One of the top-flight competitors to guarantee his spot in the tournament by registering was Tarsis Humphreys. The Alliance black belt made the most of the days preceding the competition to drop by Zagreb, Croatia to hold some seminars. The first of the series took place this Saturday the 16^th. The next will be held on the 23^rd, but in the city of Zadar, on the East Coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Taris Humphreys told GRACIEMAG.com how his preparations for the European have been going and what his trip through Croatia has been like so far, just weeks before the championship in Portugal.

“I’m training really hard every day. Croatia is a great place to concentrate and train hard. The folks with whom I have been training are of a really good high level. They have superhuman strength. I train with some lightweights who are so strong it’s unbelievable,” said Tarsis.

“My physical preparation remains the same. My physical conditioning coach is Edmilson Danats, of LPO System. He tells me what to do and keeps up with my progress in weight lifting. This is a continuation of the work we’ve been doing since last year. I’m feeling great.”

“Truth is that I’m not sure whether I’ll go in as a medium heavyweight, as I need to lose some weight, or as a heavyweight. I do know, though, that in both divisions there are lots of tough opponents. I’m confident in my training. Victory is a consequence of several factors that should be in harmony. Whoever has those factors in unison on the day of the European will be champion,” he said in finishing.