Romulo Barral is the 2013 medium heavyweight world champion. Photo: Ivan Trindade.

The 2013 Worlds were necessarily going to produce a four-time world champion. Many analysts and audience members thought that was going to be Rafael Mendes or his brother, Guilherme, but very few bet heavily on Romulo Barral or Braulio Estima, both from Gracie Barra.

Braulio wasn’t even his own favorite, since he had underperformed at Copa Pódio and arrived exhausted from England. His first idea was to use the Mundial to train for his fight versus Rodolfo Vieira, next Sunday at Metamoris in Los Angeles. But as it turns out, his technique was pretty darn sharp, so much so that Braulio caught the arm of Brazilian champion and GB teammate Rodrigo Pimpolho, and opened a wide 6-0 over André Galvão with a sweep and a trip to his back in the semifinal that ended 6-2.

In Barral’s case the question was also posed by his physical condition, as he’d had a muscle tear at the Abu Dhabi WPJJC during the final versus Galvão. “It was sick, my leg got all black. But I looked at the calendar and told myself: I have a month and a half to do physical therapy, get better and fight at the year’s biggest event,” recalls Romulo, who hardly cared he was coming off a loss to Guto Campos at the Pan American. “I lost my grip when we were shuffling and he cleverly jumped and landed on my side; it wasn’t that sort of concrete guard pass that makes me doubt my game.”

As he arrived in Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid to guide his pupils, Barral met with master Vinicius Draculino. The following exchange took place:

“How’s the leg? You 100%?” asked Draculino.

“Absolutely one hundred! I suffered but I wasn’t gonna let one muscle stop me from competing here,” smiled Barral.

“So if you are at 100%, listen to me: no one is gonna stop you this year. Tell me this: why do you practice Jiu-Jitsu?”

“Why, because I like it a lot, and besides –”

“Stop right there, that’s all I need to hear. If you love this, get in there and crush whoever’s in your path!”

In the end, having overcome the likes of Guto Campos along the way, Romulo and Braulio closed out the medium-heavyweight division. The former got his fourth title; the latter took the gold medal.

Vitor Belfort: the Brazilian ace feels GSP vs. Anderson makes no sense. Photo by Josh Hedges.

One of the fights MMA fans dream of most is causing a stir among the public, journalists and fighters alike.

UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and middleweight king Anderson Silva may face off in 2013, according to repeated promises from UFC president Dana White. However, in opposition to all those hoping to see the two superstars lock horns, there are athletes and experts in the fight world who feel the bout shouldn’t be made.

Vitor Belfort, who was overcome by Anderson Silva at UFC 126 and is coming off a loss to Jon Jones at UFC 152, has said that a fight between the “Spider” and St-Pierre makes no sense. Also, he said the one Silva should be fighting is Jon Jones.

“Anderson vs. GSP makes no sense. It would make sense for Anderson to fight Jon Jones. Anderson is at a different level. By that I don’t mean to discredit Jones, but as credit to Anderson. He’s one of the best there’s ever been; I always felt that,” Belfort said in O Globo newspaper’s MMA blog.

Still, Belfort underscores the hardships Silva has endured and states that he would beat “Bones” Jones standing, even if the 185-pound champ were to face him in the light heavyweight division.

“To me it’s great to see Anderson’s success. I know what he’s been through, and the level he’s at is way up there. He should either defend his belt or fight for the belt of the weight class above his. I feel Anderson would likely beat Jones. He’d beat Jones on the feet,” Belfort said.

Negotiations for a superfight between St-Pierre and Silva are going full swing, yet no official conclusion has been reached. Yesterday, GSP had to deny rumors that he had asked for 50 million dollars to face Silva.

As for Vitor Belfort, he will be taking on Michael Bisping on Jan. 19 at UFC on FX 7 at Ginásio Ibirapuera arena in São Paulo, Brazil.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section.

Can Dan Henderson’s experience and maturity be a match for the youth and dexterity of Jon Jones, the 205 lb champion for four fights and a year and a half now?

To Hendo, the road to victory is paved with gas, surprising and punishing Jones standing for five rounds. Can he pull it off?Watch the video produced by the UFC and share your predictions regarding, UFC 151, coming up September 1.

Competition areas at Brazilian Nationals 2012 / Photo: William Burkhardt/CBJJ

CheckMat black belt Nivaldo Oliveira had his work cut out for him in winning his first Brazilian National title at black belt, last weekend. In the medium heavyweight semfinals the Rodrigo Cavaca student overcame world-title collector Rômulo Barral of Gracie Barra.

Watch them in action:

Kayron Gracie, a teacher and competitor from Gracie Barra, sinking the choke from behind / Photo: John Lamonica/GRACIEMAG

Medium heavyweight competitor Kayron Gracie was one of the black belts who wasn’t content to merely win on points at the 2012 Pan, and with his ever more sightly Jiu-Jitsu, tapped out Vitor Toledo (Atos Jiu-Jitsu).

Watch Gracie Barra‘s top teacher get the finish, and let us know what you think about the position.

Medium heavyweight world champion Sérgio Moraes / Photos: Deb Blyth

If Alliance’s two-time Gi Jiu-Jitsu world champion Sergio Moraes ever decides to leave Jiu-Jitsu for another job, the TV show “Dancing With the Stars” is calling. Moraes, who won gold in the medium heavy weight division, beating GB superstar Romulo Barral, was so happy with his achievement, he made a heart on the mats with his black belt and stood in the middle of it. Then the showman did a back flip and, to the crowd’s delight, started dancing.

Moraes, who captured the middleweight title in 2008, says winning the Worlds multiple times (he closed out with Marcelo Garcia in 2009) doesn’t take anything away from his 2011 win. “It always feels like the first time,” he smiles, “It’s a really great feeling!”

Moraes, who started training Jiu-Jitsu at 14 years old and who is now 28, comes from a very humble family in São Paulo, Brazil – the Cohab2 low-income housing tract to be exact. He says his father taught him at an early age that he could accomplish anything he wanted to do in life, and that Jiu-Jitsu has only emphasized that point. As a professor, this is the message he wants to get across to his students. “I tell my students to never let anything stop them from reaching their dreams,” he says, “I don’t specify only Jiu-Jitsu when I talk about this. You should never let anyone hold you back from what you want. Nothing is impossible. This is what I learned from my father and what I want to teach others. Everything you want in life you can get if you just believe in yourself.”

Moraes, who definitely believes in himself and is quite the comedian, says his whole life is Jiu-Jitsu. “I don’t know anything else,” he says. Well, that’s not necessarily true. He does know how to dance. “I’m actually here to teach dancing,” he jokes about his time in the US, “Not to do Jiu-Jitsu.” Could have fooled us!

Buiú rallied back in his match with Murilo Santana by achieving back mount. They may meet again at the Worlds. Photo: Carlos Ozório.

It’s midday in the Cosme Velho borough of Rio de Janeiro, and it’s gridlock. Between the lines of cars, the No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu champion of Brazil is in his underwear.

It’s Kléber “Buiú” Paulino, who in his spare time moonlights as a model and there are posters of him on a number of buses around the city, even ones of him in his underwear.

But his career as teacher and fighter is what truly gives the Gracie Barra black belt pleasure, and that’s why he’s taking off for Long Beach, California, tomorrow, to compete at the No-Gi Worlds to take place on the 7th.

“I’m going in as a medium heavyweight again, like I did at the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals last weekend. I should run into Murilo Santana again, like we did in the final in Tijuca. And then there’s Pablo Popovitch, Marcello Salazar… We’re all going to be there,” says Buiú, who also won the Rio Open, in the gi, earlier this year.

“I feel my game favors No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu, as I like to be explosive and get on top, take my opponents down and attack from the top. Thank God everything’s been going well in the gi, too; but no-gi, because of my gas, I go for it till the last minute and the fight flows freely,” he explains.

Check back for coverage of the No-Gi Worlds here, on GRACIEMAG.com.

We sat down for a chat with one of these teachers, Las Vegas Open champion Marco Antonio “Sharpei” Giudice Machado, who recently moved to the USA to bolster Robert Drysdale’s team in California.

You even switched teams before coming here. How did that go, and how’s your new life?
It was a really difficult decision, as I had to change teams. I was at Barbosa and Robert called on me to be part of his team. I liked the offer and accepted. Now I live in Lancaster and am teaching at Kemos Fight Factory. There are excellent training partners: Lucas Leite, Lapela, João Assis, Mike and Sergio Bomba; we have all we need for professional training. And everyone’s really good people here, too.

But Robert’s one of your best friends, right? Is that the reason for the move…
Yes, “Cumbuca” is one of my best friends. I’ve known Robert since I was ten; we’ve been training together since the Master days, then at TT and finally Brasa. His Jiu-Jitsu is incredible; he helps me a lot even though he’s now focused on MMA. He’s really sharp without the gi. I believe soon he’ll be giving the guys at the UFC a hard time.

You just won the medium heavyweight division at the Las Vegas Open. How is your Jiu-Jitsu career coming along?
At black belt everything’s coming along really well; I’ve been competing as a black belt for two years and managed to win some titles. I have a lot to improve on to achieve more, and that’s what I’m working towards. And things here in California are going really well, I competed at three tourneys and won all three: the Joe Moreira, South Bay, and Las Vegas Open tournaments. I hope to keep evolving along with my team.

You had an even match with Tarsis Humphreys at the last Brazilian Nationals. How did that go?
It was 0 to 0. I went up against Tarsis in the quarterfinals of this year’s Brazilian Nationals. It was the third match and the winner would go through to the semifinals. I like his Jiu-Jitsu a lot; I’ve known him a long time. But I feel I attacked a lot more than he did, both standing and on the ground. No one scored any points. I feel leaving it in the hands of the judges is bad all around, for him, for me and especially, the referee. We’ll cross paths again in the future and I hope we have a great match.

What’s your next commitment?
My plans for now are the American Nationals, the Miami Open and two important no-gi championships: the Pan and the Worlds. And then, of course, to train a lot for the 2011 Pan and Worlds. I have a lot I need to do in Jiu-Jitsu, and I hope, God willing, to overcome all the obstacles and get gold at the Worlds. Without a doubt that’s by main goal as a competitor.

What’s your advice for someone who wants to move to another country and teach Jiu-Jitsu?
It’s hard work, lots of classes, coupled with hard training. But it’s gratifying, especially when you start seeing results, like growth in the academy and moving up the ranks at championships. I believe there’s room for everybody, but my advice is: anyone who comes to the USA, come willing to work. Because in Brazil all everybody wants to do is train and complain about not finding a place for themselves. There’s no lack of Jiu-Jitsu gyms in California. You have to come determined.

Tarsis made it, winning his first world championship gold medal. Photo: Alicia Anthony.

Tarsis Humphreys’s gold medal-winning display in the medium heavyweight final wasn’t just a great personal achievement for the beast from Alliance, but it also shook the absolute.

In a match where Rominho Barral was working comfortably from top position, Tarsis sunk a straight kneebar that had Barral writhing in pain and in need of medical attention.

Congratulations Tarsis… Now what about Roger, is he the three-time champ? Let’s wait and see.

Don’t forget to check out the complete coverage of the Worlds 2010 on the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog.

“Penny is really flexible and stronger than I am; it was great. Now I’m going to hit the barbecue,” said the diminutive champion after one of the great matches of the championship. Congratulations, girls!

Don’t forget to check out the complete coverage of the Worlds 2010 on the GRACIEMAG at the Worlds Blog.