Photo: Publicity

Davi Ramos is the current Brazilian national lightweight No-Gi champion.

The athlete won the World Pro tryouts in the Brazilian city of Natal and is all set to pursue the title in Abu Dhabi.

Now Davi just won the absolute division at Naga, in the USA.

“I had four matches, and the first won I won by 4 to 0. The second won I finished with a kneebar, and the third I sunk an armbar. In the final I got an armbar again but the guy body slammed me and was disqualified. I’d like to thank everyone for cheering for me, especially Master Casquinha, the general at Top Brother, my buddy Gilbert Durinho, and my sponsors,” says the fighter.

Photo: Carlos Ozório.

One of the Alliance aces to stick his neck out at last Saturday’s Brazilian No-Gi Nationals, Antonio Peinado secured another gold medal for his collection.

“Winning a CBJJ title is just awesome! It’s a newer championship, but it’s getting bigger every year and it will just get more tradition about it,” he told GRACIEMAG.com.

Peinado had two matches ahead of him, but only needed to enter one, as absolute champion Victor Costa opted not to fight.

“I didn’t do the final, due to Victor deciding to save himself for the absolute decider. Some people were confused because we didn’t shut out the division, if just because we’re from different teams. It was Victor’s decision and I respect it. He spoke with me and it was cool,” he remarked.

The black belt still intends to compete at this year’s World Cup, an event held in São Paulo in December. However, he has already begun planning for 2011.

“2010 wasn’t a bad year for me. I learned a lot. I just made it to two years as a black belt and I came really close in a number of competitions. I was European runner-up, took third at weight and open weight at the Pan, third at the Brazilian Nationals and the Worlds. I’ve been competing at ultraheavyweight, but what I want is to compete at superheavyweight. I’m heading full steam into that division, focused and better. I feel 2011 will be special, a year of conquests,” he says in closing.

Victor celebrates winning absolute. Photo: Carlos Ozório.

The Brazilian No-Gi Nationals 2010 saw Victor Costa crowned champion of the main category. The CheckMat representative beat four opponents in making it to the highest spot on the winners’ stand, nabbing his second medal of the day. Earlier, in the superheavyweight division, he forsook competing in the final to save energy for the absolute.

An illustrious figure among the competitors? The black belt doesn’t see himself that way, despite his background being somewhat different from his opponents’. Before getting involved in the gentle art, up until he was eighteen, he was dedicated to soccer. He was a goal keeper who even figured on the professional team of São Paulo’s São Caetano soccer club. After that, he became the businessman behind the Koral Kimonos brand. From there on out, his involvement in Jiu-Jitsu became so intense that practicing and competing in the sport became his destiny.

Get to know a bit more about Victor Costa in this GRACIEMAG.com interview:

Did you imagine you’d do so well at the No-Gi Nationals?

I competed at the No-Gi Pan and that marked my competition return. I was lucky to only have one match, because I wasn’t that well prepared, I’d been away from competition for a long time. But I won and that picked up my spirits a lot. I knew the Brazilian Nationals was coming up at the end of the month and so I started to believe I could win it. I never imagined I’d make it so far in the absolute, but I knew I could do well.

Submission in absolute final. Photo: Carlos Ozório.

When did you start believing you could actually win the main division?

When I won my first match in the absolute, I got to talking with Chico Mendes, one of the coaches at CheckMat, and we saw it could work. I concentrated and started thinking about making it to the final. I was really confident in my second match; I fought well and got the finish. The semifinal against Theodoro Canal was rough. He’s a really technical athlete, really quick and it was a hard match, but I won. Capoeira (Nilson Ricardo), my opponent in the final, had lost to the same fighter I beat at weight. So I was confident, didn’t want to squander the chance, and I went into the match focused.

How do you manage to reconcile business with proper competition training?

First comes my love for Jiu-Jitsu, my desire to compete. I was a soccer player, turned professional at eighteen, but there was a lot of politics involved and I ended up sort of abandoned. I started Koral with my brother and, then, started training Jiu-Jitsu. I saw it as an individual sport, where we depend much more on ourselves. As I always had a drive to win, it was the perfect union. I won the world championship as a brown belt, but after getting my black, I kind of dropped out.

Photo: personal archive.

What has Jiu-Jitsu changed in your life?

Jiu-Jitsu made me a more focused and dedicated person. There’s always time for training on my agenda! Ever since I started Koral fourteen years ago, I’ve made loads of friends through Jiu-Jitsu. The folks on my team are great. They all help me and provide me incentive in competing. I stayed in Florida with Rodrigo Cavaca, who I admire a great deal. I was at Nino Schembri’s academy and the guy took off his gi to help me prepare for the Pan. So I know people wherever I go. It’s a family for everyone and I feel privileged in that respect.

What’s your relationship with the other competitors like? Do they treat you any differently for your being a businessman who works in the fight world?

I feel it’s normal. All athletes these days have a very professional mentality and they know how to separate things. In the warm-up area, they all know I’m just another competitor, and I see it like that, too. I’ve faced athletes who I sponsor before and it was real professional. I’m a laid back guy, I respect everyone and feel it’s just a normal situation.

Ximu com Greg Jackson e GSP. Foto: arquivo pessoal.

Now in Montreal, Canada, Gracie Barra black belt Gustavo Ximu contacted GRACIEMAG.com.

“I took a photo with my cell phone and I’m sending it to you! It didn’t come out too good, but it has me, Georges St.-Pierre and renowned coach Greg Jackson,” says Ximu, who explains what he’s up to.

“I was all set to compete at the No-Gi Brazilian Nationals, which I won last year. But St.-Pierre invited me to train with him again and I couldn’t turn down such an opportunity. I’ve been here a week so far and will stay one more,” says Ximu.

GSP, a Bruno Fernandes black belt, will face Josh Koshcheck on December 11 at UFC 124, where he will defend his welterweight belt.

“St.-Pierre is an extraordinary fighter and I’m certain he will keep his belt,” wagers Ximu.

Victor Costa wins absolute final via submission. Photo: Carlos Ozório

On the eve of Brazil’s presidential elections, Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club was stage to the runoff determining the new leaders of Brazil, but in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. The finals of the 2010 Brazilian National Championship began just as the clock struck six in the afternoon.

One of the big standouts of the day was businessman Victor Costa (CheckMat), who heads the Koral Kimonos company, showing his slick ground game. After winning his first superheavyweight match on points, he opted not to enter the final against Antonio Peinado (Alliance), who won his first via rear-naked choke and then took the championship title. Victor’s reason for not entering the decider was to spare himself for the absolute, where he battled for gold against Nilson Ricardo (Nova União). In the open weight category, the black belt won his first on points, finished his second with an arm triangle, and beat Theodoro Canal (GFTeam) in the semifinal via referee decision. In the gold-medal contest, he quickly put away Nilson Ricardo with a rear-naked choke.

Peinado didn't have to face Victor Costa in the final. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Luiz “Big Mac” (Godoi) got the best of the ultraheavyweight division. “Big” won his first by WO and finished his second with a kimura lock to then face Igor Silva (GFTeam) in the decider. In the final, the São Paulo native used his judo experience to land a throw and control the bout from there on out, winning by points.

Big Mac beat Igor Silva. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Rafael Bettega took heavyweight gold. The Alliance rep had to compete one less time in his bracket and saw his first opponent disqualified. In the final, he faced MMA fighter Marcus Maciel “Bicudinho” (BTT) and won via kneebar from half-guard.

Buiú clings to Murilo Santana's back. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Kleber Buiú (Gracie Barra), who came in off a win at the Rio Open, beat Murilo Santana (Barbosa) and took top spot on the medium heavyweight winners’ stand, after an evenly-matched dispute. Murilo started the action with a sweep, but in the final minute, Buiú was still playing for keeps and managed to make it to back mount to rally back for the win (4 to 2). Prior to the final, the fighter would beat his first adversary with a rear-naked choke and overcome his second with takedowns.

Tiago Alves passed the guard of Jonatas Novaes. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Another Marcos Barbosinha ace, Tiago Alves started out falling behind on the scorecards in the middleweight final. His opponent, Jonatas Novaes (Brasa), managed a sweep. Known for his high-pressure Jiu-Jitsu, Tiago persisted until passing guard (3 to 2). Alves won his prior matches by a large margin on points. In his first, 9 to 0, and his second, against a game Vitor Henrique (GFTeam), he also took a sizable lead, but his opponent ended up injured and out.

Davi Ramos (Top Brother) got by his first lightweight challenge on advantage points. He then faced Helder “Bob Sponja” Medeiros (CheckMat) in the semifinal, and won with two takedowns and a sweep for a 6-2 tally. In the decider, Davi submitted Marcio Rodrigues (Tubarão) with a footlock.

The best at featherweight was Leonardo Souza (Gordo-Evolve), who drew 2 to 2 with André Luiz (Godoi), but eeked out the win on advantage points. At light feather, Rufino Gomes (CheckMat) finished off two opponents with rear-naked chokes. In the gold-medal match he beat Leandro Escobar (Soul Fighters).

Michelle in absolute final. Photo: Carlos Ozório

In the female mix, Michelle Tavares recovered from a loss in the lightweight final, having moved up a weight category due to lack of opponents, and won the absolute. She won her first engagement with a triangle choke, her second with a ten-finger choke, and won the final against Polyana Lago (Alliance) by sweeping and mounting (6 to 0).

Marina on Michelle's back. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Michelle’s bane at lightweight was Marina Ribeiro (CheckMat), who managed a sweep and two back mounts to one sweep from the guard by Michelle (10 to 3). Another standout was Rosalind Ferreira (Gavião), who overcame Polyana Lago with advantage points in the middleweight final, and Luiza Monteiro (CheckMat), who won two matches with footlocks.

CheckMat took top spot on the team winners’ stand, followed by Gracie Barra and GFTeam.

Check back with GRACIEMAG.com for the full photogallery from the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals.

Murilo Santana won the absolute in 2009. Photo: Carlos Ozório.

The next CBJJ/IBJJF tournament in Brazil is the No-Gi Brazilian Nationals, coming up October 30 in Rio de Janeiro’s traditional Tijuca Tennis Club venue.

Big teams like Gracie Barra, BTT, GFTeam, Alliance, and Carlson Gracie are confirmed to be there.

However, time to sign up is running out, so anyone interested should hurry to do so by this Friday, October 22.

To sign up and for further information, click here.