Fabio Leopoldo made the cover and the top of the list twice for best in Ventura Country in the VC Register. Photo: Fabio Leopoldo

GMA member Fabio Leopoldo was voted the best martial arts instructor and his academy, Gracie Morumbi, was voted best martial arts school by the Ventura County Register for the 2013 year. This is his fifth year in a row winning the prestigious title. Fabio also made the cover of the “VC Reporter” with the best business of the county (left on the picture above).

The multiple-time world champion runs three locations in Ventura County, CA: Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Ventura. Along with this wife Dini and her certified kettlebell classes along with the kids, adult and women’s programs make the academies a great place for many goals to be reached.

Fabio Leopoldo (left) and business partner Erik Klinger

Fabio is still no stranger to competition and will be competing in the 2013 IBJJF Masters & Seniors World Championship on October 5-6 in the black belt senior 1 heavyweight division.

For more information regarding Gracie Morumbi, their classes and locations go to www.graciemorumbi.com

Xande defends against a passing Bernardo Faria in the 2010 World Championship final. Photo by Regis Chen/GRACIEMAG.

The current world runner-up in the heavyweight division and the owner of the gold medal from the absolute division of the first ever World Masters & Seniors Championship, held last month in California, Xande Ribeiro wields a classic and complete modern Jiu-Jitsu game.

The Jiu-Jitsu professor at California-based Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Academy and one of the standouts from Metamoris Pro, Ribeiro pops in at GRACIEMAG.com to teach you to use your defensive guard to make things rough on all the on-duty passers.

“If the opponent sinks one grip on my pants and another on my lapel, cutting their knee inwards to pass, I set up my defense: My left leg goes at the opponent’s hip and, using my hands, I push his shoulder. Now I turn my hip inwards, defending the pass,” he explains in the video lesson below.

Picked up on all the details? Let us know below.

Daniel Beleza atop the podium at the 2012 Boston Open / Personal archive photo

The inaugural Master & Senior World Championship is set to go down October 7 at California’s Long Beach Pyramid, and Jiu-Jitsu’s toughest veterans are already gearing up to see action at the IBJJF-promoted tournament.

Names like Carlos Holanda, Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva, Rodrigo Munduruca, Bernardo Pitel, Daniel Beleza and Cassio Werneck are all set to take to the mats in combat.

“I haven’t done anything special, just plain old training. Competing over there won’t be some grueling ordeal; it’ll be a pleasure,” says Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda. “Of course, I know I’m going to run into old rivals. But I’ve tested myself in the division on two occasions, and I won. To make the most of the two months I’ll be in the States, in November I’ll compete at the No-Gi Worlds, an event I’ll be taking part in for the fourth time in a row.”

Now Daniel Beleza, who recently won the Boston Open light featherweight adult division for the second time, is doing his final preparations for both competitions. “I’ll likely compete at the Master Worlds and then head to New York for the Abu Dhabi WPJJC Trials. My training’s been going off; I’ve been really honing my bottom game,” said the Francisco “Sazinho” Sá student.

To prove just how slick his guard has gotten, Daniel Beleza sent GRACIEMAG.com the following exclusive video of a triangle from closed guard.

The black belt shows just how much of a chess game Jiu-Jitsu is. Should the opponent posture out of the triangle, Daniel goes for the omoplata, a move covered in extensive detail in GRACIEMAG #186, now at a bookstore near you.

To secure your spot among the toughest “old guard” on the planet, click here. The sign-up deadline is September 29, so register while you can.