The two groups have been decided for the Copa Podio Heavyweight GP on Feb. 1

The Copa Podio Heavyweight Grand Prix on Feb. 1 in Rio de Janeiro will bring together ten athletes from all over the world to compete against each other. The two groups, yellow and green, were drawn yesterday with Rodolfo Vieira and Leandro Lo in the same group.

Each athlete will go against each member of their own group. Whoever has the most points via wins moves on to the semi-finals. The first place athlete of each group will face the second place athlete of the opposite group. Win by submission earns four points, win by points earns three points, a draw earns one point to each, a defeat is zero points.

Here is how the groups were divided:

YELLOW GROUP

Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam)
Leandro Lo (Cícero Costha)
Alexandre Souza (AS Team)
Faisal Alkitbi (UAE Team)
Alan Belcher (Team Moraes)

GREEN GROUP

Leonardo Nogueira (Alliance)
Ricardo Bastos (Bruno Bastos Jiu-Jitsu)
Luiz Panza (Barbosa)
Tim Spriggs (Lloyd Irvin)
Travis Stevens (Renzo Gracie)

CITY CHALLENGE: Magid Hage (San Diego) x Franco Marini (Buenos Aires);submission-only, no time limit

SPECIAL MATCH: Felipe Preguiça (Gracie Barra) x Guto Campos (Atos/Guetho)

How do you think the event will pan out? Let us know!

And don’t forget to purchase the livestream at www.copapodio.com

Silvério beats Orgulho by unanimous decision and is the new up to 77kg Jungle champion. Photo: Alexandre Modesto

Last Saturday, Jungle Fight had its 52nd edition, and crowned its new welterweight champion.

Elias Silverio made use of his greater experience and won by unanimous decision over Junior Pide from Baia before a packed Ueap gymnasium (State University of Pará). Born in Pirapora do Bom Jesus, Sao Paulo, Silverio remains unbeaten in nine fights, four in Jungle Fight, and succeeds Erick Silva as the holder of the Jungle Fight belt in the division.

Despite accepting the fight with less a than 10 days notice to replace Michel Trator who was hired by the UFC, Junior Orgulho, 23, made a tough match and showed a warrior spirit. Orgulho used the known boxing from the Champion gym to counter almost all actions against Silverio, who is four years older. Silverio defended kicks and found the weak point of his opponent and worked with Alvaro de Aguiar’s Muay Thai to gradually grow in the fight, score and become the new champion of the 77kg category.

D’Silva has spectacular debut at Jungle Fight

In the other main event of the night was a true spectacle starring Douglas D’Silva and Toninho Marajó. The fighters from Pará showed why the state is home to some of the biggest names in the MMA world, showing striking and blows, and near-knockout opportunities from both sides. Until 2:17 of the second round, D’Silva, who debuted in Jungle Fight, landed a left cross to the chin of Marajó, who fell. On the floor, he finished with a new sequence of punches and got his 19th victory and remains unbeaten in his career.

Heavyweight GP has another classified fighter

The only heavyweight fight of Jungle Fight 52 was a classic between two of the top MMA gyms in Brazil. Representing Kimura Nova Uniao, Caio Alencar used his Abu Dhabi Pro champion Jiu-Jitsu to overthrow Bira Lima, from X-Gym, and fit a body triangle from the back. He submitted with a rear-naked choke in only 0:53 of the first round. He is the second name for the semifinals of the GP. William “Gigante” secured his place at Jungle Fight 51.

In other fights, Guilherme “Kyoto” knocked out Reginaldo “Fibrado” with an uppercut to the chin in the first round, Michel “Psicopata” submitted Rômulo “Amoroso” with a rear-naked choke in the third round, while Junior “Suicida” defeated Gabriel Siqueira by unanimous decision and Fabricio Bill defeated Francisco “Mingau” by unanimous decision as well.

Check out the official results of the event:

Jungle Fight 52

UEPA gym, Belém, Pará, Brazil

May 4, 2013

Elias Silvério (Álvaro de Aguiar/Barbosinha Team) beat Junior Orgulho (Champion Team/Nordeste Jiu-Jitsu) by unanimous decision

Douglas D’Silva (NFT Castanhal) beat Toninho Marajó (Marajó Brothers)  by TKO at 2:17 of round two

Guilherme Kioto (Pitbull Brothers) knocked out Reginaldo Fibrado (Bulldog Team) at 1:12 of round one

Heavyweight GP: Caio Alencar (Kimura Nova União) submitted Bira Lima (X-GYM) with a rear naked choke at 53 seconds of round one

Junior Suicida (Formiga MMA) beat Gabriel Siqueira (Villa Fight/Ascension MMA) by unanimous decision

Fabrício Bill (Bulldog Naldao Team) beat Francisco “Mingau” Nazareno (Marajó Brothers) by unanimous decision

Michel Psicopata (Carmen Casca-Grossa Team) submitted Rômulo Medeiros (Bakett Team) with a rear naked choke at 1:31 of round three

(Source: Press Agency)

Rodolfo tries passing Nogueira’s guard in the GP final (Photo by  Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG).

On January 13, Copa Pódio treated Rio de Janeiro to another explosive Grand Prix event, where Rodolfo Vieira beat the likes of Xande Ribeiro, Léo Nogueira, Alexandre Souza and Keenan Cornelius.

The next Copa event is already scheduled: again in Rio de Janeiro, on May 5, the Lightweight Grand Prix will be held.

“The local crowd in Rio de Janeiro’s acceptance of the Heavyweight GP caused us to change our minds and hold another event in Rio before heading to other states”, explains Jeferson Mayc, the promoter.

Besides the lightweight GP, there will be a riveting match featuring GFTeam star Rodolfo Vieira. “We’ve already picked Rodolfo’s opponent, and we’ll announce who it is in the coming days. One clue I can offer is that it’s not Bochecha, if just because they’re bound to face off at the Abu Dhabi WPJJC in April,” says Maycá.

Watch the Heavyweight GP final, between Rodolfo and Léo Vieira, the 11th time the two meet on the mat, and share your prediction: who’ll Rodolfo’s superopponent be in May? Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for further information.

To see more official Copa Pódio videos, check out the event website, www.copapodio.com.

Rodolfo Vieira, the Copa Pódio heavyweight champion, climbs his statue in Copacabana (Photo: GRACIEMAG).

Strolling along the Copacabana promenade with Leandro Lo and his family this Friday afternoon, Rodolfo Vieira stopped at a rival unafraid of his muscular 94 kilo frame.

Jean Rodrigues, 7, first asks if Rodolfo’s a fighter. On hearing the answer yes, he starts throwing a barrage of punches to the hand of the Copa Pódio Heayvweight Champion, who begs for mercy right away.

Having won at Hebraica Club last Sunday, beating Léo Nogueira in the tournament final, Rodolfo went with his grandmother and mom to take a last look at his sand statue on Brazil’s most famous beach. Copa Pódio’s rule is clear: new champion, new statue. Even though Rodolfo won (after six categorical wins in six matches), the statue had to be taken down to make way for a new one.

So Rodolfo wasted no time. Punches to the mouth, chokes to the neck, climbs up the back and kicks to his own sand head.

“It was easier to take me down than I thought it’d be. Now Jeferson Maycá and the fans will choose another photo to make a statue from,” said the young GFTeam black belt, whose coach, Julio Cesar, was also with him.

Saulo Ribeiro’s wager

Rogean Rodrigues, the sculptor of Rodolfo’s likeness and the father of the ferocious Jean, was overjoyed with Rodolfo’s presence, despite knowing he was there to demolish his creation. “I really enjoyed making this homage to a cool guy like Rodolfo. It was a lot of work. I had to rebuild it at least twice because of the rain, not to mention all the maintenance work. It’s funny, the other day a fighter showed up here and took a bunch of photos of it. He said that the next statue would be of his brother. He was the brother of Xande Ribeiro [Saulo], who assured me that Xande would beat Rodolfo at Copa Pódio. Seems like it was a rematch from the Worlds, right? I told him that if Xande succeeded, I’d gladly make the statue. Speaking of which, how was that match?” the artist gets curious, asking Rodolfo about his fourth GP match, a thrilling win on advantage points.

Making the most of the upbeat mood on the promenade, where tourists, street urchins and beachgoers would pause to get a look at the champions Rodolfo and Lo; Jeferson Maycá issued a challenge: the Heavyweight GP champion gets a supermatch at the next event, the Lightweight GP in April.

But against whom?

“That’s up to the fans and the fighters themselves to decide,” says Maycá. “Anyone who wants to square off with the heavyweight champion can contact me; we’ll be picking the worthiest one.”

The challenge is out there. If anyone dreams of one day having their likeness sculpted in sand, just accept the mission.

Another mission accomplished for Rodolfo Vieira (photos by Marcelo Dunlop/GRACIEMAG)

Rodolfo Vieira brings on the pressure in trying to pass Xande Ribeiro’s guard in the final match of the group phase. Rodolfo’s six-advantage point win qualified Léo Nogueira for the semifinals (Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG).

With a cell phone in one ear, Alexandre Souza, third place at last weekend’s Heayvweight Grand Prix, grabs the bag his gi’s in and puts some distance between himself and the bustle of fans, friends and press surrounding Rodolfo Vieira, the winner of yesterday’s Copa Pódio event at Rio de Janeiro’s Hebraica club.

Speaking with the folks back home in Santa Catarina State: “Hey… The tourney’s over. It was great, I only lost to Rodolfo. The guy’s way too strong; he’s really tough to face. The event was really cool, though, and…”

Still in a gi, Rodolfo hugs fans and family while joking around with his friends and taking pictures with everybody. The two-time heavyweight world champion is indeed, as those in attendance and promoter Jeferson Maycá could attest, “a fighter a cut above the rest these days,” in the words of the black belt Augusto Tanquinho, for example.

In the Heavyweight GP, Rodolfo lived up to such billing, and before a crowd that included stalwart black belts like José Aldo, Fernando Tererê, Thales Leites and more.

Trained and overseen by Jiu-Jitsu professor Julio César, the GFTeam phenomenon had six matches and won them all. In the group phase he tapped out Alex Ceconi and outpointed Léo Nogueira, Keenan Cornelius and Xande Ribeiro. In the semifinal he notched another submission, on Alexandre Souza. And then he met and outpointed Nogueira once again, in the final.

Mulling around near Rodolfo’s celebrations, Leonardo Nogueira smiles, resigned to being runner-up. It, according to both of them, was the 11th time the two met in competition.

“I have to train more on bottom,” said Léo, 25, who in the semifinal outdid Braga Neto by a 7-0 score after passing guard and mounting.

“I think today’s game plan made things tougher on Rodolfo, playing half-guard on bottom. The half-guard is in fact the game Rodolfo likes most, as he squashes you up and passes mercilessly. But I fight a lot and don’t let him pin my shoulders to the ground. I think I’ll be able to pull off shaking him more and sweeping in our next matches. The berimbolo might work too, as Bochecha proved at the Worlds. We’re going to train more,” said the Alliance black belt with a wink.

Carrying a giant trophy, Rodolfo reviewed his impeccable campaign and the riveting matches he had with Xande, Nog and Keenan Cornelius, when he passed the Llord Irvin student’s guard with just 30 seconds left in the regulation six minutes.

“Keenen’s really flexible, and the canvas was slipping some, which is a plus for his game. But that wasn’t the trickiest match—the toughest were against Xande and the final with Léo [both won on advantage points]. I didn’t do anything differently at this GP: I played on top, brought on the pressure, weighed on them with my shoulder and was determined to pass. In the final, since it counted for money, I held back and got by on advantages. Léo’s really tough and we know each other well…” said the champion.

Leandro Lo wins two and goes to the ground

Not counting the GP, the big standout of the night was Leandro Lo, who early in the evening faced Augusto Tanquinho in the Couples Showdown and won by 5-2. Just before the grand finale, he returned to the mat and came from behind in minute 9:50 and passed the stalwart black belt Felipe “Preguiça” Pena’s guard: 3 to 2. Exhausted after the battle, the two collapsed each to a side right next to the stage.

Another moving moment was the promotion of João Gabriel Rocha, who after a long journey at brown was awarded his black belt by Soul Fighters coach Leandro “Tatu”. In the crowd, his mother, Regina, broke into tears, capping off a Sunday of assorted emotions.

Check out the complete results:

Copa Pódio – Heavyweight GP
Clube Hebraica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
January 13, 2013

INTER-CITY SHOWDOWN
Manaus (Diego Borges/Checkmat) defeated Brasília (Rodrigo Reis/Tanque JJ) via armbar submission.

COUPLES SHOWDOWN
Leandro Lo defeated Augusto Tanquinho by 5 to 2;
Mackenzie Dern defeated Luiza Monteiro by 8 to 2.

Total: 10 to 7 for Tanquinho and Mackenzie

GP ROUND 1
Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) defeated Lúcio Lagarto (GB) by 2 to 0;
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 10 to 0;
Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) defeated Léo Nogueira (Alliance) by 2 to 2 on sweeps;
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam) tapped out Alexandro Ceconi.

GP ROUND 2
João Gabriel (Soul Fighters/Rio de Janeiro) defeated Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) by 2 to 0 (takedown);
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ) defeated Lúcio Lagarto (GB) by 4 advantages to 0;
Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro JJ) defeated Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) by 4 to 2;
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam) defeated Léo Nogueira (Alliance) by 9 to 0.

GP ROUND 3
Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 10 to 0;
Lúcio Lagarto (GB) defeated João Gabriel (Soul Fighters) by 7 to 0;
Alexandro Ceconi (Ceconi) defeated Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) by 1 advantage to 0;
Léo Nogueira (Alliance) defeated Xande Ribeiro by 2 advantages.

GP ROUND 4
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ/Porto Velho) and Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) fought to a 2-2 advantage-point draw;
João Gabriel (Soul Fighters) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 3 to 0;
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam/Rio) defeated Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) by 10 to 0;
Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro JJ) tapped out Alex Ceconi via armbar from triangle.

GP ROUND 5 (FINAL ROUND)
Lúcio Lagarto (Gracie Barra/Londres) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 10 to 0;
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ/Porto Velho) swept João Gabriel (Soul Fighters) to win 2 to 0;
Léo Nogueira (Alliance) choked out Alexandro Ceconi (Ceconi);
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam/Rio de Janeiro) defeated Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro JJ) by 6 advantages to 0.

SEMIFINAIS

Léo Nogueira defeated Braga Neto by 7 to 0 (pass and mount);
Rodolfo Vieira tapped out Alexandre Souza via armbar.

LUTA ESPECIAL

Leandro Lo defeated Felipe Preguiça in come-from-behind 3-2 win by passing guard with 10 seconds left on the clock.

GRANDE FINALE

Rodolfo Vieira defeated Leonardo Nogueira by 3 advantages to 1.

Léo Nogueira mountes Braga Neto in the Heavyweight GP semifinal (Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG.com).

At this Sunday’s Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP, Léo Nogueira only lost to Rodolfo Vieira.

After tying with Keenan Cornelius, Léo took on and beat Xande Ribeiro and some more aces on his way up to the GP final.

Léo succumbed to GFTeam’s Vieira twice, first by a score of 9 to 0, next by 3 to 1 on advantage points in the grand finale.

Speaking with GRACIEMAG.com this Monday, after having reflected on his campaign, Léo addressed the two losses.

“Rodolfo’s a champion. But I do feel I missed two great opportunities to sweep him in the final. Once halfway through the match, and the other at the very end. I have to work on that game more,” he explained.

“I’m going to add some variations to my half-guard. I have to unbalance Rodolfo from more angles to get the sweep,” he said, revealing his new strategy, before weighing in about the innovative tournament.

“I had a good campaign. I gradually got better with every match. The toughest one was against Xande [Ribeiro]. He’s a phenomenal athlete, and I’ve always been a fan of his. Fighting him is always tough,” he said. “Now Cornelius came on strong. He showed he’s got an excellent guard, gave the veterans more than they could chew. This year he’ll win the Worlds at weight and open weight as a brown belt,” said the Alliance representative, who hopes to schedule some seminars and compete at the European Open.

Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam) wins the Heavyweight GP in Rio. (GRACIEMAG file photo)

Sunday, Jan. 13 was a huge day for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the  Copa Pódio Heavyweight Grand Prix bringing the gentle art’s big boys to the biggest show thus far in 2013.

Rodolfo Vieira is the grand champion of the tournament, having won all six of the matches he was in. In the final, he outdid his old acquaintance from team Alliance Leo Nogueira by 3 advantage points to 1. It was the 11th time the two meet in a championship, according to the GFTeam standout’s figures.

Check out what transpired at the event:

Copa Pódio – Heavyweight GP
Clube Hebraica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
January 13, 2013

INTER-CITY SHOWDOWN
Manaus (Diego Borges/Checkmat) defeated Brasília (Rodrigo Reis/Tanque JJ) via armbar submission.

COUPLES SHOWDOWN
Leandro Lo defeated Augusto Tanquinho by 5 to 2;
Mackenzie Dern defeated Luiza Monteiro by 8 to 2.

Total: 10 to 7 for Tanquinho and Mackenzie

GP ROUND 1
Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) defeated Lúcio Lagarto (GB) by 2 to 0;
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 10 to 0;
Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) defeated Léo Nogueira (Alliance) by 2 to 2 on sweeps;
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam) tapped out Alexandro Ceconi.

GP ROUND 2
João Gabriel (Soul Fighters/Rio de Janeiro) defeated Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) by 2 to 0 (takedown);
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ) defeated Lúcio Lagarto (GB) by 4 advantages to 0;
Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro JJ) defeated Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) by 4 to 2;
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam) defeated Léo Nogueira (Alliance) by 9 to 0.

GP ROUND 3
Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 10 to 0;
Lúcio Lagarto (GB) defeated João Gabriel (Soul Fighters) by 7 to 0;
Alexandro Ceconi (Ceconi) defeated Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) by 1 advantage to 0;
Léo Nogueira (Alliance) defeated Xande Ribeiro by 2 advantages.

GP ROUND 4
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ/Porto Velho) and Alexandre Souza (Gracie Floripa) fought to a 2-2 advantage-point draw;
João Gabriel (Soul Fighters) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 3 to 0;
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam/Rio) defeated Keenan Cornelius (Lloyd Irvin) by 10 to 0;
Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro JJ) tapped out Alex Ceconi via armbar from triangle.

GP ROUND 5 (FINAL ROUND)
Lúcio Lagarto (Gracie Barra/Londres) defeated Bruno Bastos (Nova União) by 10 to 0;
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ/Porto Velho) swept João Gabriel (Soul Fighters) to win 2 to 0;
Léo Nogueira (Alliance) choked out Alexandro Ceconi (Ceconi);
Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam/Rio de Janeiro) defeated Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro JJ) by 6 advantages to 0.

SEMIFINAIS

Léo Nogueira defeated Braga Neto by 7 to 0 (pass and mount);
Rodolfo Vieira tapped out Alexandre Souza via armbar.

LUTA ESPECIAL

Leandro Lo defeated Felipe Preguiça in come-from-behind 3-2 win by passing guard with 10 seconds left on the clock.

GRANDE FINALE

Rodolfo Vieira defeated Leonardo Nogueira by 3 advantages to 1.

Alexandre Souza sets a course for Tarsis Humphreys’s back at the 2012 WPJJC Trials in the Southern Brazilian town of Gramado (Photo by Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG).

Now in the final stretch of training for the Jan. 13 Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP, Alexandre Souza has taken to studying his opponents.

The native of the Southern Brazilian city of Florianópolis was placed in the Green Team alongside Bruno Bastos, Antonio Braga Neto, Lucio Lagarto and the brown belt João Gabriel.

GRACIEMAG: What about your game changes when doing six-minute matches?

ALEXANDRE SOUZA: In my opinion, in a match like this, the first thing you have to do is take the lead at the outset and avoid stall positions like the half-guard, 50/50 and closed guard. I’m really focused in training and am doing a good job of studying my opponents’ games in order to impose my Jiu-Jitsu at will in the GP.

What’s your assessment of your group?

It’s really strong. Most of them have great competition experience and broad techniques repertories, as well as plenty of titles on their CVs. It won’t be easy. I’ll come up against a variety of different games, but I feel that deep down it’s more important to have your head in the right place and a mental strategy than to have “physical” tactics. And to tell you the truth, I’m brushing up on my takedowns a lot, since there are some opponents against whom I want to play from top position.

In your very first match you’ll be facing Gracie Barra’s Lucio Lagarto, according to the Copa Pódio draw. How do you see that match going?

I know he has an excellent guard and is really effective with his attacks, so intend to avoid getting caught in his game.

Rodolfo Vieira takes Xande down in the Worlds 2012 heavyweight final. (Photo by John Lamonica/ GRACIEMAG)

With three world championship titles under his black belt, one of them coming for winning the absolute, Rodolfo Vieira will be in the opening match of the Copa Pódio Heavyweight Grand Prix coming up January 13 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s Hebraica Club.

The opening stage of the GP begins with fighters divided into two groups—the Green and the Yellow groups—and the GFTeam representative landed in the deeper of them alongside Xande Ribeiro, Léo Nogueira, Alexandro Ceconi and brown belt phenom Keenan Cornelius.

The current heavyweight champion of the world had a chat with GRACIEMAG.com during the final stretch in training before the big event. “You can expect a Rodolfo with plenty of desire to win and on the attack,” he says in the following interview.

GRACIEMAG.com: How are your preparations for the six-minute Copa Pódio matches coming?

RODOLFO VIEIRA: Six-minute matches are complicated because a lot of guys stall. There’s no getting tired, but I’m going to fight the way I always do: trying not to make any mistakes; otherwise, you’re through. Training went great. I didn’t stop for Christmas or New Year’s. The gang at GFTeam banded together for this event. I’m feeling really good in every aspect of the game.

Did you pay special attention to any one technique in particular—takedowns, guard…?

Man, if you go check out GFTeam you’ll see that there’s no problem with any of that; we do everything: half-, hook-, spider-guard, closed guard, passing guard at a distance and close up, takedowns. There’s no way to not be tip-top at a tournament after training with so much variety. I make the most of having all that. I’ve got to thank my team for that.

What’s your take on your group?

Deep down I knew I was going to end up in the toughest group. It’s always like that, isn’t it? I’m used to it.

Who’s the favorite to take the title, in your view?

It’s tough to name a favorite for a competition like this one, but there are some guys who can surprise you—like me! You can expect a Rodolfo with plenty of desire to win and on the attack.

You’re set to face Alexandro Ceconi in the opening round of the Heavyweight GP. What do you expect in that first match?

What can you say about [Alexandro] Ceconi as an athlete and person? He’s a great friend of mine, and he’s beat me before and I’ve beaten him. He’s always a tough guy to face. I know his game well. He’s good at takedowns, passes well and has a slick guard, too. You can see how lucky I am just by the first match, huh (laughs)?

Anything you’d like to say to the fans?

I’d like to thank God; my team, GFTeam; my conditioning coach Gabriel Marinho, who always does a fantastic job with me; and my sponsors. I want to thank all my fans for the support they’ve shown and all the messages they send me—there’s no shortage of them. Thanks, gang, from the heart!

Lucio Lagarto is one of the aces in the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP. (Photo by Ivan Trindade/ GRACIEMAG)

Now in the final stretch of training for his Jan. 13 challenge at the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP, Lucio “Lagarto” Rodrigues can’t wait to hit the mats at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s Clube Hebraica arena.

The seasoned Gracie Barra black belt is in the Green Group alongside his black belt counterparts Bruno Bastos, Antonio Braga Neto, Alexandre Souza and brown belt João Gabriel.

And in a recent chat he had with GRACIEMAG.com about training, he came off as plenty confident in himself: “If I were to point out a favorite to win the GP title, it would be me!”

To watch the Copa Pódio event over the internet, click here.

GRACIEMAG: What are you doing to prepare for the six-minute matches at Copa Pódio?

LUCIO LAGARTO: A six-minute match means you can’t make mistakes. You have to be intelligent about the game plan. Obviously, the one to make the least mistakes will prevail. My training has been going great, though. I only train hard, and all my training partners are highly competent. Me in particular, I’ve been focused on a bit of everything, both guard playing and passing in an all-around way. Now I just have to wait till the 13th. I believe I have a lot of surprises to show everyone. I’m still training hard and disciplined, not to mention that my diet is going accordingly.

What’s your take on your group?

There’s nothing but aces in the whole championship, not just in my group. There’s nowhere to run, and that’s the idea behind the thing. Sincerely, I can’t wait till the fun begins!

Who, in your view, is the favorite to take the title?

Man, it’s hard to point out a favorite. If I had to, I’d say it’s me (laughs)! I’m stoked and feeling 100% for this competition. What everyone can expect from me is Jiu-Jitsu that can handle any situation, that’s ready to bring in great results.

The Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP brackets (photo by Gustavo Aragão/ GRACIEMAG).

Roberto Satoshi against Michael Langhi at 2012 European Open (Photo by Raphael Nogueira)

While everyone else is waiting around for the Heavyweight GP to come, the promoters of the Copa Pódio Jiu-Jitsu tournament are toiling away in putting together the April 28 event, when the Lightweight (under-77 kg) Grand Prix rolls into the city of Belo Horizonte, in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais.

Among the athletes previously brought in for the Lightweight GP are Michael Langhi of Alliance and Roberto Satoshi of Bull-Terrier/Bonsai. But now there’s a heap of news to add: the promoters are putting together an unprecedented triple match-up, an idea the relentless president of the organization, Jeferson Maycá, came up with.

“The triple match will be along the same lines as the Couples Match: the first match ends, and the next match picks up with the score from the first match. The advantage over the couples match is that there’s no risk of it ending in a draw, since there will always be a tie-breaker, should one match apiece end with a submission. We haven’t decided on the teams yet, but it’s likely the teams in the triple match-up won’t have fighters competing in the Lightweight GP, forewarns Maycá.

Check out the timetable for the Heavyweight Grand Prix set for 5pm January 13, 2013, in Rio de Janeiro.

Copa Pódio – Heavyweight GP
Clube Hebraica, Laranjeiras, Rio
January 13, 2013

Bruno Bastos is one of the aces on the card for the Copa Pódio Heayvweight GP. (Personal archive photo)

The year is now underway and with it comes the 2013 Jiu-Jitsu season. The first big event of the fledgling gentle-art calendar, the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP in Rio, is already just around the corner, and the gi-clad aces in it are hard at training.

Confirmed for the card of the January 13 event, the seasoned Bruno Bastos is sharpening up his technique with Nova União’s elite, and even got in a roll with Fernando Tererê.

“My group is really evenly matched, and everyone has a chance of going through,” Bruno says in the following GRACIEMAG.com interview, adding, I think I’m going to surprise a lot of people.

GRACIEMAG: You’ve recovered from the arm injury that kept you from facing Roberto Tussa in the IBJJ Pro League final, right?

BRUNO BASTOS: That’s right. Five days after the event I was already back at training. It was a contracture of the forearm that had a lot to do with my overtraining because I wanted to be 100% for all the events I entered. I was training more than I should have. I really wanted to have competed and won that final, because it was the first of its kind in IBJJF history. I’ll be competing at it again in 2013.

How is your training camp for the Heavyweight GP going?

Training’s going great. I couldn’t have had a better camp. At my academy in Midland, Texas, I had first-rate sparring partners, as my brother Ricardo Bastos and the Nova União up-and-comers were helping me out. Besides them, I got in some training with Gustavo Dantas, Robson Moura, Vitor Shaolin and Renato Charuto. My physical conditioning is going great under the supervision of Giulliano Massaras. Now I’m wrapping up with Rodrigo Feijão, Daniel Garcia, André Bastos, Henrique Pelé, André Marolo and my black belt Fabio Andrade’s gang in Bangu. Plus I had some luxury training with the legend Fernando Tererê. Not bad, huh?

What’s your take on your group at Copa Pódio?

In my opinion it’s a really thorny group, really evenly matched. Everyone has a chance of going through to the next phase. My strategy will be to fight to win. That’s how it is for me every competition. I think I’m going to surprise some people.