Paquet faleceu aos 78 anos. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal/Facebook

A comunidade do Jiu-Jitsu sofreu uma grande baixa neste domingo, dia 17 de novembro. Aos 78 anos, Renato Paquet faleceu e deixou tristeza aos parentes e amigos ligados ao mestre.

Ele, que começou no Jiu-Jitsu em 1956, passou por diversas academias até se instalar em definitivo na CheckMat de Copacabana, onde treinava com famosos faixas-pretas de lá. O mestre, que também era faixa-preta de judô e tinha dois títulos cariocas de Boxe, era faixa-vermelha de nono grau.

Sempre mostrando energia, Mestre Renatão não conseguia ficar longe dos tatame, como mostra o vídeo abaixo, gravado este ano, onde Paquet da um rola com o líder da CheckMat Ricardinho Vieira.

Ficam aqui registrados os sentimentos de toda a equipe GRACIEMAG aos familiares do grão mestre Renato Paquet.

We look forward to seeing this heavyweight in the black belt division.

Denilson Pimenta above Joel Tudor at 2011 Pan / Photo by Dan Rod/GRACIEMAG.com

The Brazilian Team Nationals is set to go down this Saturday at Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club. Names like Ricardo Vieira, Francielio Fernandes (Alliance), Theodoro Canal (GFTeam), Erick Raposo and João Gabriel (Soul Fighters), Diogo Almeida and Kitner Moura (Gracie Elite), Herico Hesley and Nilson Ricardo (Nova União), to name a few, will be defending their respective team colors to prove which academy has the toughest athletes in Brazil.

Denilson Pimenta and Ítalo Lins were also among those called on to represent their GFTeam. Check them out demonstrating three exercises for passing guard in the video below.

To check out the team rosters click here.

Check out the Brazilian Team Nationals timetable:

For further information visit the cbjj.com.br website.

And stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for all your Jiu-Jitsu needs.

Denilson Pimenta (por cima) contra Joel Tudor no Pan de 2011. Foto: Dan Rod/GRACIEMAG.com

O Campeonato Brasileiro de Equipes rola neste sábado, no Tijuca Tenis Clube, no Rio de Janeiro. Nomes como Ricardo Vieira e Francielio Fernandes (Alliance), Theodoro Canal (GFTEam), Erick Raposo e João Gabriel (Soul Fighters), Diogo Almeida e Kitner Moura (Gracie Elite), Herico Hesley e Nilson Ricardo (Nova União), entre outros, vão defender suas escuderias e comprovar qual academia tem os atletas mais duros do Brasil hoje.

Denilson Pimenta e Ítalo Lins também foram convocados para honrar a bandeira da GFTeam. No vídeo abaixo, ele mostram três exercícios para melhorar sua passagem de guarda.

Para conferir as escalações das equipes, clique aqui.

Veja o cronograma do Campeonato Brasileiro de Equipes:

Para mais informações, visite o site cbjj.com.br.

E siga plugado no GRACIEMAG.com para saber tudo sobre Jiu-Jitsu.

Igor Rodrigues contra Felipe Costa na final do Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2012. Foto: Carlos Ozório/GRACIEMAG.com

O peso-galo Igor Rodrigues já havia sido campeão brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu nas faixas roxa e marrom. No fim de semana retrasado, no Grajaú, o lutador da CheckMat conseguiu enfim garantir o título na graduação máxima, a faixa-preta.

“Foram três vitórias obtidas na raça, com muita cautela e atenção. Na primeira, venci por pontos. A segunda também foi por pontos, mas terminei com um leglock encaixado. Já na final raspei e finalizei o Felipinho com o leglock”, contou ele ao GRACIEMAG.com.

Assista a Igor Rodrigues dando o bote na perna de Felipe Costa na final dos galos do Brasileiro 2012:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhWUAx20JLU

O atleta de Ricardo Vieira lembrou sua trajetória no Jiu-Jitsu, ele que mora em Búzios, na região dos Lagos, e treina com Ricardinho no Rio de Janeiro.”Eu era da capoeira, esporte em que me consagrei em 1998, quando também fui campeão brasileiro. Em 2002, conheci a arte suave e me apaixonei. No mesmo ano iniciei meus treinos com o professor Marco Chuck, em Búzios. Com ele, ganhei vários títulos importantes. A faixa-preta veio após o ouro na faixa-marrom, no Brasileiro. Mas eu vi ali que os treinos em Búzios não seriam competitivos o suficiente para eu me juntar aos melhores do país”, relembra ele, que foi para a CheckMat em 2009.

“Ricardinho me convidou para fazer parte da equipe e comecei a ver o Jiu-Jitsu por outros ângulos. Segui vencendo outras competições e agora conquistei o título de campeão brasileiro na faixa-preta”, disse Igor, que resumiu sua maior qualidade no campeonato da CBJJ.

“Minha tática, traçada pelo meu treinador, era atacar os oponentes no pé e no joelho. Fui oportunista e soube encaixar nas horas certas”, vibrou.

Igor Rodrigues against Felipe Costa in 2012 Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship final / Photo: Carlos Ozório/GRACIEMAG.com

The roosterweight Igor Rodrigues had already assumed the post of Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu champion as a purple and brown belt. Two weekends ago in the Grajaú neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro City the CheckMat rep managed to achieve the distinction at the highest rank, as a black belt.

“I won three matches on grit, caution and attention. The first I won on points. The second came by points too but I had a kneebar in place when it ended. Now in the final I swept and finished Felipinho [Costa] via kneebar,” he told GRACIEMAG>com.

Watch Igor Rodrigues catching Felipe Costa by the leg in the 2012 Brazilian Nationals roosterweight final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhWUAx20JLU

The Ricardo Vieira athlete looked back on the course of his career in Jiu-Jitsu. He lives in Búzios, in the lakes region of Rio de Janeiro State, and trains with Ricardo in Rio de Janeiro City. “I come from a capoeira background. I made it to the top of the sport in 1998, when I won the Brazilian National Championship. In 2002 I became acquainted with the gentle art and fell in love. On that same year I started training under Jiu-Jitsu professor Marco Chuck in Búzios. I won a number of important titles under him. I got my black belt after winning gold in the brown belt division at the Brazilian Nationals. Still, I could tell that training in Búzios wasn’t competitive enough for me to go up against the best in the country,” he remembered, explaining why in 2009 he made the move to team CheckMat.

“Ricardo invited me to join the team, and I started to see Jiu-Jitsu from different angles. I carried on winning other competitions, and now I’ve conquered the Brazilian national title at black belt,” said Igor, who summed up how he achieved the quality he did at the CBJJ championship.

“My strategy, laid out by my trainer, was to attack the opponents’ feet and knees. I was opportunistic and got the holds when the time was right,” he said jubilantly.

Carlos "Esquisito" in the middle, between teammates at brand new Amazon Checkmat academy / Photo: Arthur Castro/publicity

A black belt who has scored titles in all the main Jiu-Jitsu championships, Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda Vieira is now training hard for the next World Championship, coming up in June. Esquisito also may put in an appearance at the Brazilian Nationals, in March. All for the pleasure of motivating his young students back in Manaus.

“I think I’ll only stop competing 30 years from now. Stopping fighting doesn’t cross my mind, as I want my students to see me competing, and I want to be a role model for them. Jiu-Jitsu changed my life, and I know that it will change the lives of a lot of people in my hands,” said the light featherweight, who in late March inaugurated his academy, Amazon CheckMat, in the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas.

Now who’s your greatest role model in Jiu-Jitsu, gentle reader? Comment and pay tribute to him, or her.

Carlos "Esquisito" no centro, entre os companheiros da novíssima Amazon Checkmat. Foto: Arthur Castro/Divulgação.

Faixa-preta que coleciona todos os principais títulos do Jiu-Jitsu, o amazonense Carlos Holanda Vieira, o Esquisito, já está treinando forte para o próximo Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu, em junho. Esquisito talvez lute também no Brasileiro, em maio. Tudo movido pela alegria de incentivar seus novos pupilos em Manaus.

“Acho que só vou me aposentar dos campeonatos daqui a uns 30 anos. Não penso em parar de lutar, pois quero que meus alunos me vejam competindo e que eu seja um espelho para eles. O Jiu-Jitsu mudou minha vida, e eu sei que ele vai mudar a vida de muitas pessoas em minhas mãos”, disse o peso-pluma, que no fim de março inaugurou sua academia Amazon Checkmat de Jiu-Jitsu, na capital amazonense.

E para você, leitor, quem é seu maior espelho no Jiu-Jitsu? Comente aqui e faça sua homenagem.

Vice-campeão ao fechar com o irmão Gui, Rafael Mendes aquece antes de luta de Jiu-Jitsu no Houston Open 2012. Foto: Mike Calimbas.

No aniversário dessa louca escola de Jiu-Jitsu chamada YouTube.com, o GRACIEMAG.com oferece ao leitor/internauta sete das lutas preferidas de Rafael Mendes, um ídolo nascido e lapidado durante a Era YouTube.

E você, o que aprendeu com esta seleção de vídeos? Se achou que faltou um, comente e divida o vídeo do YouTube com a gente!

1. Ricardinho Vieira x Robinho Moura (Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu 2001)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=742sWs2ogus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5s2Iz-ghyw

“Excelente luta de Jiu-Jitsu. Essa me ensinou que a luta não acaba enquanto não termina (risos). It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, como dizem nos EUA. Ricardinho já era um grande campeão nas faixas anteriores, mas estava chegando na preta e encarava o Robinho, por várias vezes campeão mundial na faixa-preta. Foi mais ou menos o que se passou comigo quando cheguei de novato na preta.”

2. Léo Vieira x Vítor Shaolin (Liga Profissional de Jiu-Jitsu 2000)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8jsl8RDxc

“Sou grande fã dos dois, mas essa luta me fez ser muito fã do Leozinho. Eu estava na faixa-azul, e lembro que ficava na academia treinando os movimentos que ele fazia. Leozinho é muito habilidoso.”

3. Fernando Tererê x Marcelinho Garcia (Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu 2003)

“Acredito que não exista ninguém que não admire o Jiu-Jitsu do Tererê, nessa luta eu vejo que ele estava muito confiante, quando ele sai da luta você pode ver ele comemorando e dizendo: ‘Eu falei! Falei que ia pegar’. Confiar em você mesmo faz muita diferença.”

4. Léo Santos x GSP (ADCC 2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCLoV40jDKM

“Meu irmão e eu tivemos o prazer de treinar com o Léo Santos quando começamos, ele foi o número um dos pesos leves por um bom tempo e ninguém raspa de gancho igual ele. E armlock aéreo é muito bonito, sem kimono então…”

5. Rubens Cobrinha x Marcio Feitosa (Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuFtXZJ5Ndw

“Uma excelente luta, entre dois lutadores excelentes. Nesse mesmo ano eu ganhei o Mundial na azul, e assisti ao Cobrinha lutar. Eu já sabia que ia lutar com ele anos depois, só não esperava que seria tão rápido. Em 2006 eu ganhei na azul e ele na preta, em 2008 eu ganhei na marrom e fui graduado faixa-preta. A lição é que é preciso se ligar na molecada que vem das outras faixas, porque em pouco tempo eles serão nossos adversários.”

6. André Galvão x Rodolfo Vieira (Seletiva ADCC 2009)

“André é sem dúvida um dos melhores lutadores de Jiu-Jitsu de todos os tempos, luta bonito, finaliza, é completo. Mas o que mais admiro nele, e podemos ver isso claramente nessa luta, é como ele não tem medo de arriscar posições. Ele é ousado nos movimentos e isso faz a diferença. Nessa luta, ele pula por cima da guarda do Rodolfo encaixando uma kimura e pega as costas, um movimento que não é preciso somente treinar, é preciso muita ousadia para arriscar no meio de uma luta entre atletas de alto nível.”

7. Ramon Lemos x Rodrigo Feijão (Copa do Mundo 2006)

“Das vezes em que vi meu professor Ramon competindo, acho que esta luta é uma das que mais me lembro o quanto comemorei. Ramon sempre fez muito bem essa raspagem atacando o braço. Nos treinos era difícil demais defender, lembro que éramos faixas-azuis e ele nos colocava para repetir esta posição inúmeras vezes. Depois dessa luta, passamos a praticar sabendo o quanto era eficiente…”

Runner-up after closing out with his brother Guilherme, Rafael Mendes warms up before a match at the Houston Open 2012. Photo: Mike Calimbas.

On the birthday of this wacky Jiu-Jitsu school called YouTube.com, GRACIEMAG.com will be treating readers/web users to seven of the favorite matches of Rafael Mendes, a gentle-art hero born and schooled during the YouTube Era.

Now what about you, gentle reader, what did you learn from this selection of videos? If you feel there’s one missing, comment and share the YouTube link with us in the comments field at the bottom of the page!

1. RICARDO VIEIRA VS. ROBSON MOURA (2001 JIU-JITSU WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=742sWs2ogus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5s2Iz-ghyw

“Excellent Jiu-Jitsu match. This one taught me that it ain’t over ‘til it’s over, as they say in the USA. Ricardo already was a major force in the lower belts, but he was finding his feet at black belt when he came up against Robson, a world champion at black belt many times over. It was pretty much the same deal he went through with me when I showed up as a rookie black belt.”

2. LÉO VIEIRA VS. VÍTOR SHAOLIN (2000 PROFESSIONAL JIU-JITSU LEAGUE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu8jsl8RDxc

“I’m a big fan of them both, but this match made me like Léo even more. I was a blue belt, and I remember how I’d practice his moves at the academy. Léo is really skillful.”

3. FERNANDO TERERÊ VS. MARCELO GARCIA (2003 JIU-JITSU WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)

“I don’t believe there’s anyone with Jiu-Jitsu I admire more than Tererê. In this match I can see he’s really confident; afterwards you can see him go off celebrating and saying, ‘I told you! I told you I’d get him.’ Having confidence in yourself makes a big difference.”

4. LÉO SANTOS VS. GSP (ADCC 2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCLoV40jDKM

“My brother and I had the pleasure of training with Léo Santos when we first started. He was the number-one lightweight for a long time, and no one has a hook sweep quite like his. And flying armbars are beautiful; and without the gi then…”

5. RUBENS COBRINHA VS. MARCIO FEITOSA (2006 JIU-JITSU WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuFtXZJ5Ndw

“An excellent match between two excellent fighters. That very year I won the Worlds at blue belt, and I got to watch Cobrinha compete. I already knew I’d face him in the years to come, I just never thought it would be so quickly. In 2006 I got my blue belt and he got his black; in 2008 I got my brown and then black. The lesson is that you have to keep your eyes on the kids coming up from other belts, because in a short while they’ll be your opponents.”

6. ANDRÉ GALVÃO VS. RODOLFO VIEIRA (ADCC TRYOUTS 2009)

André is without a doubt one of the best Jiu-Jitsu fighters of all times; he fights pretty, goes for the submission, is well rounded. But what I admire about him most, and which we can see in this match, is how he’s not afraid to go out on a limb. He’s daring in the moves he makes, and that makes the difference. In this match, he pulls guard on Rodolfo while sinking a Kimura and taking his back, a move that doesn’t just require training, it requires daring to risk doing that in the middle of a match between high-level opponents.”

7. RAMON LEMOS VS. RODRIGO FEIJÃO (COPA DO MUNDO 2006)

“Of the times I’ve seen my teacher, Ramon, competing, I think this is the match where I celebrated the most. Ramon always was good at this sweep to armbar. In training it’s way hard defending against it. I remember when we were blue belts and he’d make us repeat the position countless times. After this match, we practiced it knowing just how effective it is…”

Yuri Simões wearing his new black belt / Personal-archive photo

With all of these accolades, it’s no surprise that Yuri’s professor Ricardo Vieira gave Yuri his coveted black belt over the holidays. “Ricardo told me that 2011 was going to be my last year as a brown belt,” Yuri says, “That’s why I was so nervous at the Worlds. I wanted to make sure I got the Mundial gold in my brown belt before I got my black belt.”

Yuri says that December 30 was one of the happiest days of his life. “It was a very special moment because I became a black belt from Ricardo,” Yuri beams, “I still feel a bit awkward every time I tie on this new belt. Now, I have the biggest challenge ahead of me: my mission is to become a world champion black belt. I know I’ll be ready because I’ve got the best training partners in the world, who will help me achieve this dream.” Yuri is referring to his teammates in California, including his coach, Lucas Leite. “He is the best competitor out there today,” Yuri says, “He smashes me every time we train. I learn so much from him.”

Yuri’s first experience with Jiu-Jitsu was at 7 years old. It was 1997 and his dad was a purple belt. “He used to teach me little things like simple takedowns, armbars, and self defense,” Yuri says, “But I used to be a trouble maker as a kid. I loved fighting in school and always had so much energy. So, my dad put me into a proper BJJ school when I was like nine years old. I trained there until I was 16. Then my Master, Mauricio Miguel Pereira died. He was like a second dad to me. It was really tough on me. I promised him that I was going to win the Worlds before he died. I wanted to make him proud. He died before seeing this happen. I know wherever he is now, he is looking down at me, happy and proud.”

After Yuri lost his master, he began training under Ricardo Vieira. “It’s been a great experience training with him since I was a juvenile blue belt,” Yuri says, “I have been very successful on my journey and I’m very thankful to Ricardo because he is one of the best BJJ coaches in the world and has made many champions. Now it’s my time to go after the gold in the black belt division. I know I can do it. I want to thank Ricardo, Lucas Leite, Marco Machado Sharpei, and my family for their support. I promise that I will go 1000% to get that Worlds title. Nothing’s gonna stop my dream from coming true.”