Kron Gracie at 2010 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship / Photo by John Lamonica/GRACIEMAG

“My biggest dream is to lead a good and healthy life, and to again bring joy to my family. They suffered so much from my problems”

Fernando Tererê

“Those who want too much attain nothing. We’d rather take it one step at a time, but each step taken with the utmost precision”

Mendes brothers

“I see the fight lasting two rounds at the longest. I want to believe that Vitor will surprise him with a straight-hook high-speed combination once he’s found his range. If the fight draws out, I think Jon Jones will take it to the ground and that will be the beginning of the end”

Zé Mario Sperry, Blackzilians coach, on main event at UFC 152

“Belfort should model himself on the original Rocky, the underestimated underdog who at the end of the final film teaches his son, ’Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!’“

Mauro Ellovitch, in GRACIEMAG.com article

“I’m going to ditch the motorcycle. The ghost rider has retired“

José Aldo, on accident that kept him out of UFC Rio

“Minotauro’s a legend. He’s fought everyone since the beginning, but I’m going to repeat what I’ve already said: Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t work. And after this fight, everyone’s going to realize that“

Dave Herman, Nogueira’s opponent at UFC Rio

“I always try taking my mind to the limit, when training for a competition. I think that’s what sets everyday training apart from training for a championship“

Kron Gracie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86ELzqtbH2M

Getting out from under: Tererê teaches a sweep at a2011 seminar in São Paulo. Publicity photo.

At a rehabilitation clinic in Ibiúna, São Paulo State, to deal with drug issues, Jiu-Jitsu star Fernando Tererê appears to have found a point of equilibrium whereby he can return home in peace.

His release will come in ten days, but Fernando has already left the clinic to sleep at his cousin’s house, showing he ‘s making progress.

The greatest hope for his recovery comes from the very mouth of the hook-guard-sweep king himself. In a moment of rare lucidness, Tererê told his close friends the following:

“I’m not an addict. What I have is schizophrenia. The disease is what makes me go after drugs. I wasn’t able to cope with the disease; I’d stop taking medication and have relapses. Now I’ve learned to deal with the disease. And all I want to do now is start training again and spread Jiu-Jitsu around the world. After all, I have a son to feed.”

Excited about what the future holds, Tererê has already scheduled seminars in Mexico and dreams of teaching in the USA again.

For now, though, he is biding his time while receiving visits from friends and family and the brother who has an even lither hip than he does: Patrick Carvalho, who dances with the acress Claudia Ohana on the Brazilian version of Dancing with the Stars.

Patrick, who has practiced Jiu-Jitsu in the past, ousted Minotauro from the program. Now he’s dancing to help pay the rest of the bills for his brother. We’re rooting for you, family.

The black belt Tato of team Atos. An heroic victory over drugs. Personal archive photo

The motto “Only Jiu-Jitsu can save you” can be used in a thousand and one ways. And it fits the story we’re about to tell like a glove. Our character is the black belt Eneás “Tato” Alves Colaço of São Paulo State, who thanks to the gentle art’s help managed to get past the worst period in his life and tap out his chemical and psychological dependence on drugs.

“Because of some slip-ups in life, I fell into a depression and ended up on drugs. Ramon Lemos helped me get out of it,” Tato Alves recounted. “What saved me was that at Atos Jiu-Jitsu Ramon didn’t just see me as a fighter, but as a person, which is why he always gave me advice and helped me when I needed it. He showed me it was possible to make a living in Jiu-Jitsu and make that dream come true. Then I was given the opportunity to teach at Projeto Morumbi, a Presbyterian church located in Sorocaba, but drugs were still present in my life. The folks at the church encouraged me to check in at a clinic,” said Alves, who became certain of what he wanted when watching a UFC.

“When I was at the clinic I saw a fight of Cigano’s, another athlete trained by Ramon. At that moment I realized that Jiu-Jitsu really was my world, not drugs! It was a reality check. I have a wonderful family, the opportunity to show students the ropes, support from the church, and I was throwing it all away; I didn’t know how to make the most of it,” the professor of Jiu-Jitsu reflected.

Friends and students donated furniture for the black belt's new home. Photo: Personal archive/GRACIEMAG.

During his six months in rehab, the fighter relied on the affections of his friends and teammates. A businessman who trained with the team paid for his treatment. The teammates donated furniture for his new home. Today, Tato lives in an apartment his companions arranged for, furnished entirely with donations from the students.

“During his time in rehab, a lot of friends from Jiu-Jitsu went to visit him and give him support,” recalled Januario Cazerta, a friend from church who encouraged the black belt. “During treatment, another important factor was that his family became close with him again. A lot of them had become distant during his time as a drug user.”

Today, Tato has won the war and gained everyone’s confidence. The black belt heads the Atos branch in Sorocaba, won local championships, and helps Ramon Lemos train youths at Corinthians soccer club’s Jiu-Jitsu class.

Tato Alves during training at Atos, with his famous companions / Publicity photo

“Now I have the Sorocaba branch of the Rio Claro unit. Thank God and Jiu-Jitsu, once again the sport has shown me that money isn’t everything and that practicing a wholesome activity is important for every aspect of our lives. Today, I can see what’s going on around me, the opportunities God has given me, and I’m thankful for it. More and more, I want to use Jiu-Jitsu to share what I’ve learned in life with those in need,” concluded the champion, who is now 36 and has two kids, Vinicius, his two-year-old son, and Sofia, his one-year-old daughter.

At GRACIEMAG.com’s request, Tato Alves taught the following leglock attack from hook-guard. Get an underhook, lock down the back with the lapel, and learn from this champion of overcoming adversity.

Fernando Tererê during recent seminar / Photo: publicity/GRACIEMAG

Like the wise guy he is, Fernando Augusto “Tererê” tried to pull one over on the nurses who entered his bedroom late last night: “You know what? I have a Jiu-Jitsu seminar scheduled. Can we take care of this when I get back?” There was no way out, and at around two in the morning the black belt peacefully returned to the rehab center in Sorocaba, São Paulo, where he already spent a few months nearly three years ago.

His departure for treatment went smoothly, much more so than on previous occasions. However heart wrenching the experience, friends and family still recalled in good cheer one prior time when the fighter was reluctant to go for treatment. “There was one time when he ran away from the nurses, went through the brush and up a tree. As there were no branches on the tree, he ended up wearing out. From up there he started throwing things at the guys, as if it were a video game,” recalled Elan Santiago, the black belt’s friend at team Alliance, once Tererê was already on his way to treatment.

LAST JIU-JITSU TRAINING SESSION BEFORE REHAB

This time, even the police officers from the UPP (police pacification unit) in the neighborhood helped the family, and everything worked out fine. “We already managed to get the most important part done, and now there’s all this professional assistance. What we need now is to collect funds, as the family doesn’t have any, to keep him in rehab and for medicine,” said Elan.

According to his friends, Tererê seemed resigned and, better still, wanting to get get help. “It seemed like he knew he was going to have to leave,” said Elan. “He ate right on Monday, went to train Jiu-Jitsu with the kids in Cantagalo and didn’t use any drugs over the last few days. The family was hopeful.”

Anyone who would like to help by donating funds for his treatment, find out how by clicking here.

Tererê in Tijuca during his golden years, in photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG

As Jiu-Jitsu fans found out yesterday here on GRACIEMAG.com, Fernando Tererê, a sport Jiu-Jitsu sensation, has again become embroiled in his inglorious battle with drug use in his home of Rio de Janeiro’s Cantagalo hill.

Left with no other recourse, the family of the black belt who dazzled entire gymnasiums last decade have announced account information for collecting donations to pay for a drug treatment facility. They fear tragedy. “He alternates between drug use and violent behavior at home. Everyone is afraid of a tragedy; but we’ll never give up! He came back from England in poor health, and he gets worse with every day. Tererê is still that kid that the Jiu-Jitsu folks know so well, he’s our champions, and we mustn’t lose him,” said the embattled star’s friend from Alliance academy Elan Santiago.

GOAL TO COLLECT 15,000 REAIS FOR 4-MONTH REHAB

“According to the family’s calculations, they’ll need 15,000 for a four-month stay, plus the relocation costs that Eduardo Telles has agreed to foot. Everyone is really sad, but we need to fight to get him to rehab—and right away,” Elan insists.

To help by making a donation for Fernardo Tererê’s treatment, the bank details are:

Banco Bradesco
Agency: 002786
Account: 500206-0
In the name of Regina Helena Carvalho da Silva
CPF: 082-638-527-30 .

Revisit Tererê’s gentler side, in the final of the 2004 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship against the much heavier Fabricio Werdum, now a UFC star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXS2-c-f01M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9yrBAVCQ74

Jiu-Jitsu star Tererê was living in Torquay, a surf haven in England. Photo: Personal archive/GRACIEMAG.com.

Unfortunately, it isn’t an April Fools gag, and it wouldn’t be funny even if it was. The owner of one of the most striking smiles in all of Jiu-Jitsu, the star from Cantagalo favela Fernando Tererê had a relapse and is right back in a drug addiction-induced depression, a battle that looked to be won last year. The black belt was all set to lead a serene existence with his wife in England, but he couldn’t keep it together and returned to Rio.

“Tererê is aggressive and back on drugs in the favela in Rio. His family is desperate again and asking for help, and he doesn’t want any help,” reports friend Elan Santiago, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt from team Alliance. “The doctors have diagnosed him as being schizophrenic and having psychotic episodes. It’s gotten ugly. The Jiu-Jitsu world needs to come together again, like it did before, if we want to save him and help his parents, Lena and Tio Barriga.”

The question now is how. How would you help Tererê in such a predicament, gentle reader?

DRUGS IN THE MIDST OF OCCUPYING POLICE FORCE

“The right thing to do would be to stick him in rehab again, but it would cost 17,000 reais, which is inviable for his family and hard for us to come up with again, after all the prior successful campaigns, including with the support of GRACIEMAG.com,” vented Elan.

Tererê’s ex-partner at TT Jiu-Jitsu school Eduardo Telles found out what his friend was going through and agreed to pay to have him taken to a rehabilitation center in São Paulo.

Tererê’s plight is further intensified by the fact that he lives in one of the communities taken over by a police pacification unit. According to residents of Cantagalo, the drug dens are still going strong in the light of day and located just two streets away from the police base. “Nobody wants the drugs leaving the hill; that’s why the police turn a blind eye here,” remarked one resident.

It’s a delicate moment, friendly Jiu-Jitsu fan. What would the best way to help be?

Let us know what you think. And if you would like to collaborate, please contact Elan Santiago via email: elansantiago@yahoo.com.br.