André Galvão catches another neck, at Abu Dhabis trials. GRACIEMAG archive photo.

GRACIEMAG: Do you train differently for a 20-minute match where points don’t count? How are you preparing to face Ryron Gracie at Metamoris Pro this October 14?

ANDRÉ GALVÃO: I’m still training normally. For me nothing’s changed. I’m going there to win. I’m going to do my job as always. I see all this as being normal. The only difference is that it’s a challenge. This is the second time that Ralek Gracie [organizer of the event] and his brothers invite me to a challenge of this sort. So I accepted it under their rules. Now I’m just going to go there and do my job. I want to show my Jiu-Jitsu. I want to leave with my arm raised.

What do you think of the innovative rules? Is a 20-minute match with no points good for the fans? Is it good for Jiu-Jitsu?

In my opinion, the rules are fine for someone who wants to drag out a draw; in other words, for someone who wants to play defense the whole time. These rules were made to favor someone; that much is obvious. I prefer a points system, and I’ll explain why. It’s the same thing as doing judo and only ippons counting, or wrestling where all that counts is the touch, or boxing and MMA for the knockout. And all that within regulation time. I don’t feel it’s good for Jiu-Jitsu. A fight to the finish without a time limit is different deal. But to the finish with a time limit, that changes things, since the fighter has to work against the time factor just like a normal competition. I prefer Rickson’s rules for Budo Challenge, for example, with points for the one who attacks more.

Were you surprised when you were invited to face Ryron at Metamoris Pro?

I accepted because I like challenges. I like it. This is my life. Surprised? No, because there’s always someone who wants to fight me, especially those who need to make a name for themselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFQB1oJyeOA

There are those saying he’s the underdog. There are others saying that’s not quite the case. What do you think?

You have to ask him what Jiu-Jitsu titles he holds. Look, I gave him an opportunity to compete against me. To try and say that I’m the underdog is a joke, isn’t it? I’m going to compete because I love Jiu-Jitsu. And if I win, they’ll say, “Sure, but it was against Galvão…” But if he beats me they’ll be shouting, “Dude, did you see what happened at the Metamoris Pro in San Diego???” So he certainly has a lot more to gain than I do… So I’m going to go there, compete like I always do, stick my neck out like I always do. Whatever happens, I’ll still be the same André Galvão I’ve always been.

You’ll be fighting right where you live, in San Diego, California. Do you think the crowd will be on your side?

I think they [the opposing team] will even take a band to cheer for them, and maybe even give free tickets away to their students… And it’s not far from Los Angeles, either. But I do hope to have my own noisy cheering section. I love when people cheer for me.

What’s your view of Jiu-Jitsu’s evolving into what it is today?

In the past, Jiu-Jitsu was real crude. Sometimes there was a really heavy atmosphere about it. The gang was really reserved and there was no contact between people who trained at different teams. Today things have evolved a lot. Jiu-Jitsu’s a sport. The gang trains a lot and the positions evolve a lot. It’s really different, much more professional. Look at how much has happened since the first Worlds, in 1996… In the future there will be even greater evolution in terms of sport, education and health. In five years Jiu-Jitsu will be at a different level. And it’s beautiful to see all that! Folks already recognize that there is no martial art more beneficial than Jiu-Jitsu.

Ryron Gracie: Rorion’s son is one of the stars of Metamoris Pro, coming up October 14 in San Diego. He will be taking on André Galvão (left). Publicity photo.

GRACIEMAG: This October 14 at the inaugural Metamoris Pro, you will be taking on André Galvão, one of Jiu-Jitsu’s greats, in a gi match where you have to tap the opponent out in order to win. Does representing the Gracie name in such a match come with a lot of pressure?

RYRON: I believe that years ago I’d have felt pressure, but things are different these days. Win or lose, the Gracie name comes out on top, because Jiu-Jitsu is the biggest winner. And thus the family legacy continues. So there isn’t much pressure. And it’s just a match; it’s no big deal. Even so, I’m training every day to not let such pressure enter my mind.

What will change in your career after the match, win or lose?

A win will mostly show that my game isn’t weak. People don’t know me; have never trained with me, so my game is an unknown to my opponents. I want to test myself; that’s why I want to fight. Now if I lose to Galvão, I don’t think much will change. My students, for example, didn’t learn Jiu-Jitsu with me because I’m a champion; they’re my students because I teach Jiu-Jitsu in a pleasant environment, I teach self-defense, I teach life lessons, about health and how to eat properly along the lines of what my grandfather Helio Gracie used to preach as a philosophy and lifestyle. Everything Helio Gracie taught my father we continue teaching to the world. Even if I lose, my students will still like training with me.

What’s your take on André Galvão as an opponent?

If it were a match where points count, I’d have no doubt that André would win it. He’s really tough, has good base, is really strong and technical. If he gets on top of me and controls the fight, he’ll easily win on points. And it’s not my style to be on bottom using force to get out. My style’s different. I need time to work; I like longer matches. And that’s another reason why I entered this championship. Fighting without points is a way of showing the Jiu-Jitsu I believe in, where the art’s effectiveness is more apparent. My grandfather always said, “I never defeated my opponents; they defeated themselves.” It’s the opponent that makes the mistake, and you capitalize on it to win.

Do you trust he’ll make a mistake? You don’t compete too often, and he’s always in the big championships…

Even though I haven’t competed at a World Championship, I train with a lot of high level black belts. Some of these guys have already faced André. Some of them have beat him. Others have lost close matches on points… I train without the gi a lot with my brothers and MMA fighters too. So the main thing I want is to use Helio Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu, which was about knowing how to defend and survive in any situation. What I know is this: It’ll won’t be easy to tap me out.

I want to see what he has up his sleeve and what he’ll do to surprise me. If I tap, fine… But I plan to have a good gas tank so he wears out and I can start putting pressure on him too. I’ve fought for 50 minutes, an hour many times before. Let’s see how it goes in 20 minutes. All I know is that I haven’t met a lot of people with gas like I’ve got.

How is your training going? Have you watched any of André Galvão’s matches?

I train every day and teach Jiu-Jitsu class, which I see as a really important part of training. I never stop. I never drink. I only eat according to the Gracie Diet. I live and breathe Jiu-Jitsu morning, afternoon and night. I’ve only seen two of his fights. I have to study his game more to drum up a strategy. I’m just starting to see his Jiu-Jitsu, and I admire it too, because as you said, he’s one of the best in the world.

What’s the main lesson you learned from your late grandfather Helio Gracie (1913-2009)?

To my grandfather, Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, teacher, lawyer—Jiu-Jitsu’s for you. In the end his message was this: give Jiu-Jitsu a chance; try it out. A lot of people think it’s only for professionals, for fighters, for healthy athletes; but it’s not. Jiu-Jitsu’s magic is that it’s there for anyone who wants to learn to defend themselves, get in shape, make friends and feel a different kind of energy.

To wrap up, tell us about the success of your “Gracie Breakdown” videos, which were such a hit on the internet that they’re now being broadcast on Fuel TV. Is explaining the moves from the UFC and Strikeforce an innovative way of popularizing Jiu-Jitsu?

We’ve even got a new project on the internet, http://www.keepitplayful.com. I think our plan is to show the world that MMA and Jiu-Jitsu are there side by side. Sometimes I feel like people think so much about MMA that they forget about Jiu-Jitsu. There are fighters starting out in the UFC who don’t know who Helio Gracie was. There are some who don’t even know who Royce was (laughs). So my family is here to not let anyone forget about or leave out Jiu-Jitsu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1N23qOTqZo