo from her personal archives

E quem chega com moral para o evento principal em Abu Dhabi, em abril, é Clark Gracie (BJJ Revolution), que fez uma das grandes lutas do dia, na categoria 83kg da roxa, marrom e preta.

Filho de Carley, Clark fez a final contra o primo Reylan, filho de Rorion, e não perdeu tempo: puxou para a guarda, raspou aos dois minutos de luta e montou, abrindo 6 a 0. Daí foi só administrar até o final.

No feminino, a surpresa geral ficou por conta de Kiri Liao, faixa-roxa de Saulo Ribeiro que venceu o absoluto leve, que reúne lutadoras da branca até a faixa-preta.

“Mas não acabou não”, comenta Renatinho Tavares. “No próximo fim de semana há a segunda seletiva aqui nos EUA, desta vez na Flórida, em Boca Raton. Juntamente com Helio Moreira, vamos realiza-la pela segunda vez, com expectativa de casa cheia”.

Roberto Traven, Hillary Williams e Marcello Salazar estão entre os nomes na disputa por mais passagens para o World Pro, nos dias 15, 16 e 17 de abril.

Mais informações: www.nafafighters.com

Classificados na Seletiva Costa Oeste, em Santa Cruz:

Roxa/Marrom/Preta: John Ramirez (65kg), Marcos “Yemaso” Torregrosa (74kg), Clark Gracie (83kg), Raul Castillo (92kg), John Devine (+92kg)

Branca/Azul: Issa Able (leve), Orlando Sanches (pesado)

Feminino: Kiri Liao (leve), Lana Stefanac (pesado)