Alex at the podium. Photo: Reproduction

Based in the US state of Texas, Alex Martins, from AMBJJ, has plenty of reasons to celebrate. After the complicated period of restrictions of the pandemic, the black belt hit the Miami Open mats with all his strength and scored gold in the competition, shining among the middleweights and in the master 3 absolute.

With another event already in sight, Alex chatted with the GRACIEMAG team about the challenges he faced both in the isolation period and in his return to competition. Check the lines below and absorb valuable lessons from those who excelled in fighting. Oss!

GRACIEMAG: How did AMBJJ deal with the pandemic?

ALEX MARTINS: At the beginning, we had a lot of difficulties. Due to the social distance and isolation necessary to contain the virus, our classes were held through videoconferences. Our goal was to keep our students focused and disciplined while they stayed active in their homes. We held meetings, drills, and discussed techniques, all through video.

As the pandemic progressed, flexibility measures were implemented that allowed the reopening of certain establishments. How was this period for your gym?

Here in Texas, we have a very capable governor with immense understanding. After four months in isolation, he managed to open the state and our academy reopened. We had a list of observations and precautions we needed to follow to keep it going, such as social distance and occupancy limits. In this way, we reduced the classes and divided the times, but kept the activities. Due to the distance, we only did stretches, but after about a month, we were able to implement classes in pairs. Two months after the reopening, we went back to doing the regular sparring, but only in groups of two or three, to maintain control in case someone got infected.

How was the competitive training during this period?

At the end of 2020, we were able to return to a good level of training with the division of belts, so we started to give more focus to competitions. The IBJJF had already come back with events a few months before, but we preferred to talk it through, agreed to train in a safe and disciplined way, and come back to tournaments when we were ready.

You were recently champion at the Miami Open 2021. What was it like to return to competitive mats?

It was difficult, but I decided to fight in this event knowing it would be a challenge. The Miami Open welcomes many athletes from Florida, which is a place that has many strong gyms. I was aware of that, so I trained a lot and managed to be champion twice, weight and open class. In all, I fought six times, four of the victories were by submission and two were in points. It was a rewarding experience for me and I am very happy with my result.

Have your eyes on another tournament yet?

I’m going to participate in the American National, which will take place between June 24th and 26th, in Las Vegas. My category will be difficult, with several challenging athletes, but I like it anyway. The more strong opponents, the more I feel motivated to train. In addition to this event, I also want to participate in the Pan in September, but I am keeping my focus on the American National.

Photo: Personal archive

In search of new challenges, after having won a world title in 2019, Matheus Gabriel went up two weight divisions and started competing amongst the middleweights. At the No-Gi Pan, held in May in Texas, the black-belt from Checkmat won his first big no-gi title and, to boot, made his name stand out in a division featuring Hugo Marques (Ares BJJ), Felipinho Cesar (Unity) and Leonardo Silva (GFTeam) — three of the opponents he had to beat on his path to the gold medal.

In the final, he was faced with the extremely tough Hugo Marques and came out victorious by two points from a penalty, because as Matheus was trying to sweep, Hugo escaped to try to defend his position. It’s worth noting that this was among the matches most talked about online, and in a recent interview, the champion explained why.

“The final was a real battle; it was attack against attack,” Matheus said. “He tried to pass my guard, but fortunately I managed to sweep. I climbed the leg and he went outside, which ended up giving me points due to a penalty against him. He got angry, because he thought the ref shouldn’t have given me the points — but it’s the rule! They had posted and talked about this rule days before the event. Anyway, I won! But he didn’t show up at the podium; I thought there was a lack of professionalism from his part. I wouldn’t do that; it was ugly and it’s bad for the sport.”

Photo: Personal archive

Before the final, Matheus finished Michael Trasso via triangle and beat Leo Silva and Felipinho on points. Matheus proved, in practice, that the mass he had gained didn’t slow him down.

“I felt very good fighting at middleweight,” he said. “It was fun and at the same time challenging. Because of the fact that I moved up in weight, the BJJ media talked about it. I felt very good, I felt stronger, and I kept my speed. Fighting new opponents was challenging too, since I had been fighting as a featherweight for a long time. My differentiator in no-gi is to fight moving forward. My guard also helps me a lot. I have a good guard and know that without the gi, it’s very hard to get past the difficulty offered by the fight. I’m excited for my next challenges.”

This being only his second competition in no-gi, Matheus added: “I’m writing my story in the sport. I’m excited about the new possibilities and the visibility that fighting no-gi offers. I want to do superfights, compete in tourneys and show all my potential. Really excited!”

Matheus will be fighting again in June, when new competitions start getting announced.

Watch the final now:

JT Torres works a pass at the 2013 IBJJF Las Vegas Summer Open. Photo: Ivan Trindade

JT Torres recently won the black belt middleweight division at the IBJJF Las Vegas Summer Open this past weekend. After being on a seminar tour, he took to the mats in Sin City to get his competition fix. Traveling from his Atos academy in San Diego, CA under GMA member Andre Galvao, he proved his abilities with two matches ending in a gold medal.

JT spoke to GRACIEMAG about his matches and what he’s looking forward to in the near future:

GRACIEMAG: You’ve been on a tour of seminars around the states since June, so what was your motivation to finally compete again?

 JT TORRES: My motivation came back honestly shortly after arriving in San Diego. Before moving to San Diego it was a hectic and troubling time in my life, to the point where I could not focus on BJJ and considered calling it quits. Once I got over to the West Coast I was able to really let go of everything and clear my mind and refocus on my love for BJJ.

What were your matches like and how did you defeat both opponents? Was one tougher than the other?

My matches went really well. I was beating my first opponent before submitting him with a bow and arrow choke from the back. And then in my final match I was able to get the sweep and take the mount towards the end of the match and win 6-0. Both opponents were tough but I think Carlos Diego Ferreira was a little bit more experienced competition-wise.

Did you notice a difference between the middleweights and the usual lightweights that you go up against? Did you compete in the open weight?

The big difference I noticed was the speed. I feel that the lighter guys have the speed advantage. I did not compete in the open weight only because I am planning on competing a lot these upcoming weeks and did not want to risk injury fighting the bigger guys.

What is your focus these days? Will we see you participating in the no-gi season?

My focus these days are definitely no-gi. Professor Andre Galvao and my teammates Rafael Mendes and Keenan Cornelius are all fighting the upcoming ADCC, so I am in there everyday training with these guys in preparation for ADCC. Yes, you guys will definitely see me fighting in this year’s no-gi season! Hopefully ADCC as well If I can get an invitation for the 77 kg division!

Promoted to brown belt on the IBJJF Rio Open podium after double gold at purple belt. Photo: @moniqueelias Instagram

No longer seen as simply the wife of legendary black belt Mario Reis, Monique Elias has made her own legendary path. Today, Monique was promoted to brown belt on the podium of the IBJJF Rio Open after winning double gold at purple belt middleweight and the absolute.

Monique became a world champion in 2012 after winning the blue belt lightweight division and absolute. This year she won double gold at purple belt winning her two more world titles. It was only a matter of time before she gained the darker belt.

We look forward to seeing how Monique will do at her new belt!

See the promotion as filmed by our team in Brazil:

The 2012 and 2013 middleweight world champion and Gracie Barra star Otavio Sousa will be teaching a seminar at GMA Gracie Barra Seattle on August 17.

Otavio has been teaching full-time at the Gracie Barra headquarters in Irvine, CA while competing as often as he can from the local championships to the IBJJF NY Open when he took double gold. Known for his omoplata moves, Otavio is the best middleweight in the world so don’t miss out on this dual champion who can prove his moves on the competition mats but also teach those very moves to students.

The GMA is located at 270 S. Hanford St. Suite 101, Seattle, WA 98134. Pay before August 1 and the cost is $80 but after, it is $100.

To reserve your spot call 206-334-3327 or email info@gbseattle.com

For psychologist, Anderson plays characters to relieve pressure. Photo: Personal Archives

Former UFC champion Anderson Silva underwent constant pressure over these seven years as the owner of the middleweight belt. Coming from humble origins, having worked at McDonald’s for a period of time, the impact of becoming one of the biggest names in MMA can have consequences in the athlete’s psyche.

Anderson became famous, very famous. He was the biggest in a promotion that also has Jon Jones, GSP and other true geniuses of the sport, and with the fame came the duties of a champion. Seven years of photos, autographs, harassment from the press, hundreds of appointments outside the cage, challenging opponents. Stones thrown from all sides.

To fathom to what extent this pressure may have affected Anderson’s mindset, GRACIEMAG talked to psychologist Eduardo Coelho.

“Anderson has a lot of confidence,” said Coelho. “Nobody puts their face out there to get hit with their guard down if they don’t have a lot of confidence in their chin and their skills. Of course, he knew there had to be someone out there who could possibly defeat him other than a clone of himself. But even against dangerous adversaries, Anderson stuck to his game under the weight of years of owning the belt and of million-dollar contracts.”

As to the possible guilt being felt by Anderson, given his loss seemingly stemming from a careless posture, the psychologist has a couple of hypotheses.

“There are two possibilities: He either thinks that the defeat occurred because he overdid it with the taunting, or he thinks Weidman is actually better than him,” Coelho opined. “In this case I think he believes he lost due to error. He can’t let himself be consumed by the anger and guilt arising from having lost that way. And the question remains: What is Anderson’s motivation to keep fighting? That is what will be essential to his career and the way he’ll deal with pressure going forward.

“I don’t know Anderson, he is not my patient. So I do not know if he is disrespectful or provocative in his personal life. Or whether he is friendly and quick to smile in interviews, for example. He, like Muhammad Ali, is playing a part – and sometimes several. There are very good fighters who cannot fill a stadium like he does. Anderson attracts, he draws attention. But with that comes great pressure, against which he must possess great emotional endurance.”

Monique Elias didn’t just make it rain at the Worlds 2013, as a purple belt, she won three fights in weight and four in the absolute. Photo: Erin Herle

Student and wife of two-time world champion Mario Reis, purple belt Monique Elias, 23, competed in an almost perfect World Championship run, with seven fights, seven wins and six submissions.

There wasn’t much new, as Monique also won the middleweight and absolute at blue belt in 2012. Happy with the wins, the Alliance fighter told us, from Porto Alegre where she lives, what she learned from this victory, analyzed the open final with Polish competitor Maria Malyjasiak, and at the end of the interview gave a valuable lesson for practitioners of all levels.

GRACIEMAG: What was the difference between last year’s Worlds and this, besides the color of the belt?

MONIQUE ELIAS: The girls are more technical. At blue belt, many fights end decided on the will to win. But at purple, the opponents are more professional. All train well and work out. If you look at the matches, you see a lot of girls with a very smart game. So I changed my training too, I started doing fitness training with Wagner Zaccani, who prepares the Olympic Judo team in southern Brazil, and increased by Jiu-Jitsu training by two hours. I felt that I fought stronger with better timing and I was stronger psychologically.

For those who don’t know you, how is your style? How, for example, was the middleweight final against Meagan Green (Cia Paulista)?

I kept my strategy of pulling guard, as I did in other fights, and managed to submit with the triangle from the closed guard. I dominated with the right grips and submitted. This move is often used at home (laughs).

This pulls the next question: In what aspect does Mario Reis help more in the competitions?

Mario was the one who introduced me to Jiu-Jitsu, who taught me everything I know. He only helps me, motivating me a lot at the gym, not letting me relax, missing training, eating badly, repeating a wrong position, being late for training at the gym. He has walked this path I’m starting to follow, and knows to point out the best shortcuts.

And the pressure of being the wife of a two-time world champion, is it scary?

Sometimes I feel pressured because they require me to have great results just by being the wife of Reis. When I win, I hear: “She won because she is the wife of Mario and receives more attention from everybody.” Well, it has its share of truth, because he is really demanding with me. Imagine having your teacher with you 24 hours! It takes patience and knowing how to deal with this very well, because besides student and teacher, we are married, and when I’m home I do not want my teacher telling me what I have to do or not. On the other hand, when I lose, I hear: “Oh, I beat the wife of Mario Reis”. I am not only Mario’s wife, I’m an athlete who gave up many things in life, who trains a lot to get on top of the podium, who gives up nights out with friends, waking up early. I am an athlete like thousands of others trying to find their space in Jiu-Jitsu and the fact that I’m his wife doesn’t make things easier for me.

The absolute final against Polish Maria Malyjasiak (Drysdale JJ) was your toughest fight. How was it?

Exactly. Maria is very strong and can use the weight very well. I had three advantages, two were from almost sweeping and one for going to the back, when we ended up leaving the mat. She had two advantages, because I was on all fours to replace the guard and another from a foot attack. Being at the end of the open, I was tenser. Because she is a very tough girl and heavier than me, I ended up having to use more power and got more tired. But it was cool.

What was your biggest learning experience at this Worlds?

I learned the value of training with people who make things harder for me. Sometimes we want to get to the gym and do all our moves, use all our positions and not put ourselves in danger. In fact, the training that really teaches us are the hard ones, when we have a hard time, when we get our face all red. Those are the opponents that make us give our best all the time.

Otávio Sousa got his second middleweight world title at the 2013 Worlds. Photo: Ivan Trindade.

On the night of Tuesday, May 28, two days before the start of the 2013 World Championship, Otávio Sousa was the last athlete to depart Gracie Barra in Irvine, leaving only the cleaning crew behind.

It wasn’t just one final quick training session before facing some of the toughest competition around – instead it was one last class he had, er, got to teach the white and blue belts in the school. His gaze already sort of adrift in anticipation of the war he was about to fight at the Pyramid, Otávio taught his students some nice positions to use against side-control, the concept of fencing, submissions from the back.

That’s just one of many pieces of evidence that glory hasn’t changed Otávio, who works for five hours every day teaching beginners, his smile never fading.

In his downtime, the José “Zé Radiola” Olimpio pupil turns into a lion and battles five of the world’s greatest middleweights in succession, including Davi Ramos, Vitor Henrique Oliveira and Claudio Calasans, and then goes home with the gold. Just like 2012, by the way.

Monday at 9 a.m., not a full day after sweeping Calasans twice and scoring 4-2 to snatch another title, the disciplined Otávio Sousa is back teaching at Gracie Barra. His gaze now satisfied from another mission accomplished.

Claudio Calasans Jr during the bronze medal match with Tarsis, in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Dan Rod/ GRACIEMAG

On May 29, the eyes of fans, athletes and fighters will all be facing the Pyramid of Long Beach, California, which will host the great Jiu-Jitsu World Championship for its 18th edition.

Have you registered yet? Today is the last day! Do it here, at the IBJJF website.

GRACIEMAG promises live coverage in real time.

While we wait for the moment of truth, we investigated how the great gi stars are getting ready for it. In middleweight, for example, only the highly prepared ones will win.

The category will have the current champion Otavio Sousa, and also DJ Jackson, Victor Estima, Lucas Leite, Clark Gracie, Carlos Diego, Rafael Formiga, Davi Ramos, Victor Henrique, Ian McPherson, Eduardo Portuguese and, maybe the myth Marcelo Garcia.

Amongst all these tough ones, there is also Claudio Calasans, a submitter and owner of a complete game. The Atos professor in Sao Paulo is adjusting the details of his game at the camp of the Mendes brothers in Costa Mesa, California.

“When another training day is over, it seems like you already trained the whole week,” says Calasans, chatting with GRACIEMAG.

After the WPJJC Abu Dhabi and the ADCC trial in Rio de Janeiro, Calasans now wants the title that is missing on his career resume. To do so, he analyzed recent errors, reviewed the recent defeat to Otavio during the last moments at the 2012 Worlds and much more. Check it out:

GRACIEMAG: You faced a Jiu-Jitsu marathon, with the Abu Dhabi WPJJC, ADCC trial and the Brazilian Nationals. What was the final tally?

CLAUDIO CALASANS: In Abu Dhabi, the tally was two bronze, I was third in the weight and in the open class. I had won in my category for the past three years there, but in April, I made a mistake during the semifinals, and the black belt is like that, who misses first probably loses the fight. But it served to strengthen me for the next goal. In the ADCC trial, I had six fights and submitted in four of them. I did a good job and I played at my pace in every match, even without training much no-gi. At the Brazilian Nationals in Sao Paulo, everything was okay for me to fight, but I got hurt fighting the final of the ADCC trial and didn’t compete. I forgot the rules were different at the ADCC: when I was on the back of my opponent (Paulo Barauna), he made a move and I felt pain in my ribs. So I spared myself the fights to get to the Worlds in California well.

What have you learned in Abu Dhabi after all?

I learned that you have to enter in all competitions with a trick up your sleeve. Always train something new to surprise the opponents. Since now and then I get to the major championships strong, I think I’m always being studied.

How is the training with the Atos guys in California?

Great! When you finish a training day it seems that you’ve trained all week (laughs). It’s nice, I like to train with everyone gathered together, after the same goal. The goal is to get that title. I know I have to be at my best and prepare myself like I have never prepared before. I’m doing it and I’m sure I’ll have a great performance.

Last year you let the gold escape in the final against Otavio Sousa. What has changed for you since that Worlds?

I am coming experienced. Last year, I lost the final in the last 10 seconds. It made me grow a lot. I have to be focused on the fight the entire time. We can’t give the opponents a chance or leave it to the referees to decide. I’ve been trying to be more complete. I wasn’t training on top, for example, because I already had a good judoka base, but I reviewed it. Now I’ve been evolving to improve my timing and not miss the opportunity to takedown and score. I always train a lot of my guard and the guard passing. For each opponent, I will prepare a sharp strategy to make him feel him uncomfortable the whole time during the match.

So we will see new moves at the Pyramid?

Yeah, I’ve been training a few new things to surprise people. I am confident. And of course, respecting my opponents. However, I believe I’m the best of my weight today, and I’m going there to take the gold. Each fight will be a final. Everyone trains as much as I do, so it will be the little things, that something you have more than the opponent, which will make the difference between victory and defeat.

Are you fighting the open class this year too?

I always like to fight the absolute, I think I have a good base of takedowns, which is good against some heavy guys. But since the open class starts on Saturday, one day before the weight division, this year I’ll focus to get to the middleweight war.

The post Claudio Calasans fixes errors from 2012 to finally win at the Worlds first appeared on Graciemag.]]> https://www.graciemag.com/better-suited-for-185-pounds-gegard-mousasi-likely-dropping-to-ufcs-middleweight-ranks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=better-suited-for-185-pounds-gegard-mousasi-likely-dropping-to-ufcs-middleweight-ranks Mon, 20 May 2013 22:32:19 +0000 https://www.graciemag.com/?p=83468 Gegard Mousasi watched last weekend’s UFC on FX 8 card, and was impressed with Vitor Belfort’s knockout of former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold. Mousasi’s reaction to the outcome: Belfort did well. Watching the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the world was likely more homework than entertainment for the light heavyweight, however, as Mousasi now has his…

(L-R) Gegard Mousasi punches Ilir Latifi in their light heavyweight fight at the Ericsson Globe Arena on April 6, 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Gegard Mousasi watched last weekend’s UFC on FX 8 card, and was impressed with Vitor Belfort’s knockout of former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold.

Mousasi’s reaction to the outcome: Belfort did well. Watching the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the world was likely more homework than entertainment for the light heavyweight, however, as Mousasi now has his eyes set on a drop to 185 pounds.

“I think 185 is more suited for my body frame,” Mousasi told GRACIEMAG.com on Monday. “It’s a big possibility that I will go (down in weight class).”

Mousasi said that he is yet to discuss with the UFC about when he plans to drop to the middleweight division, but explained that he wants to maximize his strengths in the Octagon. The former Strikeforce and DREAM light heavyweight champion said that he’s confident moving to 185 pounds will maximize those strengths.

A few weeks ago, the fighter wrote on Twitter, asking what people thought about a drop to middleweight. The response was positive, Mousasi said. And despite previous reluctancy to cut the weight necessary to make 185, the Dutch-Armenian mixed martial artist said he is now more open to the idea.

“The last couple of fights … I didn’t need a lot of weight cutting. It was much easier to make the weight,” Mousasi said, adding that in his last fight, a match with last-minute replacement Ilir Latifi, he didn’t have to cut much weight at all. “In the past I thought (light heavyweight) was better for me, but I’m more open to middleweight. I have options: Go try out 205, (and) if it doesn’t work out, go to 185.

“I think I would be successful in both divisions, but I give less advantage to my opponent (at middleweight).”

In terms of who Mousasi would like to fight at 185 pounds, he said anyone in the division would be good. His manager, Nima Safapour, recently said that his fighter’s move to middleweight would make the most sense if it came with a fight against one of the best in the division.

“Gegard is very serious about doing it,” Safapour said in an email to GRACIEMAG.com, referencing the drop in weight class. “However, it would only make sense for him if he was offered a top five fighter upon entering the division.”

Vitor Belfort, for example, is right up there with the top of the weight class. A fight with him, Mousasi said, would be a good match-up. Following his win at UFC on FX 8 — as well as in recent months — Belfort has come under fire for undergoing testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) while competing in the UFC. The procedure has been described as cheating in many circles and numerous personalities within the industry, including UFC President Dana White, have criticized those who have gone the route of TRT.

Mousasi, however, isn’t so critical. The fighter said that skills hold more weight in determining the outcome of a fight than that of artificial testosterone, and he would welcome the opportunity to fight Belfort, regardless of the scrutiny that he’s under.

“I’m not afraid of fighting him,” Mousasi said. “Of course (TRT) gives an advantage … But in the end, a fight is a fight (and) if you’re skilled enough, it shouldn’t matter that a guy is on TRT or not.”

Testosterone aside, Mousasi’s drop to middleweight won’t come for another several months because of a knee injury he sustained leading into his most recent bout. The fighter said he won’t return to training at 100 percent for another three to four months, but when he does come back, a middleweight tilt will likely be his next challenge.

Who Mousasi’s first 185-pound challenge will be, specifically? That won’t be answered today. But as he recovers from injury and watches guys like Belfort win middleweight fights in devastating fashion, Mousasi’s confidence isn’t shaken one bit.

“There’s no one in 185 that I could lose to or I would have a hard fight with,” he said. “I’m capable of beating anybody at 185.”

The post Better ‘suited’ for 185 pounds, Gegard Mousasi likely dropping to UFC’s middleweight ranks first appeared on Graciemag.]]>