Peinado got the finish in two matches at Brazilian Team Nationals. Photo: Gustavo Aragão

In 2010 Antonio Peinado captured gold at the Brazilian Team and Brazilian No-Gi Nationals, as well as placing at the European Open, Pan, and Worlds. Now he’s already hard at it for next season, to kick off with the European Open.

For 2011 Peinado is eying a return to the superheavyweight division and, to be in tip-top physical form, the black belt is relying on the efforts of physical conditioning coach Rafael Alejarra.

“We got to know each other better in Bahia, when I was there helping Demian Maia train, and we became good friends. He’s going to help me get in better shape for 2011,” Peinado told GRACIEMAG.com.

The fighter explains what their work together will be like.

“We put together a really cool project. When I’m in São Paulo, he’ll send me what I should do by email and we’ll communicate regarding any questions I may have. But in February or March I should be in the U.S. For the Pan and then the Worlds. There we’ll work together on MMA conditioning. I’ll work with him whenever I’m in the States,” he says.

Do as Peinado does and get in on IBJJF tournaments. Sign up for the European Open coming up January 27 to 30 in Lisbon, Portugal, by clicking here.

"Boi" at Brazilian Team Nationals. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Alliance is loaded with well-established athletes from the lightest weight groups – like Bruno Malfacine, Rubens Cobrinha, and Michael Langhi – to the heaviest – like Antonio Peinado, Bernardo Faria, Léo Nogueira, Tarsis Humphreys and others.

However, the one who grabbed the most attention at the Brazilian Team Nationals 2010 was Fabiano Souza, aka. Boi. The fighter tapped his opponents out with kneebars in both his matches, even the decider against Vinícius Marinho, handing his team the win.

“The kneebar and omplata are two positions I practice a lot at the academy and I’m doing well in competition. I have their timing down pat,” he remarks.

Boi teaches at the Alliance branch in Bragança Paulista, his city of birth, and he trains at the team headquarters in São Paulo thrice a week alongside brown belt Andressa Correia. Although he not that well known in Jiu-Jitsu as the team’s main representatives, the black belt has racked up a lot of mileage in the fight world.

“I haven’t competed that much in the CBJJ events, but I took runner-up in the Brazilian Nationals 2004 as a purple belt after having seven matches. I also took third at the 2004 Worlds. I lived in Rio de Janeiro for two-and-a-half years, training at Black House when I dedicated myself to MMA (2w, 1l). At the last Worlds, in California, I lost in the quarterfinals to Guto Campos. It ended in a draw and they handed him the win, but I feel I deserved it for combativeness,” says the medium heavyweight.

Boi performs a kneebar, one of his greatest weapons. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Following the solid showing, Boi hopes to carry on doing well to fulfill his greatest dream of obtaining the world title in California.

“I’m big on competition. I want the IBJJF Worlds and I’m open to MMA, too. But I want the world title first, because it can open a lot of doors for me. I’m going to do the World Pro qualifiers this year, in Natal, and the Fepa World Cup. Next year I hope to keep up with the entire IBJJF calendar starting with the European Championship. I’m going to make some people uncomfortable in those events!” he warns.

NU purple belts. Photo: Carlos Ozório

GFTeam and Alliance took the spotlight in the brown/black belt division of the Brazilian Team Nationals yet again. But in the overall score, 2010’s winner was Nova União, repeating their achievement of becoming Brazilian Team champion in 2009.

NU did well thanks to the performance of its base, taking first and second in most divisions from blue belt juvenile to purple belt. Among the big standouts of the new generation are Kauê Damasceno, a purple belt who also won the heavyweight division at this year’s Brazilian Nationals, and Alberto Emiliano, who closed out the division with Kauê at the same event.

José Carlos Polenguinho and Ruan Rodrigues. Photo: Carlos Ozório

But there are a number of other standouts coming from the base, like juvenile blue belts Marcio André and Ruan Rodrigues, and adult blue belt José Carlos “Polenguinho”. Back to purple belt, Felipe “Japa” Iwasaki, who made the trip from Sergipe to compete in Rio, always tends to put on a show.

“We’re building a solid base, which some teams tend to leave out, concerning themselves more with the black belt division. We already have a big set of athletes for next year’s Brazilian Team Nationals and even some new black belts, like Bruno Novaes. I believe that in three or four years we’ll be strong again in all belt levels,” comments André Marola, one of the heads of the team’s Jiu-Jitsu program.

Peinado got the tapout in two matches at the competition. Photo: Gustavo Aragão

Alliance had another great performance with its heavy black belt team at last weekend’s Brazilian Team Nationals.

First, the students of Fabio Gurgel and Alexandre Paiva beat GFTeam’s B team. Rafael Bettega got an armbar submission, Bernardo Faria went part João Gabriel on points and Antonio Peinado got a chokehold finish.

Then, against Gordo-Evolve, Fabio Romão submitted Pedro Borges with a wrist lock, while Fabiano “Boi” Souza caught Renan Vital with a kneebar. As Roberto Gordo’s team only had four athletes, they were automatically eliminated.

In the big decider, against GFTeam’s team A, Peinado opened the scoring with an armbar on Vitor Henrique and Bernardo Faria used a triangle to put away Ricardo Evangelista. Rodolfo Vieira tried to rain on the parade with a choke on Bettega, but Fabiano Boi submitted Vinícius Marinho with another kneebar and secured the title for Alliance’s second time.

“Everyone trained hard for this title,” said a Bernardo Faria in celebration.

“This is one of the coolest championships to compete at because it’s not an individual thing. It involves the union of the entire group,” said Peinado in summary.

Check out Alliance’s celebrations and what the standouts had to say in the video below:

The crown went to team Nova União, which won for the second year in a row, followed by Alliance, and GFTeam. The brown and black belt disputes brought a great deal of excitement. At lightweight, GFTeam took gold for the third year in a row after beating an army from Atos comprised of Bruno Frazatto, Rafale and Guilherme Mendes. Now Alliance won the heavy division for the second year in a row, even without some of the team’s top representatives. It was left to Antonio Peinado and Bernardo Faria to captain the team with talent like Fabiano “Boi” Souza figuring in its ranks.

The party carried on with the blue and purple belts.

Check out what went on in all the belt groups in the gallery of photos by Gustavo Aragão and Carlos Eduardo Ozório:

[flickr set=72157625037891120]

Tanquinho in action. Photo from archives of Luca Atalla.

The lightweight brown and black belt title couldn’t have been determined in more exciting fashion. The score ended 3 to 2. In the crowd, sighs, eyes fixed on the clock awaiting the end of the fifth and final match.

But GFTeam would come out the victor, winning the lightweight title for the second time in a row.

With a superb performance, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes and Theodoro Canal’s team overcame Atos. And thanks to a point from a Canadian: In the final match, Jacob Mackenzie went past Eduardo Ramos by a mere advantage point. The advantage handed Rio de Janeiro’s GFTeam the title.

In the first match of the final, a classic right off the bat: the two black belts Theodoro Canal and Bruno Frazatto went at it to see who would open the scoring for their respective teams. Canal managed a sweep here, Frazatto got one there and the score was tied at 4 to 4, with an advantage apiece. It went to the judges to decide: Theodoro’s hand was raised! GFTeam 1, Atos 0.

The second match was between two promising up-and-comers. Zé Carlos (GFTeam) couldn’t keep David Ramos (Atos) down, the latter winning with a kneebar. GFTeam 1, Atos 1.

The third match was perhaps the best of Saturday. Augusto Tanquinho versus Guilherme Mendes. More experienced, stronger and heavier, Tanquinho stopped the star from Ramon Lemos’s team: He passed guard and back-mounted the 2009 light featherweight world champion. GFTeam 2, Atos 1.

In the fourth match, Rafael Mendes avenged his brother and beat Denílson Pimenta by 4 to 0. The GFTeam rep left the match area twice with a footlock in place, and was penalized with negative points. GFTeam 2, Atos 2.

The fifth was suspenseful. Jacob Mackenzie, a Roberto Cyborg student, went up against Atos revelation Eduardo Ramos on even terms. After ending in a 2-2 draw, however, the Canadian living in the USA was one advantage point ahead, 2 to 1. GFTeam’s 3 to Atos’s 2!

Antonio Peinado (photo) and world champion Bernardo Faria led Alliance. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Now Alliance made it to the two-time heavy winner mark, scoring 3 to 1 over GFTeam. World heavyweight champion Bernardo Faria was expected to face off with Rodolfo Vieira. But it didn’t end up happening.

Alliance took the lead scoring 2 to 0. First, Antonio Peinado faced Vitor Henrique and won by armbar submission. Alliance 1 to GFTeam 0.

Bernardo Faria stepped onto the mat soon thereafter, and submitted hard-nosed Ricardo Evangelista with a triangle. Alliance 2, GFTeam 0.

Rodolfo Vieira entered the scene and scored GFTeam’s lone point. The Julio Cesar student submitted Rafael Bettega with a choke, solidifying the strong phase he is in. Alliance 2, GFTeam 1.

In the final match, Fabiano “Boi” overcame Vinícius Marinho with a kneebar, ending a dispute of the highest level. Alliance 3, GFTeam 1!

Rafa Mendes at 2010 Worlds. The champion entered the action in Tijuca. Photo: Ivan Trindade.

The Brazilian Team Nationals 2010 is going off in Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club.

In the main division, the brown/black belt one, the first final defined was the lightweight one. With safe performances from the Mendes brothers, Atos Jiu-Jitsu made it to a Brazilian Team Nationals final for the first time.

Ramon Lemos’s team, headquartered in Rio Claro, São Paulo, eliminated GFTeam’s team B and now faces GFTeam A, which made it through the semifinal with GFTeam C without fighting.

Could GFTeam have what it takes to stop Atos? Or would it be better to ask is Atos capable of stopping GFTeam, the current champion?

Among the heavyweights, current champion Alliance is in the final against GFTeam A.

Romero Jacaré and Fabio Gurgel’s team first beat GFTeam B by 3 to 0 and then dispatched Gordo-Evolve also without dropping a single match.

Now GFTeam overcame Alliance B by 3 to 0, and in the semifinal eliminated Nova União by 3 to 1.

Kudos to Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam) and Antonio Peinado (Alliance) in the division.

Alliance took the brown and black belt female division without rivals.

Check out the results thus far.

JUVENILE BLUE

Light) Nova União

Heavy) Nova União

BLUE

Light) Nova União

Middle) Alliance

Heavy) Alliance

“I taught a seminar in south Texas last weekend, as well as doing a Jiu-Jitsu demonstration at a US Army event at the Fort Lee base (Richmond, Virginia). We held gi and no-gi activities for the American soldiers stationed there. It was an honor to receive a certificate of services rendered to the American army, and it was also really cool to interact with the soldiers,” he says.

Bruno with American army soldiers

Beyond the recent excitement, the black belt is also motivated by his results as a coach. His student, blue belt Nicolas Nuila, won the Las Vegas Open and Asian Open, and his team took second place overall at last month’s Grapplers Quest in Texas. Bruno is excited and has only winning gold at his next outings on his mind.

“It’s hard to believe that, after all I’ve been through to get here, all this has happened in so little time (ten months). But I’m also sure this is just the beginning. Now I’m going to turn my attention to the competitions coming up and will try to win both my weight and the absolute weight groups. I’m thirty years old, but I’m still fighting in the adult division. I only compete in the master division at the International Master and Senior, which is a really important event. I’ll give people a hard time for a while yet! I’m training hard and will continue to represent Nova União well,” he says.

Bruno at seminar in Harlingen

And finally, so as not to say everything is pure joy, Bruno laments not being able to compete at the Brazilian Team Nationals to take place this coming weekend in Rio de Janeiro.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to wish the gang competing at the Brazilian Team Nationals good luck. I’d like to be with them, but now I have commitments here in the USA. Thiago Gaia will captain the team along with my cousin, André Bastos, and some others who are going to cause some havoc in the heavyweight brown and black belt division. I know the team will be well represented,” he says in closing.

Do as Bruno Bastos does and register for the No-Gi Pan. Sign-ups end on the coming 25^th. Find out more by clicking here.

Brothers Gui and Rafa Mendes (in yellow). Photo: Publicity.

The diminutive world-champion duo promises to brighten up the Tijuca Tennis Club this Saturday.

On IBJJF.com’s list of those confirmed for the Brazilian Team nationals, Guilherme and Rafael Mendes are among those in the lineup. Team member Gilbert Durinho is another to confirm the siblings will see action.

The presence of current featherweight world champion Rafael and 2009’s light featherweight world champion Gui catapults team Atos to favorite status for the competition in one of the most visible divisions: the adult-lightweight division of the brown-and-black belt category.

To see the famed brothers Mendes and countless other stalwart competitors in action, don’t miss the Brazilian Team Nationals 2010 this coming weekend in Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club, for anyone who can make it. If you can’t, keep up with the action right here on GRACIEMAG.com, your Jiu-Jitsu reference.

Check out how team Atos’s brown/black belt lightweight division will look:

Rafael Mendes

Guilherme Mendes

Gilbert Durinho

Bruno Frazatto

Davi Ramos

Eduardo Ramos

David Lemes

Kauê Damasceno is one of the team's great hopes. Photo: Carlos Ozório

fter indecision as to whether the team will participate in the coming Brazilian Team Nationals, André Marola, one of the heads of Jiu-Jitsu at team Nova União, contacted GRACIEMAG.com to confirm last year’s winning team is in.

We didn’t want to enter without being able to compete on even terms with the other teams, but now, I can tell you we’re going to hold on to the title. We’ll repeat what we did in 2009,” he warns.

“At black and brown belt, we’re taking a heavyweight team. At purple belt, we’re taking heavyweight and middleweight teams. Now at blue, we’re going in with all the adult and juvenile teams,” adds Marola.

The competition will take place this Saturday at Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club. Check back with GRACIEMAG.com for coverage.

Gilbert Burns against Michael Langhi at last Worlds. Photo: Ray Santana.

As previously reported here on GRACIEMAG.com, Gilbert Durinho will be seeing action in Japan. The supermatch is set for October 11 at Deep, but the Atos rep is getting ready for a competition marathon.

“This weekend I’m competing at the São Paulo International, which pays out a ticket to the IBJJF Pan. We’re also gathering in Rio Claro to define the Atos team for the Brazilian Team Nationals on September 25. Bruno Frazatto and I want to compete really bad. We’ll see if the rest of the gang will be able to participate. There’s Paulo Ledesma, who also wants in, and Rafael and Guilherme Mendes are trying, too. We’ll see,” he remarks.

Then the current lightweight champion of Brazil heads off for Japan.

“I fly out for Nagoya on October 6. It’s an under-83 kg no-gi match on the 11^th, and my opponent’s name is Hidehiko Hasegawa. I’ll also conduct some seminars over there,” he says.

But the series of matches doesn’t end there. The No-Gi Worlds is also in Durinho’s plans.

“I’ll go straight to San Diego to meet up with André Galvão and besides doing some more seminars, I’ll prepare for the No-Gi Worlds. It will be a heck of a rush, but I’ve been training a lot and even when I’m travelling, I follow through with the orders of my conditioning coach Thiago Mendes and my nutritionist Luciana Monteiro. They’ve been helping me a lot,” he says in closing.

Brown belt Roger Gracie mounts Demian Maia to win in 2002, one of the exciting outcomes common to the BR Team Nationals. In the photo by Gustavo Aragão GB stars in the crowd, and Osvaldo Paqueta in the background.

For fans of Jiu-Jitsu’s different coats of arms, and fans of numbers, the Brazilian Team Nationals is a plateful.

Up until 2010, fourteen editions have gone by of the tournament rewarding the best teams at each belt group.

In the elite division, the brown/black belt men, Gracie Barra counts ten titles until 2010. In second place, Alliance has six.

In third, Nova União won four times, and the newly-formed GFTeam is the surprise with its fourth place, with two titles, ahead of more traditional teams, like Carlson Gracie, for example.

Come competition time, the brown/black division is split into lightweight and heavyweight categories – under and over 73 kg. Among the lightweights, another win for Carlos Gracie Jr’s academy: five wins in all, one being from Gracie Barra-BH, his student Vinícius Draculino’s gym. Nova União, which customarily enters with A and B teams, too, is hot on their heels, with four triumphs. In third place is GFTeam, with two.

Among the heavyweights, the battle is between GB and Alliance. The group now led by Marcinho Feitosa boasts five wins, one of the on GB-BH’s tab. The Alliance eagle, too, counts five conquests, curiously winning the first tournament, in 1995, and the last, in 2009.

Third place at heavy is tied across the board between Carlson, Master, Brasa, Gracie Floripa and Ryan/Gordo, with one triumph apiece.

The next Brazilian Team Nationals is coming up September 25. Who’s going to win and fatten up the statistics? Comment below and help GRACIEMAG.com to know who the up-and-comers, revelations and favorites are.

Results brown/black:

Heavies:
1. Alliance
2. Gracie Barra

1996
Lights:
1. Gracie Barra
2. Nova União

Heavies:
1. Alliance
2. Gracie Barra

1997
Lights:
1. Nova União A
2. Nova União B

Heavies:
1. Carlson Gracie
2. Alliance

1998
Lights:
1. Gracie Barra
2. Nova União

Heavies:
1. Gracie Barra
2. Alliance

1999
Lights:
1. Nova União
2. Alliance

Heavies:
1. Alliance
2. Jorge Pereira/Infight/Guigo

2000
Lights:
1. Nova União
2. Alliance

Heavies:
1. Gracie Barra
2. Alliance

2001
Lights:
1. Nova União
2. Gracie Barra

Heavies:
1. Alliance
2. Gracie Barra

2002
Lights:
1. Gracie Barra-BH
2. Gracie Barra

Heavies:
1. Gracie Barra
2. Alliance

2003
Lights:
1. Gracie Barra
2. Carlson/UGF

Heavies:
1. Master
2. Alliance

2004
Lights:
1. Nova Geração/UGF
2. Gracie Barra

Heavies:
1. Gracie Barra-BH
2. Brasa

2005
Lights:
1. Pedro Gama Filho
2. Gracie Barra

Heavies:
1. Gracie Barra
2. TT

2006
Lights:
1. Gracie Barra
2. UGF

Heavies:
1. Brasa
2. Gracie Barra

2007
Lights:
1. Alliance
2. Brazilian Company

Heavies:
1. Gracie Floripa
2. Godói

2008
Lights:
1. GFTeam
2. CheckMat

Heavies:
1. Ryan/Gordo
2. Alliance

2009
Lights:
1. GFTeam
2. Nova União

Heavies:
1. Alliance
2. Gracie Barra