Pablo beat Saggioro 5-3 to become the champion in the Professional black belt lightweight division. Photo: Personal archive

After succeeding in structuring his personal life in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, Pablo Mantovani resumed doing what he has always done well: competing. A teacher and athlete full-time, Pablo proved, in practice, that he is sharper than ever as he won the Grand Slam in Moscow, Russia.

In the tournament held by the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro Tour (AJP), Pablo conquered the 69kg division when he defeated Leonardo Saggioro (BTT) in the final, scoring 5 points to Saggioro’s 3, with a guard pass and a back-take. Pablo’s path was not easy: he also had to eliminate Abubakar Khadaev and win a tough battle against Raul Basílio in the semifinal, where the score was 4-4.

In a recent interview, Pablo analyzed his fight with Saggioro, one of the biggest names in the division.

“I’ve been following him for a while,” said Pablo. “He’s done a World Championship final with Rubens Cobrinha, he’s done several tough fights with Rafael Mendes, and because of that, I knew I couldn’t afford to make mistakes. I left my comfort zone, and since I’m a guard player, I decided to take on his guard and try to pass. He has a good guard pass; that was when I decided to move away from his strong game. In the fight, he pulled; I accelerated to pass and take the back. Later, I ended up losing the back adjustments, and he put pressure to try to pass, but I managed to contain his impetus.”

Victory against great athletes, a Grand Slam title and lots of confidence once again. But how did Pablo keep his mind strong even after going a fair bit of time without competing? He explained:

“I believe that now, at 26, I’ve reached the maturity of an adult. What do I mean by that maturity? I mean not feeling pressure. Many times, I lost tournaments due to feeling pressured to win or because my opponent was tough. This time was different; I ignored that factor. I simply went there to have fun. I didn’t put pressure on myself before fighting; I was just a lot more focused this time. I fought moving forward because I wanted to win. Maturity was a determining factor in my victory.

“I read a few times that other athletes became world champions when they lost the fear of making mistakes. I just did what had to be done: I believed in my game and my potential. It made a big difference. I was ready to become champion — that’s my mindset. It’s to fight moving forward, whether on top or on the bottom, without the fear of making mistakes.”

It’s worth noting that when Pablo isn’t teaching at Baniyas Sport Club, he’s training with the Abu Dhabi national team, led by Ramon Lemos, which brings together some BJJ fighters that reside in the UAE. All the methodology that was being used at Atos Jiu-Jitsu gets applied to the team.

Pablo Mantovani offers advice to up your game. Photo: Personal archive

Pablo Mantovani, 26, became a guard specialist in the course of his jiu-jitsu education. With almost 17 years’ experience, he has accumulated titles from the IBJJF Worlds, ADCC trials and many IBJJF opens.

Today, Pablo, who represents Atos and teaches in Abu Dhabi, presents three concepts to help you get a dangerous guard in 2021. First off, he warns:

“It’s important for you to study, but don’t forget to practice. Having a good guard is a consequence of intelligent training. Always choose to train often with your gym’s strongest passer, don’t get sad if get your guard passed in training, and remember: it’s better to make a mistake during training than in a competition.”

1. Make grips

Because I’m a versatile athlete, due to having an easy time fighting on top and on the bottom, I know the main paths a passer uses when trying to get past the guard player’s legs to reach the side. When you pull guard, never, under any circumstances, refrain from making grips, whether on the sleeve or the collar. You need to have control to keep the distance or bring your opponent closer. Having a good grip will save you in 50% of all situations. A passer’s paradise is when they see that the guard player is playing guard without grips.

2. Protect your pants

When my opponent pulls with me, I analyze, in a first moment, whether he’s going to come up or stay together on the guard with me. With that done, I focus on his arms so that he doesn’t make grips on my pants, which prevents me from moving my legs. In order for your takedown to always be dangerous, prevent your opponent from making grips on your pants. The secret is to control your opponent’s arms, which puts you ahead of them the whole time.

3. Take the initiative

When I seek to play guard, I already have my first action in mind. When I pull guard, I already want to play the closed guard to launch my attacks, but when my opponent blocks, I’ll wrap him in the lapel or place him in the spider guard, to develop my strategy during the match. When the guard player accepts someone else’s game, which is when you take too long to act, you’re telling your opponent that they are in command. The guard game commands the fight. Remember that.