Isaque Paiva and his triangle / Photo by Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

A slender and hard-working featherweight, Isaque Paiva is currently a bearer of one of the most sterling triangles in the competitive Jiu-Jitsu scene.

And it was with that in mind that GRACIEMAG.com asked the black belt, who won the South American Championship last weekend, to demonstrate one of his favorite positions.

He scoured his arsenal and sent in the following one, for when the opponent attempts to relieve the pressure of the triangle by wrapping his arm around the leg, thus leaving himself exposed to the omoplata.

That’s when Isaque, also known as Boia, inflicts his venom.

First he pretends to give up on the triangle, moving one hand to the belt and the other to the collar – as you can see at the 59-second mark.

Isaque then sticks a hand in at the collar to cause bother with the choke (1:05 min), and returns to the triangle, now without hindrance.

Dig that one, guard players?

Felipe “Preguiça” Pena (left), here with his coach Romulo Barral, was one of the biggest names of the 2012 Worlds, having won at weight and taken runner-up in the absolute at brown belt

Medium-heavyweight competitor Felipe “Preguiça”Pena was the big name in the South American Jiu-Jitsu Championship brown belt division last weekend, in the Southern Brazilian city of Florianopolis. The Gracie Barra standout won both his weight division and the absolute, outdoing Nova Uniao’s Alysson Rossei in the open weight final.

In the following exclusive GRACIEMAG.com interview, Felipe comments on the absolute final, the course of his romp at weight, lessons for winning a match, and what he’s drumming up for Copa Podio, where he takes on Leandro Lo in one of the supermatches.

GRACIEMAG: What was your path to winning gold in the absolute at the South American Championship like?

FELIPE PREGUIÇA: It was a high level championship. I had to get through four tough matches to win the absolute. In the final I faced Alysson, who is a really heavy athlete. Early in the match I managed to sweep him, and after that I took his back twice. When I was on his back, he got a footlock on one of my hooks and it hurt some. That’s why I didn’t take any chances after that and won on points.

You won the medium heavyweight division after beating Brasa team’s Bruno Ferreira in the final, as we can see in the following video. How did that match go in your view?

Against Bruno I lost my hold on his back twice, but on the third time I didn’t let it get away; I capitalized and sunk a choke. In all, I had seven matches and managed to get the tapout in five–two at weight and three in the absolute.

And this was the second time you won your weight class and the absolute, right? Has anything changed in your game?

That’s right. I’m pleased for the repeat of what I did in 2011, when I won at weight and open weight. I’m pleased with my performance. I managed to do a game I hadn’t managed to in previous tournaments: playing top position in all my matches. I felt great. It was an excellent test. I’d like to thank my teachers Romulo Barral and Marcelo Uirapuru, my physical conditioning coach Bruno Formiga, my family and my sponsors: Adidas, Choke Kimonos, Cesta Basica Bom Apetite and Clinica Health Extension.

What lessons did you learn from the tournament?

I did my best to make no mistakes and to score points early on to take the lead over my opponent. I feel that’s the strategy for winning in Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve lost a lot of matches by dropping behind in score at the start, making it hard to come back later…

On January 13, you’ll face Leandro Lo in a special match-up at Copa Podio. The last time you two met, in the Middleweight GP, you fought to a draw. What do you plan to do differently to win this time?

I’m a great admirer of Leandro Lo’s. I’ve been watching him ever since I was a blue or purple belt. I think his game is awesome. I became an even bigger fan of his after I met him. He’s a really humble guy. I learned a great deal when I faced Leandro at Copa Podio in 2012. I feel the lesson is that we have to believe in our game, in ourselves. It doesn’t matter what the others think; what matters is that you believe in yourself, do what you worked on in training and show your stuff.

What do you expect for this second match against Lo?

It’s an honor to face him again. I’m going to do my all to win. I’ve got a good tournament rhythm going. I’m totally prepared and really wanting the win.

What have you been doing to prepare? There’s Christmas right in the middle…

I’m doing my training here in Brazil. This time I won’t be able to train with Romulo Barral in California but I always talk to him about my training, even from so far away. My brother, Augusto Tio Chico, and my instructor Marcelo Uirapuru are helping me with my training. We have a great competition team here at the academy. They’re helping me get in tip-top shape, without letting Christmas and New Year’s get in the way.

Guto Campos sets up a sweep at the 2012 South American Championship. Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG.

According to its promoters, the South American Championship that heated up the Southern Brazilian city of Florianopolis last weekend was the best one yet.

And one of the black belt standouts who helped make it so great was Guto Campos, who won the medium heavyweight division, and took bronze in the absolute after getting caught in a forearm choke from mount by Leo Nogueira in the semifinals. After the dust had settled, he spoke with GRACIEMAG.com about the highs and lows from the contest.

“I was doing really well in the absolute. I’d come up with two submissions–an armbar and a choke from the back–and managed to impose the pace. I came up against Leo Nogueira in the semifinal and knew it would be a tough match. I went in confident and had faith I could win it; but props to him for winning, having imposed his game and neutralized mine,” recalled Guto.

“The good part was that I learned a lesson that ended up helping me win at weight: believe in your game and have faith in your instinct! I managed to fight really well at medium heavyweight, tapping out Rodrigo Pimpolho in the final. I started by attacking from half-guard, managed to sink a Kimura, but from there he managed to sweep me. So I landed on bottom with the Kimura in place, managed the reversal and then finished up with the same Kimura lock from side-control,” he recounted.

“The championship was proof that there’s no such thing as an easy fight. I wasn’t even going to compete. I hadn’t been training much and had just arrived from Australia, where I spent a month teaching seminars. But my students encouraged me and didn’t let me go only as a coach. I’m thankful to them for the confidence they had in me, as well as to my sponsors Keiko Sports, Vita Juice, Flex Nutrition and my physiotherapist Felipe Guariglia,” he said.

Now his attention is turned to the Copa Podio Heavyweight GP coming up January 13 in Rio de Janeiro, where he’ll be doing a supermatch with GFTeam’s Wancler Oliveira. “I’m already training here at Guetho academy for the match. My brother Guilherme Campos is teaching class for me so I can focus only on training and be at my best when the time comes. I know Wancler. I’ve already seen some of his matches,” said Guto in closing.

Léo Leite in action at 2012 South American Championship / Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG.com

With a good decade of IBJJF gold medal-collecting under his belt, last weekend Leonardo Leite put in a performance that was testament to his still having the vise-like grips that took him to the top in world Jiu-Jitsu and judo.

The Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva black belt won the absolute and ultraheavyweight divisions at the 2012 South American Championship, as you found out here on GRACIEMAG.com, after which he shared his thoughts about the campaign.

GRACIEMAG.com: What’s your take on your performance Saturday?

LÉO LEITE: I hadn’t done an absolute in a while. I landed in a tough bracket: my first match was against Giderson Barros [Carlson Gracie team], who won the middleweight division. I managed to tap him out with a clock choke. The second match was against Renato Cardoso, a really tough and skillful kid who has been winning everything, and I beat him 2-1 on advantage points. In the semifinal I came up with two takedowns against Alex Ceconi and won by 4 to 0, closing out the absolute with Léo Nogueira.

What about on Sunday?

On Sunday, in the ultraheavyweight division, I won my first match by tapout, again with a clock choke, and in the final I fought Felipe Pereira of Gracie Floripa. I was winning by 6-0 when the ref stopped the match saying he’d tapped.

How did you feel entering the absolute and winning? Will we be seeing you in the absolute more often in upcoming tournaments?

I hope so. For the Worlds I didn’t have much time training Jiu-Jitsu, because of the trips I had to take with the Brazilian national judo team. I only had three weeks to practice Jiu-Jitsu and ended up with silver in the ultraheavyweight division after losing the final to Bochecha. After the Worlds, I did more Jiu-Jitsu training than judo, so Gigi decided to put me in the absolute.

You competed in judo early in the week, didn’t you?

I competed at the Jogos Abertos do Interior de São Paulo competition, and I had eight matches on Monday and on Tuesday. That’s why I knew I’d have to make my energy last—I was more worn out than the other competitors. It all worked out in the end. I managed to get two gold medals as well as help Alliance win the team title.

What was your strategy in the open-weight semifinal against Alex Ceconi?

I knew he was going to want to play on top, where he feels best, so I looked to sink good grips and get him down and get on top of him.

What’s the trick to getting top position in Jiu-Jitsu?

One thing I do a lot that I feel is important is to not let the opponent sink grips while standing. I look to break their grips and impose mine to try for throws. When I can’t get one, what I try doing is not let them pull guard on me too easily; I always try making it hard for them to pull guard on me so I can land in a position that’s advantageous to me. Something that really makes things rough on guard-pullers is to tug on their collar a lot.

What about the clock choke, one of your favorite moves? What’s your trick to that?

You apply the clock choke when the opponent is on all fours. What I do is reach under his arm with one hand; when the opportunity arises, I switch hands and surprise him. I always try to keep a hold on one leg so there’s more pressure.

Click here for the complete results from the South American Championship.

With 1,200 athletes stepping onto the mats for competition, the 2012 South American Championship in Florianópolis brought some joy, adrenaline and peace to Santa Catarina, a state stricken by a wave of violence over the last few weeks.

“Besides Brazil and Argentina, the United States, Canada, Portugal and Spain were all represented. It was the best South American Championship to date,” said co-promoter Claudio Arraes.

The trophy for best adult team went to Alliance, whose Léo Leite closed out the absolute with teammate Léo Nogueira on the Saturday preceding the Sunday final. The bronze medals for the open weight division went to Guto Campos and Alexandro Ceconi.

On Sunday there were other black belts putting on a show:

Roosterweight:
Gold medalist Igor Rodrigues (CheckMat)
Silver medalist Marcos Franco (Gracie Barra)

Light featherweight:
Gold medalist Rayfan Barbosa’s (Associação Monteiro de Manaus)
Silver medalist Leandro Martins (CheckMat)

Featherweight:
Gold medalist Isaque Paiva (Cicero Costha)
Silver medalist José Tiago (Cicero Costha)

Lightweight:
Gold medalist Kim Terra (CheckMat)
Silver medalist Sandro Gabriel (CheckMat)

Middleweight:
Gold medalist Giderson Barros (Carlson Gracie)
Silver medalist Jacob Mackenzie (GFTeam)

Medium heavyweight:
Gold medalist Guto Campos
Silver Medalist Rodrigo “Pimpolho” Fajardo (Gracie Barra)

Guto Campos. Photo: Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG

Heavyweight:
Gold medalist Fabiano Junior (Alliance)
Silver medalist Alexandro Ceconi

Superheavyweight:
Gold medalist Léo Nogueira (Alliance)
Silver medalist André Alberto (Gracie Barra)

Ultraheavyweight:
Gold medalist Léo Leite (Alliance)
Silver medalist Felipe Pareira (Gracie Floripa)

Female absolute:
Gold medalist Marina Ribeiro (CheckMat)
Silver medalist Talita Treta (Ryan Gracie)
Bronze medalists Leticia Lalli (CheckMat) and Delcia Enricone (Behring)

Brown belt absolute:
Gold medalist Felipe “Preguiça” Pena (Gracie Barra)
Silver medalist Alysson Rossei (Nova União)
Bronze medalists Bruno Cuppari (Brasa) and Marcelo Tarso (Guetho Jiu-Jitsu)

Check out the official results on the CBJJ website by clicking here.

Leo Nogueira winning at the South American Championship. Photo by Gustavo Aragao

The current superheavyweight world championship and absolute world runner-up, Léo Nogueira’s trip to Florianópolis, Brazil, for the 2012 South American Championship turned out to be worthwhile.

After helping Mauricio Shogun train in Curitiba, the Alliance black belt pushed on a bit further down south and fulfilled his mission in the CBJJ championship’s absolute division with a faultless performance.

But the two Leanardos’ task in the open-weight division was no easy one.

At one end of the bracket, Léo Leite defeated CheckMat’s medium-heavyweight revelation Renato Cardoso on points. In the semifinal, the Gigi Paiva student had to outdo local star Alexandro Ceconi, a heavyweight to be taken seriously. Leite again imposed his game, with a safe performance, and secured victory on points.

At the other end, Léo Nogueira was rampant, and got the submission in every one of his matches, the most notable of which was the electrifying semifinal against Guto Campos of Guetho Academy, whom he finished with a forearm choke.

Promise kept (refresh your memory here), and the Léos merrily shared the spoils of their conquest.

Marina and Talita faced off in the absolute

The level in the female division was at a peak this Saturday. And Sunday marks the absolute final, where black belt stars Marina Ribeiro of CheckMat and Talita Nogueira of Ryan Gracie Team will lock horns for the gold.

Who do you have taking it? Share your prediction below.

To check out the official results in real time, stay tuned to the CBJJ website by clicking here.

Check out the black belt brackets here.

Maurício Shogun and Léo Nogueira pose with UFC and Pride FC belts. Personal archive photo.

Mauricio Shogun is one UFC star who understands the motto “hard time in training, easy time in fighting” in the flesh. That’s what he set up all around him in the lead-up to his December 8 showdown with Alexander Gustafsson, at the event headlined by Ben Henderson’s title defense against Nate Diaz.

One of the most stalwart reinforcements he added to his camp was two-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion Léo Nogueira, the current absolute world runner-up.

“Training with Shogun has been excellent. His ground game is great. I even asked him to come double up with me at the South American Championship next weekend so we can shut out at weight and absolute. The guy is really tough on his feet. He hits really hard. I took a punch to the nose that I’ll never forget (laughs),” said Nogueira in amusement, before sharing the lesson he derived from training with the former UFC light heavyweight champion.

“Shogun is an exceptional guy. He has the heart of a lion, was born to be a warrior. I learned one key lesson from him: if you have faith in your game but feel tired, don’t stop, because your opponent will be exhausted too.”

Léo added that he has adapted his Jiu-Jitsu to the more aggressive game of MMA:

“I’m adapting my game because things change when you get hit. It’s nothing I can’t deal with, though. Maybe by the end of 2013 I’ll have an MMA fight lined up. First I want to work on my boxing and Thai boxing, though.”

On the seventh iteration of the South American Championship, the ace from team Alliance is confident; and he has a powerful ally to help him close out his weight division and the absolute.

“Alliance’s goal is to win the adult contest. We’re going in with a strong team. I’m really confident. I’m going to give it my all, and I hope to close out with my buddy Leonardo Leite,” he said, referring to the current ultraheavyweight world runner-up.