Royler Gracie durante aula com o amigo e aluno Vini Aieta. Foto: Gallerr

Certa vez, os irmãos Rickson e Royler Gracie saíam da academia de Jiu-Jitsu prontos para uma missão definitivamente suave: caçar boas ondas.

Com as pranchas no teto do carro, deixaram o kimono na Gracie Humaitá e zarparam, para encontrar um trânsito daqueles rumo às praias da Barra da Tijuca.

Quarenta anos depois, eles ainda se lembram da conturbada viagem. E da lição que aquele dia que rendeu.

Ocorreu que Rickson estava ao volante, e acabou por se distrair e fechar inadvertidamente um táxi amarelinho.

O piloto de praça, sem saber que dupla aquele velho carro transportava, não se segurou dentro das calças. Começou a buzinar feito louco, até conseguir emparelhar e disparar todos os xingamentos que conhecia, e mais alguns.

Até para desopilar.

Rickson virou-se para a janela do carro, respirou e mandou o seguinte ao motorista em fúria:

– Me desculpe, irmão. Não foi proposital. Me perdoe – disse o jovem Rickson, enquanto o carro amarelo seguia viagem.

O diálogo que se seguiu na caranga dos Gracie foi o seguinte:

– Peraí Rickson! O cara xingou você de um monte de nomes. Por que você pediu desculpas?

– Royler… Você é capaz de imaginar o inferno que é a profissão desse cara? Trabalhar em meio ao trânsito maluco do Rio de Janeiro, morar longe, rodar toda cidade…

– Mas o cara não pode falar assim.

– Você e eu estamos indo surfar, após um dia maravilhoso de treinos contra vários caras duríssimos. Eu vou ganhar o quê, parando o carro para me embolar com ele aqui na rua? O homem é velho, totalmente fora de forma. Acha sinceramente que vale a pena brigar com um cara assim só porque ele me xingou de um monte de nomes? Nada melhor do que perdoá-lo. Ele que brigue com a vida, não comigo. Perdoe o homem. Deixemos isso para lá.

No banco do carona, Royler se pôs pensativo. No fim das contas, as ondas estavam de fato ótimas e o mar, relaxante. Tempos e tempos depois, o ídolo peso-pena admitiu ao irmão mais velho:

– Rickson, ainda lembra aquele dia quando apareceu o taxista? Aquele seu recado me acertou em cheio no coração. Aprendi ali que a gente não precisa provar nada para os outros, nem para si mesmo. Eu sei que posso facilmente castigar o sujeito que vier me ofender. Manter a calma, no fim, é a verdadeira vitória.

E você, já aprendeu a perdoar como os mestres Rickson e Royler, após tantos anos de Jiu-Jitsu? Mesmo no trânsito insano da sua cidade?

Bons treinos e bons aprendizados, sempre.

Raphael Barbosa is a Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. Photo: Personal archive

Raphael Barbosa is a renowned Jiu-Jitsu professor in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Today, the responsible for the development of Jiu-Jitsu in the UFC Gym chain of academies, the black belt followed the evolution of the sport closely , since he started training at 15 years old.

Raphael made an analysis on how the sport, which used to be treated with disbelief, is now treated as an important part of the personal development of children, young people and adults around the world. The appreciation creates opportunities at all sectors of Jiu-Jitsu.

” Jiu-Jitsu has evolved a lot in the last decade, from new techniques and styles to the materials used”, points out Raphael.

“The practice of Jiu-Jitsu has become more and more popular and its popularity leads to greater competitiveness, which means that Jiu-Jitsu practitioners need to put more effort into improving their skills. Technology has been useful in the development of Jiu-Jitsu, as it helps improve practitioners’ training and disseminate information. The sport is capable of offering opportunities for people to live well in Brazil or anywhere around the world. Whoever is a professional will collect the opportunities and I am living proof of that, I am collecting the rewards. Many things have changed in the transition from Jiu-Jitsu to the current market. Before, the sport was more aimed at people who were interested in training and results (competition). Nowadays, howwever, the Jiu-Jitsu industry has grown quickly and there is a great demand for its services, a sport for everyone, where we can improve the quality of life among other things”, comments Raphael, who has more than 15 years in the black belt.

For Raphael, the current grappling scene has been the main door for the spread of the sport, in general, but he doesn’t believe in a comparison between gi disputes. “I believe that grappling competitions have grown more and more and can be quite successful, especially for those practitioners who already understand Jiu-Jitsu”, says the black belt. However, it’s important to remember that both fighting styles have their own strengths and advantages, and can be used effectively for competitive purposes. I don’t think that grappling is going to erase gi disputes. I believe that we are going to have a greater evolution of a style that for a while was not as explored as it is today”, reflects the professor

Studious as he is, professor Raphael has followed grappling competitions and followed the phenomenon Gordon Ryan, the greatest athlete of our time. In close, he analyzes the main differences of the American.

“In my view, what sets Gordon Ryan apart from the rest is his incomparable dedication and discipline when it comes to grappling”, says Barbosa. “He has a lot of knowledge about the game and a sense of leadership that is reflected on his performances. Furthermore, he is an inspiration to many practitioners when it comes to marketing. We can take the good part in all things, I won’t say that I agree with everything he does, but at the promotion are he is different. I believe that today he earns much more than many athletes who are in the UFC”, analyzes the professor

Pedro Rocha started his competition season at IBJJF with two gold medals. First, he got the gold medal at Austin Open in the heavyweight and open class, after closing out with his brother João Gabriel. One week later, he got the gold again at Oklahoma City Open.

A black belt since 2019, Pedro wants to gain experience in smaller tournaments in order to shine at bigger tournaments like No- Gi Worlds, No-Gi Pans and ADCC trials.

Pedro analyzes his performance, talks about where he needs to get better at in order to get to the highest level on his way of fighting.

” I did a great job, but I’m too far from my 100%. I’ve been training super hard for a long time, I didn’t take a break during Christmas and New Year. I want to keep myself more active, empower my strong weapons and make no mistakes. I want to get the gold at ADCC trials. I wake up and I live with this dream ”

Pedro, who has been training wrestling since he was young, believes that his dedication to this sport sets him apart from other athletes.

“I’ve been training grappling since I was very young, wrestling is a very strong weapon in grappling. My training has always been very demanding, hard and complicated, that’s why it makes a difference in the elite. I help MMA athletes like José Aldo, for example, in some of his fights. This experience adds a lot for me to stand out!”, comments Pedro.

João Gabriel’s younger brother, Pedro told us about the experience of fighting and winning alongside him. João and Pedro closed out the absolute at the Austin Open a few weeks ago.

“It was really cool, it’s always been good to fight alongside my brother, we’ve been doing that since we were kids. It’s even better to win together. He’ll be back 100% this year”, he says.