Victor Estima celebrates winning the Abu Dhabi WPJJC Trials in Portugal. Personal archive photo.

Last Saturday, Cascais, Portugal’s Pavilhão dos Lombos gymnasium hosted a leg of tryouts for the Abu Dhabi WPJJC, a professional tournament paying out in big-money prizes next April.

Promoted by black belts Sergio Vita and Zé Marcello, the event featured over a hundred athletes, and the standout among them was midddleweight fighter Victor Estima, a Jiu-Jitsu teacher from Brazil now living and teaching in England.

GRACIEMAG.com had a chat with the champion, who explained his last-minute decision to compete in Lisbon, the move he used to wrap up the final, and much more.

GRACIEMAG.com: Were you training hard for this leg of the WPJJC Trials?

VICTOR ESTIMA: Not exactly, although I was well trained. My trip to Portugal was a short one, as I decided to compete at the last minute. I arrived there on Friday just in time for weigh-ins, and I returned home on Sunday, one day after the tournament. But I had no problem making weight, as I normally weigh 80 kg, so all I had to do was show my Jiu-Jitsu, like I always do.

What was the final, against Mathias Ribeiro, like?

To me it was the best match I was in. I missed passing his guard on two occasions, and I learned that I need to be a bit more patient in such positions. I was going for the tapout, and so I tried passing guard on speed. So I ended up not passing, but I did channel the fight to my best game and ended up tapping him out with a footlock–the “Estima-lock” (laughs).

Of those qualified in your weight class, the under-83 kg division, who is the sternest test in your opinion?

There are so many first-rate opponents, like Lucas Leite, Claudio Calasans, Keenan Cornelius, who did great at the tryouts in the USA. I’m really confident in my game and have already started training for this competition. I know I’m going to need to do some tough matches but I’m focused on my own Jiu-Jitsu, and I’m preparing to fight anybody.

Besides Abu Dhabi, what are your plans for 2013?

I plan to compete at the big Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, like the Europeans, Worlds, Abu Dhabi WPJJC as well as the ADCC–to do that I’ll also have to do the tryouts too. For the second half of the year, the plan is to do a seminar tour in the USA because I’ve gotten a number of invites.

Victor Estima comemora a vitória na Seletiva de Abu Dhabi em Portugal. Foto: Arquivo pessoal.

No último sábado, o ginásio Pavilhão dos Lombos, em Cascais, Portugal, recebeu mais uma seletiva para o WPJJC de Abu Dhabi, evento profissional com prêmios milionários a ser realizado em abri.

A seletiva organizado pelos faixas-pretas Sergio Vita e Zé Marcello contou com mais de cem atletas, e entre eles um dos destaques foi o peso médio Victor Estima, o Carcarazinho, professor pernambucano radicado na Inglaterra.

O GRACIEMAG.com bateu um papo com o campeão, que falou sobre a decisão de lutar em Lisboa em cima da hora, o golpe que usou para encerrar a final e muito mais.

GRACIEMAG.com: Você estava treinando forte com olho nessa Seletiva em Portugal?

VICTOR ESTIMA: Não exatamente, apesar de eu estar bem treinado. Minha viagem para Portugal foi bem curta, pois decidi lutar de última hora. Cheguei lá na sexta-feira, a tempo de fazer a pesagem, e voltei no domingo, um dia depois da competição. Mas não tive nenhum problema com a balança, já que peso normalmente 80kg, e aí foi só apresentar meu Jiu-Jitsu, como faço sempre.

Como foi a final, contra o Mathias Ribeiro?

Foi para mim a melhor luta que fiz. Perdi duas oportunidades de passar a guarda dele, e aprendi que devo ter um pouco mais de paciência nessas posições. Eu estava atrás da finalização, e por isso tentei passar a guarda mais na velocidade. Terminei então não passando, mas conduzi a luta para o meu jogo mais forte e acabei finalizando com minha chave de pé. O “Estima-lock” (risos).

Dos classificados no seu peso, até 83kg, quem são as maiores pedreiras, na sua opinião?

Já são vários adversários de ponta, como o Lucas Leite, Claudio Calasans, o Keenan Cornelius, que mandou muito bem na seletiva nos EUA… Estou bem confiante no meu jogo e já comecei a treinar para essa competição. Sei que vou precisar fazer lutas duras, mas estou focado no meu próprio Jiu-Jitsu, e vou estar preparado para lutar com qualquer um.

Além de Abu Dhabi, quais os planos para 2013?

Eu pretendo competir as principais competições do Jiu-Jitsu, como o Europeu, Mundial, WPJJC de Abu Dhabi e também queria lutar o ADCC – para isso vou participar da seletiva também. No segundo semestre, a ideia é fazer um tour de seminários pelos EUA, porque já recebi alguns convites.

Victor Estima earned his way to Abu Dhabi by winning the under-83kg division at the tryouts in Portugal. Personal archive photo.

Yesterday in the city of Cascais, Portugal, the latest leg of the Abu Dhabi WPJJC Trials went down. Promoted by black belts Sergio Vita and Ze Marcello, the tournament featured over a hundred European competitors with their eyes on the all-expenses-paid travel to Abu Dhabi for next April’s main event.

It was a close race in the brown/black belt division but there was no absolute. The winners of the brown/black weight classes and the blue and purple belt absolutes earned free travel and board to compete in the United Arab Emirates.

Check out who placed at the top in each division:

Black belt

Under 65kg – Luis Lopes (Icon Jiu-Jitsu) defeated Cristofer Martin (Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Under 74kg – Ilke Bulut (Icon Jiu-Jitsu) defeated Maxime Oliver (CheckMat)

Under 83kg – Victor Estima (Gracie Barra) defeated Mathias Fernandes (Alliance)

Under 92 kg – Marcelo Bernardo (United BJJ) defeated Boualem Benaissa (Nice Jiu-Jitsu)

Over 92 kg – Julien Genin (Nova União) defeated Sergio Anjos (Unidet BJJ)

Purple belt

Purple belt under-74kg absolute – Rui Alexandre (Nova União) defeated Daniel Svensson

Purple belt over-74kg absolute – Danny Feliz (Icon Jiu-Jitsu) defeated João Paulo (Unidet BJJ)

Under 74kg – Daniel Svensson (Prana Mascarenhas) defeated Rui Alexandre

Under 83kg – João Paulo Bonfim (Unidet BJJ) defeated Flilip Sadowski (Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu)

Under 92kg – Laurent Melinard (CheckMat) tapped out Edivaldo Gomes (Gracie Lisboa)

Over 92kg – Ruben Fonseca (Gracie Barra) defeated Kambe Toledo (Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Blue belt

Under-74kg absolute – John Sheridan (East Cost Jiu-Jitsu) defeated Bruno Borges ( Unidet BJJ)

Over-74kg absolute – Gerard Labinski (Copacabana) defeated Gabriel Almeida ( Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Under-65kg – Pedro Ramalho (Nova União) defeated Marco Cairo (PRBJJ)

Under-74kg – John Sheridan ( East Cost Jiu-Jitsu) tapped out Bruno Borges (Unidet BJJ)

Under-83kg – Gerard Labinski (Copacabana) defeated Gabriel Almeida (Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Under-92kg – Luis Ramos (Gracie Barra) defeated Nelson Marta (Romana Jiu-Jitsu).

Over-92kg – Duarte Fonseca (Unidet BJJ) tapped outIsaac Almeida (Gracie Lisboa)

Victor Estima conquistou a vaga para Abu Dhabi na categoria até 83kg, na seletiva em Portugal. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal

Ontem a cidade de Cascais, em Portugal, recebeu mais uma seletiva para o WPJJC de Abu Dhabi. Com organização dos faixas-pretas Sergio Vita e Zé Marcello, o torneio recebeu mais de cem competidores europeus, de olho nos pacotes para viajar com tudo pago para Abu Dhabi, para o torneio principal em abril próximo.  O ginásio Pavilhão dos Lombos foi o palco de uma bela apresentação de Jiu-Jitsu.

As disputas foram acirradas entre os pretas e marrons, mas não houve absoluto. Os campeões na preta e marrom e os vencedores no absoluto roxa e azul vão aos Emirados com tudo pago pelos organizadores.

Confira quem levou a melhor nas finais de cada categoria:

Faixa-preta

Até 65kg – Luis Lopes (Icon Jiu-Jitsu) venceu Cristofer Martin (Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Até 74kg –  Ilke Bulut (Icon Jiu-Jitsu) venceu Maxime Oliver (CheckMat)

Até 83kg – Victor Estima (Gracie Barra) venceu Mathias Fernandes (Alliance)

Até 92 kg – Marcelo Bernardo (United BJJ) venceu Boualem Benaissa (Nice Jiu-Jitsu)

Acima de 92 kg – Julien Genin (Nova União) venceu Sergio Anjos (Unidet BJJ)

Faixa-roxa

Absoluto faixa-roxa – 74kg – Rui Alexandre (Nova União) venceu Daniel Svensson

Absoluto roxa + 74kg – Danny Feliz (Icon Jiu-Jitsu) venceu João Paulo (Unidet BJJ)

Até 74kg – Daniel Svensson (Prana Mascarenhas) venceu Rui Alexandre

Até 83kg – João Paulo Bonfim (Unidet BJJ) venceu Flilip Sadowski (Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu)

Até 92kg – Laurent Melinard (CheckMat) bateu Edivaldo Gomes (Gracie Barra)

Acima de 92kg – Ruben Fonseca (Gracie Barra) venceu Kambe Toledo (Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Faixa-azul

Absoluto – 74kg – John Sheridan (East Cost Jiu-Jitsu) venceu Bruno Borges ( Unidet BJJ)

Absoluto + 74kg, Gerard Labinski (Copacabana) venceu Gabriel Almeida ( Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Até 65kg – Pedro Ramalho (Nova União) venceu Marco Cairo (PRBJJ)

Até 74kg – John Sheridan ( East Cost Jiu-Jitsu) bateu Bruno Borges (Unidet BJJ)

Até 83kg – Gerard Labinski (Copacabana) venceu Gabriel Almeida (Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Até 92kg – Luis Ramos (Gracie Barra) venceu Nelson Marta (Romana Jiu-Jitsu).

Acima de 92kg – Duarte Fonseca (Unidet BJJ) bateu Isaac Almeida (Gracie Barra)

Feminino faixa-branca/azul

Absoluto – Maria de La Concepcion (Icon Jiu-Jitsu) venceu Mille Pedersen (CheckMat)

Até 63kg – Mie Lundborg (Mascarenhas Team) bateu Anisia Garcia (Unidet BJJ)

Acima de 63kg – Mille Pedersen (CheckMat) venceu Maria de La Concepcion (Icon Jiu-Jitsu)

Até 63kg – Lilo Asensi ( Climent Club) bateu Elisabete Sousa (Romana Jiu-Jitsu)

Acima de 63kg – Olga Lyashevska (Carlson Gracie) venceu Paula Almeida (Gracie Lisboa)

Returning to the one who performed the armbar, after the match Antonio Sérgio disappeared from the scene. Holder of such titles as the Brazilian National Championship and other major competitions, where could Canudo be?

Canudo stretches out an arm at the European. Photo: Anderson Fetter

For anyone who kept up with the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship, that’s easy to answer. Canudo, who now lives in Portugal, attended the last four editions of the event, winning all of them. In the most recent this year he had 12 matches, all concluded before the final whistle, which earned the black belt the nickname of Mr. European.

“After closing out the medium heavyweight adult division in 2007, with Raphael Abi Rihan, fought as a master the next three years and won at weight and absolute, as well as the National Team tournament. At this year’s I had three matches in the adults National Team Championship, four at weight (medium heavyweight) and five in the absolute. I got the submission in all but one in which the opponent was injured. But his arm was well extended when he asked to stop. Most were by armbar, but I also got the choke,” says the Brazilian Fight and Carlson Gracie representative.

Based in Cascais, Portugal, Canudo just finished his master’s degree in Physical Education and is now preparing for his doctorate. The fighter discusses the evolution of the gentle art in the country.

“I do the gang’s physical conditioning and will even work with an MMA fighter, Vitor Nóbrega, here. I train here with Sergio “Telinho” Vitor, who was a student of Leo D’Ilha in Brazil. Jiu-Jitsu is growing here with every year, it is well known. We see that in the number of practitioners in the academies. But here in Portugal there’s a problem: there aren’t many championships. For those accustomed to always competing, it’s very different. I’m here all year round focusing on a single event, the European. Jiu-Jitsu is growing a lot here, but there are no more competitions, “he says.