Check out Renan Borges with his top game with Gianni’s guard retention:

UFC 155-pound champ Benson Henderson (top) at the 2013 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship Tournament. Photo: Erik Fontanez

UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson is another Jiu-Jitsu black belt confirmed in the 2013 ADCC, the charming no-gi tournament scheduled for October 19 and 20 in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

The invitation was made by the organization, and Bendo accepted at once. The Arizona star, who often trains with world champion Augusto Tanquinho, will perform in the 77kg division.

Before the ADCC, Ben Henderson will face Anthony Pettis on August 31 to defend his belt.

Will Bendo pull both of these challenges off this semester?

Gleison Tibau training on Recreio beach. Photo: TalkSports

With his 20th UFC bout coming up, Gleison Tibau has plenty of reasons to dream of making his way to the belt. He used to train a lot of BJJ when he was starting out but after a break from the mat is now returning to the art’s essence in order to find that extra edge needed if he is to become a lightweight champion.

After a physical training session on the sand of Recreio beach in Rio de Janeiro, Tibau chatted with GRACIEMAG about his UFC beginnings, about Jamie Varner, his UFC 164 opponent, and about losing and gaining weight. Check it out.

GRACIEMAG.com:  With your 20th UFC fight approching, do you remember your debut? How was that time for you?

Gleison Tibau: I lived in Natal and had fought at Meca and other big Brazilian events. I went eight months without fighting because of lack of opponents. Then I ended up in ATT in the U.S. to try and get some international exposure, and within a month I had the opportunity of making my UFC debut in the welterweight division as a last-minute replacement to Nick Diaz’s opponent. I lost but the promoters enjoyed my performance. So I dropped back to my normal weight and thus began my journey in the UFC.

By the way, how do you go about losing and gaining weight for fights? Do you have a special diet?

I think what’s most important is not just regaining the weight, but doing it right so as to fight well. The weight loss is always under very strict rules, and it’s important not to get injured so you don’t have to take any meds that can mess up your diet. I lose 15kg for the weigh-in and gain 10 or 11kg the next day. Even my weight gaining has to be pretty strict. If I want to do it with full force, I can gain even 16kg in one day. I’m dieting even as I’m regaining weight.

So you have to put the brakes on your weight gain?

My genes help me a lot. I diet after the weigh-in in order to not gain too much weight. By regaining 10kg I get in the cage light and feeling well. One time I gained 16kg and felt heavy and lacked stamina. So I choose to regain less weight and I’m at 100 percent on fight day.

What do you deem the most important aspect of Jiu-Jitsu for an MMA fighter?

Jiu-Jitsu was a very important part of my life. Lately I’d been training no-gi for too long and I felt I was drifting from the essence of Jiu-Jitsu in my game. So for my last fight, against John Cholish, I tried a lot in the gi and I felt a big difference. I think every MMA fighter should train in the gi, it’s very important. So I trained a lot in the gi, I adjusted my game, I was able to get submissions. I think the great fighters can’t just put the gi aside. The gi discipline is very educational and gives you that thirst for learning more every day. It forces you to refine your technique and learn details. No other type of fighting can give you that.

How do you view Jamie Varner and what can this match give you in terms of UFC projection?

Varner has good pressure, good wrestling, and he’s a good boxer. He’s physically very strong, but I’ve looked at some of his fights and he makes Jiu-Jitsu errors. He’s been submitted a few times. So I’ll be honing my ground work and working toward getting a submission. I believe a victory over him will put me in the division’s top ten. He was a WEC champion and he fought all the top guys over there. I’m focused on that right now. Now I have that goal on my mind and I train every day thinking of the belt.

UFC 164

Milwaukee, USA

August 31, 2013

Ben Henderson vs TJ Grant

Frank Mir vs Josh Barnett

Chad Mendes vs Clay Guida

Erik Koch vs Dustin Poirier

Ben Rothwell vs Brandon Vera

Gleison Tibau vs Jamie Varner

Chico Camus vs Kyung Ho Kang

Soa Palelei vs Nikita Krylov

Louis Gaudinot vs Tim Elliott

Derek Brunson vs Yoel Romero

Jared Hamman vs Magnus Cedenblad

Pascal Krauss vs Hyun Gyu Lim

Michael Langhi. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

Lightweight double world champion in 2009 and 2010, Michael Langhi returns  to the largest event of Jiu-Jitsu relieved and happy after fixing his visa, a problem that kept him out of the Worlds in 2012.

The prodigy who is a student of Rubens Cobrinha at Alliance already dreams of returning to feel the weight of the gold on his chest, in the Worlds that begins by the end of May. And if possible, Langhi wants to have an “easier” work.

“Alliance is coming with a squad in the light division. It would be nice to close with my teammates. It is a pleasure and makes the work easier,” he says. See what else we learned from him:

GRACIEMAG: You were the world champion in 2009 and 2010, got the bronze in 2011, in the reign of Gilbert Durinho, and finally saw Leandro Lo at the top of the category. How has your training changed since 2009?

MICHAEL LANGHI: I’m training a lot more than before, but I’m smarter too. My training is very well designed and divided; I’m able to train all aspects the best possible way. I’m back stronger than ever and willing to fight. The strategy is to go for it and stay ahead of my opponents the whole time.

Is “maturity” the key word this year?

I’m certainly more mature and experienced, that’s why the goal is to always be ahead of my opponents, both on the scoreboard and the positions. But in fact, the difference will be the desire to win. I couldn’t fight last year due to some problems with my visa. All settled, I’m back and I’m sure nobody wants that gold more than I do. You can expect a lot of will and Langhi doing his best to win another Worlds. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get out of there as the champ. I’m training all aspects and all situations that may occur in the fight, so I’ll be prepared for anything.

How do you see this rivalry with Leandro Lo, who will also be fighting for the lightweight gold?

Actually, there is no rivalry. Lo is an excellent athlete whom I have fought three times and have yet to defeat, but that’s it. I don’t think we have a rivalry; we get along really well and have had the opportunity to talk a lot. He has my respect, and the greatest way I can prove this is to prepare myself as much as possible if we fight again. If the fight happens, I will do my best and I won’t think about anything but the victory. He will also come with the same thought, so who will gain from it is the public, because they will see a war.

Who should decide the category, in your opinion?

My goal and Alliance’s goal is to close the lightweight category. We have several athletes enrolled in this division and it would be nice to close with my teammates. I’m eager to get there, after all, as I said I lived a nightmare and I couldn’t fight. So with that, I’m willing be world champion.

What’s on your mind minutes before facing an opponent at the Worlds?

I just try to think of everything I have done to be there. I think about my training and outlined strategy for that fight, I recall that I gave my best and I prepared the best I could. I have nothing to fear. The psychological side is covered in my training. The more I train, the more confident I get. I try to talk a lot with my family, wife and my coaches. Fabio (Gurgel) is always advising me and helping me closely. And another person who helps me and gives me a lot of confidence is my professor, Cobrinha. He always says I need to listen and keeps me confident always.

And you, do you know the feeling of fighting a World Championship? Tell us about it!

To see the championship through livestream, visit www.ibjjftv.com and for our live coverage follow our google + page!

Caio Terra against Bruno Malfacine at Pan 2013. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

Caio Terra is again taking part on the World Championship which begins in Long Beach on May 29, but this time he comes with a few extra pounds.

All because of a high turnover of seminars, which led him to have less time to train and lose weight for the greatest championship of the year.

Despite declaring that he is not 100% certain of competing in light featherweight, Caio hopes to have another memorable performance to thrill the crowd. In order to do so, he planned his camp in San Jose, California with the presence of Augusto “Tanquinho” and over 30 black belts.

Check out the chat with Caio, the current worlds silver medalist of the rooster weight division:

GRACIEMAG: You enrolled as a light featherweight. What was the main reason for this change in weight for the Worlds?

CAIO TERRA: I just got back from Asia, where I had a tour of seminars since March. On Sunday of the Pan, I ran out of the venue so I wouldn’t miss my flight (laughs). In fact, I’ll only really know how I’m feeling for the Worlds in a week. The time zone is still complicated, and I didn’t train a lot because I was traveling almost every day and teaching seminars; that’s the reason why I put on weight. I still don’t know if I’m fighting as a light feather, what I know is that I won’t get on a diet. If I lose weight naturally, which is not as likely, I’ll go to rooster weight. But we are less than 20 days from the Worlds, I don’t know if I can make it. Anyway, I am very motivated to fight as a light feather again.

This is a category with a monster, Guilherme Mendes, triple world champion (2009/11/12). How would you stop him?

Guilherme is good on top and bottom, a very complete athlete that has to be respected. But before fighting him, I need to fight several other very good guys. I just hope I have a good performance because if that happens I’m sure I’ll get a good result.

If you lose weight and really go to the rooster category, have you thought of something special for a possible reunion with Bruno Malfacine, the current champion of the division?

I will count on the help of Augusto Tanquinho in training. I’m glad to have Tanquinho because he may be the guy with a game more like Malfacine’s. I’m hoping Bruno also comes to the heavier category, because it will make it the toughest light feather division of all time and the winner would be a great champion. The owner of the gold would be seen as a living legend (laughs)!

Who else may go to your camp in San Jose?

Let’s see, Leandro Lo I think has some problems and I don’t think he’s coming. It’s a shame. But we are expecting a really good group; our team has Samir Chantre, Oswaldo Queixinho, Flavio Meier, Jeff Galiotto and others. We will count on the whole crew of Soul Fighter and from Claudio Franca’s school, and several other black belts from various teams.

Among the youth, who do you think will draw attention at the Worlds 2013?

I have some very tough blue belts: Edwin Barone, Joshua Vasquez, Ryan Walsh, Kaniela and Dominic Knuz. All with the chance of being world champions. Besides them, I see a great future for Márcio André, purple belt at Nova União, who is a super talented kid. There are also Edwin Najmi, Dante Leon and Michael Liera, all on the right track.

To check who is already confirmed for the World, visit the IBJJF website.

If you would like to register for the 2013 World Championship, click here.

José Aldo says he would like to face Bendo at crowded Maracanã. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The routine of Jose Aldo, featherweight champion of the UFC, is always fast-paced. In the midst of travel, fans and the always-tough training sessions at Nova União, Aldo booked five minutes of his busy schedule to chat with GRACIEMAG about his next opponent, consecutive “supermatches” and Ben Henderson’s request to face him at a soccer stadium.

During the chat at the end of a long day at Nova União, Aldo said he hasn’t begun to outline a strategy for his fight scheduled for Aug. 3 against Pettis yet. The champion examined the ground work of his opponent, and said he is not intimidated by the fact that he is sharpening his Jiu-Jitsu.

“I think he trains Jiu-Jitsu more to defend himself,” Aldo said of Pettis. “His game is not on the ground. He has to work well on the ground to be able to use his stand-up game. His Jiu-Jitsu is better. But I also make good use of my Jiu-Jitsu. If I play well standing up it is because if it goes to the ground, I’m confident and I submit.”

When asked about the fact that the UFC just scheduled supermatches for him, Aldo talked about the injustice done to the athletes of the division, but stresses that he works for the UFC and that he is ready to “do what he is told.”

“The UFC guys are the bosses, we are employees,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair if a guy who just got to the division [immediately gets] a chance to battle for the belt. It’s good for me because it praises the division and my career as an athlete, but it isn’t cool for those who  have strived in the division for a long time, looking for a shot to fight for the belt. But I just want to keep winning and doing my part. If I had a company, I’d send my employee to do something and he would have to do it, right?”

Still on the supermatches, Aldo talked about his next possible fight with the champion of the lightweight division, Henderson. Aldo didn’t fail to remember that his focus is on the fight against Pettis, but talked about “Bendo” as an athlete, and on the willingness of the American to fight him at a Brazilian soccer stadium.

“Ben Henderson is such a nice person. I’ve known him since the now-extinct WEC,” he said. “We had several fights during the same night. We cheered for each other in our fights. He said he dreams of fighting in Brazil. It will be great if that happens. If it happens at a soccer stadium it would be even better. Maracanã will already be renovated. It could be by the end of the year or early next year. It would be a great show.”

Leandro observes the opponent while preparing the lunge from his feared open guard. Photo: Erin Herle/ GracieMag

Champion in the up to 76kg division of the WPJJC 2013 in Abu Dhabi held last weekend, Leandro Lo (Cicero Costha) didn’t have an easy time in the Emirates.

First, he needed to forget about the negatives, after leaving in the 2013 Pan in California without medals in his division nor in the absolute. After getting his head together, he made his game and won again in the land of sheikhs, in the final against old acquaintance Lucas Lepri. The gold came thanks to an advantage after he tried to pass the guard.

The guard player phenomenon, trained by Cicero Costha, commented on the feat in Abu Dhabi and what he has learned in the IBJJF Pan. Check this out:

GracieMag: How was the journey to the top in Abu Dhabi?

LEANDRO LO: I had a good performance; I think I fought the way I like it. Not taking points against me early in the fight has made a difference. Notice that all my opponents were able to try to sweep, but failed to execute the move. I balanced myself, I didn’t take points against me and it was good. Starting with two points behind in a six minute fight can be fatal.

How was being in the final with Lepri?

We know each other well, we have done several finals in the lightweight division. Lucas is a very tough and technical guy, you can’t make mistakes against him or start the fight behind in the score. It is very difficult to gain points against him, on top or on bottom. What has helped me a lot in the fight against him is that I have always managed to get my hands on the ground, it helps me with my base. He has a good guard and unbalances you a lot. I believe I won thanks to my base. I’ve been practicing my balance doing drills on the ball, in addition to base training with hands resting on the floor.

Did you apply any unexpected moves in Abu Dhabi? There was an interesting choke…

Right! I don’t remember who it was against, but I used a choke starting from the half guard. I love this submission, I am happy when I fit the position to perform it. After all, I don’t even need to pass the guard to win.

What has this achievement meant to you after a Pan 2013 performance below your potential?

I was happy with my second gold in Abu Dhabi, the conquest made me rethink a lot about myself. I did a self-assessment and now I will try to fix plenty of things for upcoming championships. Although I have lost in the Pan, the defeat gave me several lessons. I learned a lot about how to train better.

Training more?

Not exactly. For example, in the Pan, I was feeling pretty fast in middleweight, but I wasn’t as strong as when I was in the lightweight. I lost several positions during fights, and I didn’t like the way I fought. With all that, I learned that it is not how much you train that makes you win, but the right training. Now I won’t miss. For the Worlds, I will return to fight as a lightweight, but I can’t say I won’t go back to the middleweight later on. My friend and training partner Murilo Santana is going sharp for the middleweight. I don’t want to have to fight him if we are on the same side of the draw.

Jose Aldo has accepted the challenge from Anthony Pettis and the two will face each other on Aug. 3. Aldo earns a lightweight title shot with the win. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

After some initial reluctancy, Jose Aldo has accepted the challenge of lightweight Anthony Pettis, and the two will fight for the featherweight title, according to UFC President Dana White.

In addition, should Aldo win the match-up with Pettis scheduled for Aug. 3, the current 145-pound champ will move up a weight class to fight for the lightweight title, according to a report by MMAjunkie.com.

“Aldo vs. Pettis is on!” White said in a post on Twitter, following that up with, “Yes, Aldo vs. Pettis and it’s for Aldo’s UFC 145-(pound) title.”

White originally told reporters following UFC 157 that Aldo refused to fight Pettis because the featherweight champ and his manager, Andre Pederneiras, thought the lightweight challenger didn’t deserve a shot at the belt. But once news got out with White’s comments, Aldo and camp changed their tune, telling SportTV.com that “heads will roll” once he faces Pettis.

Pettis was waiting to face the the winner of the lightweight title fight between champ Benson Henderson and No. 1 contender Gilbert Melendez that takes place at UFC on Fox 7 in April. However, once he saw Aldo beat Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 last month, Pettis swiftly texted White, asking for a shot at the featherweight king.

The venue for the Aldo-Pettis title fight is yet to be announced.

Xande Ribeiro (in black) at latest Copa Pódio event, last January, against Keenan Cornelius (photo by Gustavo Aragão)

Old chums and staunch rivals, Alexandre Ribeiro and Bráulio “Carcará” Estima have faced off at the 2007 European Open, two ADCCs and in other memorable match-ups. Now they’re set to face off once again, on the 1st of May.

At the next Copa Pódio event, Xande and Bráulio will defend their respective cities, Manaus and Recife, in the Inter-Cities Challenge, a super-match scheduled to take place just before the Lightweight Grand Prix finals at Rio de Janeiro’s Hebraica Club on Labor Day.

The big news regarding the old duel has to do with the rules: advantage points will not be counted, as explained to GRACIEMAG.com by the tournament’s promoter, Jeferson Maycá, who worked hard right through Brazilian carnival to make sure everything will go to plan.

“I’d already  mulled over this possibility before, but only now, encouraged by some athletes and especially by the brothers Xande and Saulo, did I decide to put the idea of eliminating advantage points to practice,” the founder of Copa Pódio explains. “Let’s see how the match goes. As Saulo Ribeiro put it, an advantage point isn’t a goal in Jiu-Jitsu,” he adds.

Besides this clash of titans, there are three names confirmed for the lightweight GP: Michael Langhi (Alliance), Diego Borges (CheckMat) and the current champion, Leandro Lo (Cicero Costha). There’s a good likelihood Jonathan Torres (Lloyd Irvin) will be announced shortly.

In what is being billed as the “Triple Bout”, GFTeam is guaranteed to take part in the three super-matches against a rival team yet to be announced. Another major attraction is Rodolfo Vieira, who will lock horns with a soon-to-be-announced opponent.

Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for further news, and take part in the discussion: can advantage points be nixed without hindering the athletes? What do you think? Share your opinion with us in the comments field below.

Shinya Aoki taps out Lyle Beerbohm at 2011 Strikeforce event. (Photo by Esther Lin)

The upcoming One FC lightweight title fight is going to be a real treat for Jiu-Jitsu lovers.

The current belt holder, Kotetsu “No Face” Boku, will have to contend with Jiu-Jitsu and judo black belt Shinya Aoki as a challenger. They will face off on April 5 at “One FC: Kings & Champions” in Singapore.

Aoki (32-6) has 22 assorted submission victories to his name. Only Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira comes close to as many submission wins at top-tier events with 21.

Dishing out gogoplatas, flying triangles and neck cranks, Aoki has forced opponents to tap out in several MMA promotions such as Dream, Bellator and Strikeforce. He enters the title fight off a win over Antonio Mckee at Dream 18.

Boku (20-7-2) beat Brazilian black belt Zorobabel Moreira by TKO to win the inaugural One FC lightweight title fight in his last fight.

Check out Aoki’s Jiu-Jitsu and MMA highlight reel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtiExYDh7Po

For more UFC and MMA coverage,
visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Photo used courtesy of Alchemist MMA Management.

Bellator Fighting Championships signed Brazilian lightweight Bruno Carvalho to compete when the promotion moves to Spike TV in 2013, the company announced late Tuesday.

Carvalho’s manager, Nima Safapour, verified the signing and said the young prospect secured a multi-fight deal with the organization. The Bellator deal was one of many offered to the fighter, according to his management.

“Bruno Carvalho is one of the hottest prospects out of South America,” Safapour told Graciemag.com. “He had multiple offers going into the Bellator opportunity.

“We are confident that some of Bruno’s greatest fights are going to happen under the Bellator umbrella.”

Carvalho (8-2) was last seen earning a unanimous decision over Maicon Bastos under the Iron Fighting Combat promotion in Brazil. He’s also seen action in Japanese promotions such as DREAM and Shooto.

The 155-pound fighter has no scheduled debut, but his manager said he’ll see his first Bellator fight in the first quarter of next year.

Gilbert Burns against Michael Langhi at Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. The 2011 world champ had a front row seat in sizing up the style of the current champ, Leandro Lo. Photo by Ray Santana/GRACIEMAG.

There at the Tijuca Tennis Clube last weekend to watch his brother Herbert Burns compete at the 2012 Brazilian No-Gi Nationals, world champion-turned-coach Gilbert Durinho stuck around even after his sibling’s triumph in the featherweight division.

(Watch Herbert Burns vs. Richard Flood on the GRACIEMAG Portuguese-language Facebook page.)

Watching from the stands, he scrutinized a string of Jiu-Jitsu talent, and one old acquaintance in particular: the winner of the absolute division.

“Leandro Lo is the man to beat these days. He really is tough. He’s got his merits, especially his free-flowing Jiu-Jitsu. But he’s not unbeatable. There are a lot of good guys in that division who can surprise him, like Augusto Tanquinho, [Roberto] Satoshi or even me, for example,” said Gilbert.

But what would be the right game plan for taking the Cicero Costha black belt out of his element nowadays, though?

“The same route as always: pressure, lots of pressure. You have to put him on defense the whole time. It doesn’t matter if he’s on top or on bottom, you just can’t stop even to blink, because that’s when he’s dangerous. If you stop to think against Lo, you’re done. He really is the best lightweight right now, so anyone who wants to beat him has to be really well trained and spend the whole time on the attack,” Durinho added.

What do you say, who can stop Leandro Lo?