Leonid Gatovskiy, one of BJJ’s pioneers in Russia, got his black belt from Renzo’s hands.

When black-belt Ali Magomedov pulled guard, swept with help from the lapel and then finished Bruno Frazatto on June 30th in an ACB event in Moscow, many people may have found it weird. “A Russian who knows his levers and wins without a single takedown?” Yup, it’s true: BJJ has been reaping riper and riper fruits in the land of competent judoka Vladimir Putin. But the seeds were planted some time ago.

Indeed, the first time the Graciemag team tried to map BJJ in the host country of the 2018 World Cup, there wasn’t even one black-belt there.

The year was 2011, and our director, Luca Atalla, disembarked at Domodedovo airport to follow a camp organized by Gracie Barra Moscow in the pleasant village of Chelnavka.

Igor Gracie, the teacher recruited for the seminar, soon saw the difference in culture when a very helpful blue-belt asked to roll with him. It was that same Ali Magomedov, at the time a 19-year-old student of engineering hailing from Dagestan, whose environmentalist dad had quite the eventful like. “My father was once attacked by a pack of hyenas in Africa, and had to defend himself with just a torch.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evvVvzboQI4

Brave like his old man, Magomedov would win his black belt one year later, and today he is one of Russia’s biggest names in the gi, alongside Abdurakhman Bilarov, Ayub Magomadov and some other talented competitors.

Soon after Graciemag’s journey, Russia would have its first BJJ teacher: Leonid Gatovskiy, who had begun training in Poland and would go on to be made black-belt by Renzo Gracie in New York. The story of the pioneer Leonid illustrates how, little by little, the sport gained traction in the country of Tolstoy.

“I practiced a bunch of martial arts, like traditional European ju-jitsu,” he said. “One day, in 2002, I went to Poland to compete, and when I rolled at a BJJ school there, I was caught in a triangle. I was dying to know what that was that neither I nor my master had ever seen.”

Leonid only started seriously practicing the Gracies’ art in 2004, traveling whenever he could, and rolled with multiple teachers known to our readers, like Sergio Benini of GB BH, Alberto Crane and Roger Gracie, until he got his black belt in 2011.

These days, BJJ in the capital Moscow and in the main Russian cities is still not as big as hockey or soccer, but it already boasts promising numbers. There’s talk of 6 to 7 thousand students in the country, mostly children and teenagers.

In 2014 the IBJJF held the first edition of the Moscow Open, with packed stands and competitive divisions, especially at blue and purple belt. For this year, there is the prospect of the first Saint Petersburg Open, with confirmation expected to come soon.

A member of Alliance in Moscow, Ayub Magomadov estimates that there are about 20 Russian black-belts teaching in the country, as well as the many Brazilians that arrive from time to time.

“But it’s not all 20 that compete, so the sport is only beginning,” says the black-belt under Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva. “We are probably four or five who are fighting all the time.”

For those arriving, however, the scene makes a big impression. “The structure of the academies is excellent, and I teach seminars for schools that are always packed, with over a hundred students present,” says three-time world champion Bráulio Estima, who also fought in the last installment of ACBJJ on June 30th in Moscow. “The sport has been growing a lot in the region, not only in Russia but also in Chechnya, Dagestan, the Ukraine, Azerbaijan and other nearby republics.”

Every Brazilian black-belt who visits the country of Oleg Taktarov and Fedor Emelianenko points out the warrior spirit of the Russians, a peculiarity fed by several factors.

“They have an absurd disposition on the mats,” says Bráulio. “First, it’s hard to see a Russian boy who’s never practiced judo, sambo or Olympic wrestling. It’s like finding a kid who’s never played soccer in Brazil. In their culture, every boy must practice a combat sport to gain the respect of the others. Just look at the ears of the general public.”

Bráulio at ACB JJ 14, with champion Lucas Lepri.

Another explanation for the Russians’ tenacity comes from the rules: As pointed out by Graciemag in 2011, most federations of judo and sambo only allow students with medals to change belts — that is, it’s necessary not only to compete, but to win in local tournaments if you want to move up.

In a region of the planet where doing a single-leg is like doing kick-ups in Brazil, it’s hard to tell where Russians will end up when it comes to BJJ. But Bráulio Estima ventures a guess. “They know how to move on the ground since they are little boys, they are explosive when they take down, and they hate to lose. In eight to ten years, who can possibly stop these monsters?”

ACB JJ 14
Moscow, Russia
June 30, 2018

Lucas Lepri def. Davi Ramos, points

João Miyao def. Ary Farias, points

Luiz Panza def. Rodrigo Cavaca, RNC

João Gabriel Rocha def. Nicholas Meregali, points

Igor Silva def. Abdurakhman Bilarov, points

Lucas Hulk def. Romulo Barral, points

Lucas Rocha def. Daud Adaev, armbar

Thiago Sá def. Ayub Magomadov, foot lock

Ali Magomedov def. Bruno Frazatto, foot lock

Gabriel Marangoni def. Osvaldo Queixinho, points

Gabriel Lucas and Marcos Santa Cruz were DQ’d for stalling

Rodnei Barbosa def. Samir Chantre, points

Watch Leonid fighting now-UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov:

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Leonid-Gatovskiy from David Grappler Bista on Vimeo.

Leonid Gatovskiy, um dos pioneiros do Jiu-Jitsu na Rússia, recebeu sua faixa-preta das mãos de Renzo. Foto: Reprodução

Quando o faixa-preta Ali Magomedov puxou para a guarda, raspou com o auxílio da lapela e por fim finalizou Bruno Frazatto, no último dia 30 de junho no evento ACB em Moscou, muita gente pode ter estranhado. “Ué, um russo cheio de alavanca que vence sem dar uma quedinha?”. Sim, é verdade: o Jiu-Jitsu brasileiro vem colhendo frutos cada vez mais maduros na terra do exímio judoca Vladimir Putin. Mas as sementes foram plantadas há um tempinho.

De fato, na primeira vez em que a equipe GRACIEMAG se aventurou a mapear o Jiu-Jitsu no país da Copa do Mundo 2018, não havia sequer um russo faixa-preta em BJJ por lá.

O ano era 2011, e nosso diretor Luca Atalla desembarcou no aeroporto Domodedovo, para acompanhar um camp organizado pela escola Gracie Barra Moscou no simpático povoado de Chelnavka.

Igor Gracie, o professor escalado para o seminário, viu logo a diferença de culturas quando um faixa-azul para lá de prestativo pediu para rolar com ele. Era o próprio Ali Magomedov, então com 19 anos e estudante de engenharia vindo do Daguestão, cujo pai ambientalista vivera poucas e boas. “Meu pai uma vez foi atacado por um bando de hienas na África, e precisou se defender apenas com uma tocha”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evvVvzboQI4

Valente como o pai, Magomedov pegaria a faixa-preta anos depois, e hoje é um dos principais nomes do kimono na Rússia, junto com feras como Abdurakhman Bilarov e Ayub Magomadov, entre outros competidores de talento.

Logo depois da jornada de GRACIEMAG, a Rússia conheceria o seu primeiro professor na arte suave: o faixa-preta Leonid Gatovskiy, que começara a treinar Jiu-Jitsu na Polônia e terminaria graduado em Nova York, pelas mãos de Renzo Gracie. A história do pioneiro Leonid ilustra bem como o Jiu-Jitsu foi ganhando, aos poucos, força no país.

“Eu praticava uma série de artes marciais, como o Ju-Jitsu tradicional europeu. Certo dia, em 2002, fui à Polônia competir, e ao treinar numa academia de BJJ fui pego num triângulo. Fiquei doido para saber o que era aquilo, que eu nunca tinha visto – aliás, nem eu nem meu mestre.”

Leonid só foi começar a treinar a sério a arte dos Gracie em 2004, viajando sempre que podia, e rolou com vários professores conhecidos dos leitores, como Sergio Benini da GB BH, Alberto Crane e Roger Gracie, até conquistar a faixa-preta em 2011.

Hoje, o Jiu-Jitsu na capital Moscou e nas principais cidades russas ainda não tem o tamanho do hóquei ou do futebol, mas já apresenta números promissores. Fala-se de 6 a 7 mil praticantes de BJJ no país – crianças e adolescentes em sua maioria.

Em 2014, a IBJJF sediou o primeiro Moscou Open no país, com arquibancadas cheias e divisões bem recheadas, em especial nas faixas azul e roxa. Para este ano, há a previsão do primeiro São Petersburgo Open, a ser confirmado em breve pela IBJJF.

Lutador da Alliance em Moscou, Ayub Magomadov estima que já há cerca de 20 faixas-pretas russos ensinando no país, fora os vários brasileiros que chegam.

“Mas não são todos os 20 que competem, então o esporte está apenas começando. Devemos ser uns quatro ou cinco lutando direto”, calcula o faixa-preta de Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva.

Para quem vem de fora, porém, o cenário impressiona. “A estrutura das academias é excelente, e dou seminário para escolas sempre cheias, com mais de cem alunos inscritos”, conta o tricampeão mundial Bráulio Estima, que também esteve presente no último ACBJJ, no dia 30 de junho, em Moscou. “O esporte vem crescendo muito na região, tanto na Rússia como na Chechênia, Daguestão, Ucrânia, Azerbaijão e outras repúblicas próximas.”

Todos os faixas-pretas brasileiros que visitam o país de Oleg Taktarov e Fedor Emelianenko destacam o espírito guerreiro dos russos, uma peculiaridade alimentada por diversas razões.

“Eles têm uma disposição descomunal nos tatames”, repara Bráulio. “Em primeiro lugar, é difícil ver um garoto russo que nunca praticou judô, sambo ou luta olímpica, é como encontrar uma criança que nunca jogou futebol no Brasil. Na cultura de lá, todo rapaz precisa praticar um esporte de combate para ganhar o respeito dos demais. É só olhar as orelhas do povo em geral.”

Bráulio comentou o ACB JJ 14, realizado em Moscou, que teve Lucas Lepri como novo campeão. Foto: Reprodução

Outro motivo para a garra russa vem das regras: segundo apurou GRACIEMAG lá em 2011, a maioria das federações de sambo e judô só permite a mudança de faixa e graduação ao praticante que apresenta medalhas; ou seja, é preciso não apenas competir como vencer torneios locais para ganhar a nova faixa.

Numa região do planeta onde saber dar um single-leg é praticamente como fazer embaixadinhas no Brasil, é difícil saber onde os russos vão parar no Jiu-Jitsu. Mas os campeões têm seu palpite: “Eles sabem se movimentar no chão desde garotinhos, são explosivos ao derrubar e detestam perder. Daqui a uns oito a dez anos, quem vai segurar esses monstros?”, pergunta-se Bráulio Estima.

ACB JJ 14
Moscou, Rússia
30 de junho de 2018

Lucas Lepri venceu Davi Ramos por pontos
João Miyao venceu Ary Farias por pontos
Luiz Panza finalizou Rodrigo Cavaca nomata-leão
João Gabriel Rocha venceu Nicholas Meregali por pontos
Igor Silva venceu Abdurakhman Bilarov por pontos
Lucas Hulk venceu Romulo Barral por pontos
Lucas Rocha finalizou Daud Adaev no armlock
Thiago Sá finalizou Ayub Magomadov na chave de pé
Ali Magomedov finalizou Bruno Frazatto na chave de pé
Gabriel Marangoni venceu Osvaldo Queixinho por pontos
Gabriel Lucas e Marcos Santa Cruz foram desclassificados por amarração
Rodnei Barbosa venceu Samir Chantre por pontos

Veja Leonid enfrentando o hoje campeão do UFC Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Leonid-Gatovskiy from David Grappler Bista on Vimeo.

The referees at the 2014 IBJJF Moscow Open. Photo: IBJJF

Every year, the IBJJF works to bring tournaments to new countries or cities and give new audiences a chance to compete in the federation’s tournament circuit. This time it was Moscow that would see its first IBJJF competition. A strong group of fighters turned out in force in the lower belts, with several local academies fighting it out for the team championships and the prestige that came with it. The black belt divisions were slightly less busy, partly due to the still-growing nature of the sport in Russia, and partly due to the visa requirements for entry. But despite that, there were still enough black belts to put on some thrilling matches. The black belt results were as follows:

Samuel Herzog of UAE Jiu-Jitsu was one of several fighters from the middle eastern outpost of Jiu-Jitsu who made their way over to Russia for the championship, but the only one to take part in the no-gi event on the first day. He took gold in the lightweight division by defeating Robson Maia of Alliance by 8 points to 2, in a match where the points all came from sweeps.

The middleweight division saw Russia’s first black belt, Leonid Gatovskiy, becoming champion in the IBJJF’s first competition in Russia. He began his path to the championship by defeating Ryan Durbin of Gracie Barra Texas, probably the man who had travelled the furthest of all the competitors present, by north-south choke. This sent Ryan across to the other side of the bracket to face Oliver Geddes of Roger Gracie Academy. After some initial exchanges from the half-guard, Oliver was able to secure an omoplata-armlock to take his place in the final. The final lasted the full ten minutes, with Oliver going ahead midway through the fight with a sweep and near back take, but Leonid came back strongly to score a guard pass later in the match and take the win by 3 points to 2.

Middle-heavyweight was a rather eclectic division, populated by 60-something kilogram Jorge Elias from Alliance, Valecio Senna of Stone Fight team, fighting down four age categories, and Roger Gracie student Lorenzo Fraquelli. Jorge first defeated Lorenzo with a seamless combination of butterfly guard and X-guard sweeps combined with a smooth top game. After 10 minutes, the score was 12 to 0 in favor of Jorge. This being a three man bracket, Lorenzo’s next opponent would be Valecio. Valecio, also a black belt in Judo, managed to score two takedowns in a match where both men left nothing in the tank, with the final score being 4-2 in Valecio’s favor. In the final match, Jorge against used his dangerous guard to sweep and pass, and this time he managed to secure his veteran opponent’s back and finish with a choke, to become middle-heavyweight champion, at least three weight classes above his actual weight.

Renato Tavares of Frontline Academy was alone in his division and with no available option to satisfy his urge to fight, claimed his gold medal unopposed.

The absolute was a relatively sparse affair, lacking the customary collection of huge beasts who normally populate the division, making the division and title anyone’s to take. The final came down to two of the smallest competitors present: Jorge Elias, already middle-heavyweight champion fighting above his weight, and lightweight champion Samuel Hertzog. Jorge had submitted Renato with a toehold midway through his match to earn his spot, whilst Samuel had defeated Robson Maia in a gruelling contest where a strong but precarious lead of 6 advantages was sealed with a late takedown. The final wasn’t any less gruelling, with much of it spent with Jorge playing from the butterfly and seated guard that had stood him in good stead throughout the day. Samuel remained patient, working from the top and waiting for his opportunity. When it came, he was able to briefly pass to side control, earning him the three points that would give him the match and with it, the title of absolute champion to add to his lightweight gold.

See full results here: http://static.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/000324/en-US/Results.pdf