Dana White, always sharp, in photo by Josh Hedges

“Never leave it in the hands of the three stooges”!

~ Dana White, president of the UFC, refereeing to the referees after Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar 2.

“There’s no point in just being strong; you have to be technical. Who do you think is more dangerous: a gorilla with a machine gun or a sniper with a 22?”

~ Marcos Schubert, Jiu-Jitsu professor with successful instructional videos on the internet and avid GRACIEMAG reader.

“I see a lot of people calling for Jiu-Jitsu at the Olympics, but there aren’t many remarking about how year after year judo and wrestling lose participants. What I’m interested in is spreading Jiu-Jitsu as a martial art, as the most important tool for human self-development there is. To me that’s a lot better than seeing Jiu-Jitsu become a decorative Olympic sport like judo, taekwondo, badminton or canoeing.”

~ Ricardo Cachorrão, Jiu-Jitsu professor and our GMA in New Jersey

What about you, gentle reader, have you read or heard something striking from someone during the week? Share it with us, and have a healthy weekend.

Esquiva Falcão watched by his father, Touro Moreno, in London. Photo COB publicity

After 44 years, since Servílio de Oliveira’s bronze at Mexico—1968, Brazil has returned to the Olympic boxing medals podium. At this year’s Games in London, Brazil’s sweet-scientists could finally beat the drum in jubilation. In all, they netted three medals in the finest campaign of the South American nation’s pugilistic history, with Esquiva Falcão taking silver in the under-75 kg division; Adriana Araujo, bronze at under-60 kg; and Yamaguchi Falcão, Esquiva’s brother, earning bronze in the under-81 kg weight group.

“Olympic boxing in Brazil will change a lot now I’ve got the medal,” Esquiva told Sportv channel, already foreseeing better days for the style in his homeland. “There are a bunch of names in Brazilian boxing who can turn heads at the 2016 Olympics in Rio,” he added.

Watch the highlights from the match that qualified Esquiva Falcão for the under-75 kg final:

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

Flavio "Cachorrinho" Almeida jockeying for grips / Photo: John Cooper/2010

Mike Swain, 51, is one of the most respected judo teachers in the USA, and his students have solid reasons to admire him. Solid and golden. Mike is the first American ever to win the World Judo Championship, in 1987, at lightweight, and the next year he snapped up a bronze medal at the Seoul Olympics.

The owner of a classic style of fighting, Mike lives in Campbell, California, and trains in San Jose. He recently encountered another teacher admired for his teaching methods and the titles he has won in Flavio “Cachorrinho” Almeida.

“We were searching for a high-quality mat for Gracie Barra, and the Swain company has an awesome product. That’s how we came to be friends, and he did a seminar at my school. I wanted to return the favor, so I went to teach at his judo school in San Jose,” remarked Flavio. “Some of the judokas there are getting ready for the London-2012 Games, and I was glad to help out a bit.”

Check out the training session between Olympic medalist and the GB professor of Jiu-Jitsu. Don’t forget to share what you learned in and what you thought of the video, in the comments field below.

Boxing at Beijing-2008: failure in China brought out major change in Cuba. Foto: Nick Laham/Getty Images/Publicity.

What does it matter is the jab comes from the left or the right, when it’s landing spot-on? To GRACIEMAG, Jiu-Jitsu and everything surrounding it should be seen in this light, as well. The submission can come from the right or the left—so long as it’s true, effective, honest.

Honesty was what we found today, as we opened the sports section of “O Globo” newspaper, in an article on boxing, sport and children in Havana.

After getting to know Lázaro Pérez, the city’s very first under-34 kg champion of the 9- to 10-year-old division, we sorted the highlights from the article and now serve it on a platter for our gentle readers to enjoy. No politics, and from whichever side the customer prefers.

INVESTING IN THE YOUTH

Although it’s a novelty in Cuba, the under-10-year-old boxing division has been official for some time in other nations, like the USA. “At this age we teach them basic movements and punches and how to defend themselves. The idea is to move the kids into more advanced categories already with a strong foundation of technique,” teaches Jo De Vrieze, a Belgian who coaches children in a neighborhood of Havana.

MAXIMUM SAFETY AND ZEAL FOR THE KIDS

“The rules are strict so pre-teen tournaments will be safe. A doctor examines the pugilists before each bout and the referee watches closely,” it says in the article, written using information form the Associated Press (AP). “The bouts are limited to three 50-second rounds. The use of head gear is mandatory.”

MARTIAL ARTS & DISCIPLINE

After some vexing results at the Beijing Olympics—2008 (not a single gold medal), the Boxing World Championship in Italy—2009 and the Pan-American Championship, the Cuban sporting authorities said they felt humiliated. And they attacked the problem with reforms, not excuses. “The first measure taken was to bring in a new coach, Rolando Acebal, to emphasize discipline,” it says in the article. “The change was decisive,” said Félix Savón, 44, a Cuban boxing legend and three-time Olympic champion who said in the article, “With Acebal, some things that had been lost were recovered.”

The results for the country are already beginning to show, like the two gold medals at the World Championship in Baku and the eight medals in nine divisions at the Pan in Guadalajara. But the big test will be at London-2012.

Seasoned teachers taking care of the youth levels, putting an effort in developing discipline. Now to you, gentle reader, is this the right formula to use in the study of martial arts and winning gold down the road? Comment below.

Everton in publicity photo

Nimble welterweight boxer Everton Lopes dos Santos became the first-ever world amateur boxing champion from Brazil this past Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan, beating Ukraine’s Denis Berinchyk by a score of 26 to 23.

On Brazil’s Sportv television channel, the fighter from the state of Bahia reminisced about the hurdles he lept on his way to winning the medal – washing cars for a living at 3 reais per vehicle, also selling orange juice the whole day before heading to training. He also addressed his strategy for winning the final.

“We discussed what I should do and agreed that I should go on the attack in the first round and take the lead on the scorecards. Then I just had to control the action in the second and third to keep the lead. It worked,” recounted the champion. Now Everton will be training for the London Games in 2012.

Another Brazilian who shined at the world championship was Esquiva Florentino Falcão, who took bronze at middleweight. Before Saturday, Brazil only held one medal at a amateur boxing world championship, José Rodrigues’s bronze in 1986.

Watch Everton fighting for the gold here.

Léo Leite is in. Photo: publicity.

The top judokas from around the planet will take to the mats in the Maracanãzinho gymnasium on the 18th and 19th of June. That’s where the hotly-disputed Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam, a leg of the Judo World Circuit, will take place, and points from the tourney will count in defining who will represent their countries at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. And with a record number of participants: 412 from 58 countries. In 2010 – the second installment held in Rio – there were 360 athletes from 50 nations.

“Besides Brazil having consolidated its place in the international scene as a venue for excellent events, the fact the Grand Slam is worth 100% points for London-2012 certainly enticed more athletes into taking part in the competition,” says president of the Brazilian Judo Confederation Paulo Wanderley Teixeira.

According to the International Judo Federation ranking system, established during the 2009-2010 season (from May to April), the points scored in competitions during that year lose 75% of their worth by the time the April 30, 2012 Olympic roster is completed.

Points from 2010-2011 will be worth 50% of the total and, starting in May 2011 and ending in April 2012, the points will count for 100%. Therein lies the importance of the Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam. Counting in the world ranking are points acquired at the World Championships, Masters (Top 16), Grand Slam, Grand Prix and World Cup.

“For Brazil, fighting well at home will be all the more important. We have to make good for our hometown crowd,” states Brazilian confederation technical coordinator Ney Wilson, citing the examples of France, Russia and Japan, other countries hosting Grand Slams, where they made the most of the events to come up with precious points and medals. For being host, Brazil can count on four judokas in each of the 14 divisions in dispute. In 2010, the national team conquered six medals at the Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam.

The Brazilian team arrives in Rio on June 13, and will train there until the competition’s opening day, the following Saturday. From the 20th to the 24th of June, an International Training Camp will be held, with Brazil participating alongside a large part of the countries signed up for the Grand Slam. The group training session will take place in Rio. On the weekend of the 25th and 26th of June it will be time for the São Paulo World Cup, which is also worth points for London-2012.

Judo and Jiu-Jitsu black belt Leonardo Leite summed up what kind of marathon the athlete’s are in for, via Twitter: “It’s about to start, there’ll be six competitions in seven weekends.”