Alex Trans

Another big name in Jiu-Jitsu went through a knee surgery recently.

The 2014 European black belt open class champion Alex Trans posted this Wednesday on his Facebook page that he had a procedure to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.

Trans also had some fixing done to his meniscus.

He commented on his recovery: “I’m going to be out for a few months but I’ll be back competing next year, can’t wait to be back!”

Trans sustained the injury at the quarterfinals of the ultra-heavyweight division at the 2015 Worlds.

At the beginning of the match against Rodrigo Cavaca, the Dane twisted his knee on a set up to the 50/50 guard.

The injury prevented Trans from competing in the open class final against Bernardo Faria and later on sidelined him from the 2015 ADCC, to which he earned a spot after winning one of the European trials.

The moment Buchecha got injured at the 2015 Worlds

Three-time black belt open class world champion Marcus Buchecha had surgery this Friday, in Brazil.

The procedure was to reconstruct the ACL ligament on his left knee, injured during the quarterfinal match against Ricardo Evangelista, at the 2015 Worlds.

The surgery went well and Doctors gave Buchecha a five-month minimum recovery period until he can perform at 100% again.

“I’ll be back soon,” said Buchecha

He also told GRACIEMAG that he intends to work his way to a full recovery in Brazil before returning to California, where he has been living for the past years.

Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Renzo Gracie fight Matt Hughes once again.

The Gracie had to go under knee surgery to replace a ligament.

“I already did the surgery and put a brand new ligament. The thing is I won’t be able to train or compete for a while,” said Renzo to GRACIEMAG.com

The 2015 ADCC is scheduled August 29-30, in São Paulo, Brazil.

The organizers are yet to confirm if another super-match will replace Gracie vs. Hughes.

The other super-match, José Mário Sperry vs. Ricardo Libório, is good to go.

Here he is with his parents and girlfriend right after his successful meniscus surgery:

On his Instagram he writes: “Im very happy that looks like everything was ok. :)”

While we hate to see our athletes down, it’s always a blessing when they heal well as planned.

He plans to return to the academy by next month.

Ana Laura with Master Carlos Gracie Jr after receiving her black belt

The landscape of female competition Jiu-Jitsu is missing one piece since 2009.

Gracie Barra’s medium-heavy Ana Laura Cordeiro has been absent of competitions since she suffered a pretty serious injury to her lower back.

GRACIEMAG.com talked to Ana Laura earlier today and got some promising news about a possible return to competitions.

“I finally had my operation last June in Brazil and now I’m in the recovery process. I’ve already been able to work out, walk, climb stairs without feeling the pain I was feeling for the last four years”, told us Ana Laura.

She also told us about the surgery itself: “It lasted five hours! The doctor had to cut the muscle on my back and then reattach it with 50 stiches. Now I have four titanium pins and a thing called a cage, that helps the discs to stay apart, preventing it to pinch the nerve.”

Ana Laura also talked about the importance of finding the right doctor for the surgery: “I talked to a lot of doctors and most of them said that it was too risky to try it and that there was a big chance that I could never train again. But this guy had a 30-year experience with this kind of surgery and assured me that it could be done and that I was gonna be able to train and compete again”.

The recovery will take 6 months, but Ana already has goals set for the near future: “I want to be back at competitions at the 2014 Pan! The doctor said that I have to wait six months to be back at hard training, but in two months I will be already drilling in the gi”.

Watch Ana Laura competing against Gabi Garcia in the 2009 Pan, still as a brown belt, her last competition.

Bruno Malfacine in Caio Terra’s guard, in the World Championship 2012. / Photo: GRACIEMAG

Five-time world Jiu-Jitsu champ Bruno Malfacine carved his name atop the roosterweight division in the sport. Known as the “Bad Boy” but always good-humored, the Alliance black belt has been away from competitions since the last World Championship in June. But he doesn’t see himself out of shape for the Pan 2013.

“I’m feeling good and ready for battle,” Malfacine said in conversation with GracieMag.com. “Last year I had to stay away a few months due to surgery on my shoulder right after the World Championship. I am very motivated to come back after so long. After all, this is what I love to do the most. I am happy and grateful.

“This last week it’s time to adjust the last details and hit the weights. Just like last year, I prepared at my gym in Orlando, Florida. I have dedicated myself to my students and they reciprocate with quality training, always helping me a lot. I am relying on the help of my coach Hank Porcher, who put me in shape last year and we are continuing to work to get to the World Championship with a good rhythm. I’m sure I’ll get there well with the help of all these people I have on my side.”

We asked for some tips for the practitioner who dreams of being a six-time world champion black belt one day. Bruno thinks, but can’t find any secrets about it.

“I think I’m dedicated, I try to train as much as I can and give my best every day,” he said. “I always say that the competition begins many months before. I live in a daily fight with myself until the big day. It’s like every day I suffered in training (with diet or even with sleepless nights due to body aches) to take me closer to my goal, the gold. Believe me, there isn’t a better feeling than that …  Another thing is to acknowledge its faults. I have several flaws, one of them technical. Maybe I cannot solve this failure, but I will die trying.”

To see the draws of Pan 2013, click here.

Rodrigo Minotauro while still ahead against Mir at UFC 140. The fight would unravel for him while still in the first round. Photo: UFC/Zuffa

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, or Minotauro for short, is a Jiu-Jitsu and MMA fighter so special that even when he messes up bad he gets millions of fans to learn from him.

The native of the Brazilian state of Bahia returned to weightlifting workouts in Rio de Janeiro this past weekend and gathered the press at his training center to show off the surgical scar on his arm and his ever-beaming smile.

The former UFC and Pride FC champion looked back on the loss he suffered at the hands of Frank Mir early last December, an incident that provoked an endless stream of debate and discussion at Jiu-Jitsu academies across Brazil that carries on to this day. It’s pretty much become a case of “what not to do.”

Watch the fight, clicking here.

“I had two moments in that fight: I saw the win and saw the loss. I broke into celebration during the fight. I stopped hitting him in order to get the submission, but that was a miserable decision. I got worried later because I saw the arm broken, and it’s hard to go back and start everything all over again,” Rodrigo told Brazil’s Sportv television network. “It hurts the body, but when you do what you love, it’s worth the price.”

KNOCK OUT OR TAP OUT—THAT WAS NOT THE QUESTION

As Minotauro explained after the fight, he stopped pounding on a groggy Frank Mir after hearing the referee ask him not to hit behind the head, and in a fraction of a second he resolved to go for the throat with a risky guillotine. He ended up on bottom and got caught.

Whether to hit or sub, in the end, depends a lot on what the athlete is feeling at that moment, and to the GRACIEMAG.com team that’s not something to be criticized. Or did Maurício Shogun, who kept hitting and didn’t finish Dan Henderson, get it right?

Hence, the lesson we learn is:

If you’re on top and winning, never risk trying a Jiu-Jitsu hold where you’ll end up on bottom. Especially in MMA or a real fight situation.

What about you, dear reader, what did you learn from Minotauro’s loss? Share with us, so we can put a full stop to the issue and let Mino get on with his life.

Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes maneuvers on his way to winning the absolute division of the 2010 South American Championship. Photo de Hugo Valente.

Jiu-Jitsu champions and stars of the  UFC are human just like you and me, and evidence of how that is true is the fact that they get hurt too.

Take a look at what UFC champion GSP posted this week on Facebook: “A month has gone by since the operation [on his knee] and I’m pleased with the results. It really is unbelievable what the human body is capable of. Now on to physiotherapy, manual therapy for scarring, ice, ultrasound, compression, ligament exercises, pedaling… I’d love to hear more tips from you guys to help me.”

The topic has been off the hook, with over a thousand comments. In the gi competition world, another slick martial artist has been working hard with his physiotherapists to recover from a troubling injury, to his spine. Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes  Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes (Soul Fighters) went under the knife on November 23. Proof that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, the black belt returned to training for some drills and spins, doing light repetitions with his girlfriend, Mackenzie Dern.

(CHECK OUT TANQUINHO AGAINST SANDRO BATATA AT 2011 WORLDS)

“It’s been a month and a half since surgery and I’m feeling better with every day. I’m making great progress but don’t have a return date yet. I hope to be back in training within three months and maybe even compete at the Worlds by year end,” the 2011 world runner-up told GRACIEMAG.com from the United States.

“I feel everything happens for a reason; God is always in control. If He picked me to go through what I’ve been going through, it’s because I needed it; I believe He has something good in store for me in the future. I know I’ll be a better man after getting through this latest injury,” he reflected.

Tanquinho wrapped up by conveying five recipes for you to recover from injury shipshape—and return to training even better still.

1. KEEP CALM

One of Jiu-Jitsu’s most useful lessons, in no matter what fight situation, also applies to those suffering from injury. Don’t panic or despair. An injury, even a herniated disc like the one afflicting Augusto Tanquinho, doesn’t mean the end of one’s career or Jiu-Jitsu training.

2. SEEK EXPERT ASSISTANCE

Health isn’t something to take lightly. Jiu-Jitsu teaches you to always seek the best way out. Where injury is concerned, the most efficient solution is to consult a medical specialist, the best one you can find.

3. DON’T GO OFF HALF-COCKED

Trust the “master” you’ve picked to help you get well. Follow the doctor’s orders rigorously, especially during the post-operative stage.

4. PATIENCE, A TRAIT OF JIU-JITSU

Take it slow, be patient! Recovery takes time, and you won’t leave the operating table and be ready to put your gi back on in just a week or a month.

5. PHYSIOTHERAPY IS DISCIPLINE

If you seek to be a better martial artist, nothing puts you to the test more than physiotherapy. Dedicate yourself to the max; it’s time to bolster your body for future battles.

In a battle to recover from a debilitating motorcycle accident, Will is returning slowly but surely, within the possible, to activity. He has been working as a side referee at several MMA and muay thai events, as well dispelling preconceived notions regarding his abilities, by teaching boxing and muay thai classes, despite his being wheel chair-ridden.

There are many figures from the fight world standing behind Will in solidarity. Recently, Rodrigo Minotauro, Rogério Minotouro and Anderson Silva taught a seminar to collect funds for the fighter’s treatment. André Pederneiras, through the Shooto South America promotion, has helped, too. Now another MMA star is on the campaign, Wanderlei Silva.

Find out how you can help in the video below: