BJ Penn competing at the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds Championship in Rio de Janeiro. Photographer: Gustavo Aragao / GRACIEMAG

” The First gringo Black Belt World Champion.” That’s how the Brazilians call, in Portuguese of course, the Jiu-Jitsu world champion and the UFC champion in two different categories, BJ Penn.

In a trip to Brazil, more precisely to train at Nova Uniao team, with André Pederneiras, Jose Aldo, Renan Baron and the other members of the team, BJ made ​​a nostalgic visit to the Tijuca Tennis Club, the gymnasium where he was consecrated as the first non-Brazilian to be world Jiu-Jitsu black belt champion in 2000.

The memories are many, as the battle chanting  “ah ah ih, BJ Hawaii.” But what BJ also takes from his golden days at the Kimono championships is gratitude he owes to the gentle art:

“I owe much of my life to Jiu-Jitsu. I do not know what I ‘d be doing today if it were not for Jiu-Jitsu and the Worlds, ” BJ said.

After the conquests of kimono, BJ Penn was successful in MMA, and became a UFC champion in the lightweight and welterweight division, winning illustrious fans, just like former Brazilian UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

João Gabriel in the guard of Leandro Lo. Photo: Gustavo Aragão / GRACIEMAG

On Sunday, Leandro Lo and João Gabriel Rocha wrote another chapter in the remarkable history of the Rio Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship, an IBJJF event held in the gymnasium at Tijuca Tennis Club.

João Gabriel, super-heavyweight champion, was defeated by Lo, middleweight champion, by just one advantage in an exciting, instructive absolute final.

On top, the representative of Soul Fighters got a lot of pressure going, but was not able to pass Leandro’s guard. The Cicero Costha student tried to sweep and won the decisive advantage. GRACIEMAG talked to João, who analyzed his mistakes and successes in the competition.

GRACIEMAG: What have you learned from the defeat in the final of the open?

JOÃO GABRIEL ROCHA: I knew the fight would be decided in the details and that is what happened. But he surprised me really, because I had never seen Leandro Lo fighting defensively– he always attacks like a madman [laughs]. This time, Lo was more on the defense and that broke my game. I think I lacked a plan-B, because I thought he was going to attack me all the time and it was not what I saw. Anyway, he is to be congratulated, he found the right strategy and is a deserving champion. I learned that we must be prepared for everything. Having plans for any circumstance during the fight is really essential.

How do you view Leandro Lo as a Jiu-Jitsu competitor?

To me he is the number-one lightweight – the guy is truly fantastic. I love watching him fight because it is always synonymous with a spectacle. A future match between us would probably go along these same lines. But I’ll try to have even more stamina, so as to get in his guard and do better.

At the final of the super-heavy you faced Grimaldo Filho of GFTeam, and finished him with a choke. What have you learned?

I did not know the opponent, and that hindered me a bit. The guard Grimaldo has is very flexible, but I was able to go at my pace until the end. I ended it with a nice choke; I guess the secret is to do a lot of repetition to get the submissions just right. To use this move of mine, I always try to get the back with my hips aligned. And my shoulders must always be parallel with my opponent’s.

Leandro Lo doing battle with Michael Langhi / Photo by Carlos Ozório

Take a look at this lightweight classic between guard virtuosos Leandro Lo and Michael Langhi in June of last year.

The match determined who would take the gold medal for the lightweight division at the 2011 Brazilian National Championship, held at Tijuca Tennis Club in Rio de Janeiro.

What did you learn from the match?

Vitor Shaolin won over New York with his Jiu-Jitsu. Publicity photo.

Após quase uma década sem competir de pano, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro voltou a vestir o kimono para lutar o primeiro Campeonato Mundial de Masters & Sêniors este mês na Califa, e voltou a todo vapor vencendo novamente no peso leve.

No vídeo abaixo, o lutador que levava o ginásio do Tijuca à loucura ensina uma das suas tradicionais finalizações da guarda-aranha, com a chave omoplata.

“Comece sempre colocando o pé no bíceps do adversário. Depois estique a perna direita saindo o quadril pra esquerda. Com a perna esquerda, envolva o braço direito do oponente. Repare como então eu solto a pegada do braço esquerdo dele, e seguro a ponta do meu pé que estava envolvendo o braço dele. Depois saio meu quadril pra esquerda, e fecho a omoplata”, detalha o professor carioca radicado em NY.

Photo: Carlos Ozório.

One of the Alliance aces to stick his neck out at last Saturday’s Brazilian No-Gi Nationals, Antonio Peinado secured another gold medal for his collection.

“Winning a CBJJ title is just awesome! It’s a newer championship, but it’s getting bigger every year and it will just get more tradition about it,” he told GRACIEMAG.com.

Peinado had two matches ahead of him, but only needed to enter one, as absolute champion Victor Costa opted not to fight.

“I didn’t do the final, due to Victor deciding to save himself for the absolute decider. Some people were confused because we didn’t shut out the division, if just because we’re from different teams. It was Victor’s decision and I respect it. He spoke with me and it was cool,” he remarked.

The black belt still intends to compete at this year’s World Cup, an event held in São Paulo in December. However, he has already begun planning for 2011.

“2010 wasn’t a bad year for me. I learned a lot. I just made it to two years as a black belt and I came really close in a number of competitions. I was European runner-up, took third at weight and open weight at the Pan, third at the Brazilian Nationals and the Worlds. I’ve been competing at ultraheavyweight, but what I want is to compete at superheavyweight. I’m heading full steam into that division, focused and better. I feel 2011 will be special, a year of conquests,” he says in closing.

Buiú tries to sweep Murilo Santana. Photo: Carlos Ozório

The Brazilian No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Nationals served up a generous helping of good grappling this Saturday in Rio de Janeiro (read complete coverage here). Besides big wins from Antonio Peinado, Tiago Alves, Luiz Big Mac, and Michelle Tavares, the event crowned absolute champion Victor Costa, following his win at the No-Gi Pan.

GRACIEMAG.com couldn’t miss the event and brings you the best of what went down at the Tijuca Tennis Club in images:

[flickr set=72157625155784279]

Victor Costa wins absolute final via submission. Photo: Carlos Ozório

On the eve of Brazil’s presidential elections, Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club was stage to the runoff determining the new leaders of Brazil, but in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. The finals of the 2010 Brazilian National Championship began just as the clock struck six in the afternoon.

One of the big standouts of the day was businessman Victor Costa (CheckMat), who heads the Koral Kimonos company, showing his slick ground game. After winning his first superheavyweight match on points, he opted not to enter the final against Antonio Peinado (Alliance), who won his first via rear-naked choke and then took the championship title. Victor’s reason for not entering the decider was to spare himself for the absolute, where he battled for gold against Nilson Ricardo (Nova União). In the open weight category, the black belt won his first on points, finished his second with an arm triangle, and beat Theodoro Canal (GFTeam) in the semifinal via referee decision. In the gold-medal contest, he quickly put away Nilson Ricardo with a rear-naked choke.

Peinado didn't have to face Victor Costa in the final. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Luiz “Big Mac” (Godoi) got the best of the ultraheavyweight division. “Big” won his first by WO and finished his second with a kimura lock to then face Igor Silva (GFTeam) in the decider. In the final, the São Paulo native used his judo experience to land a throw and control the bout from there on out, winning by points.

Big Mac beat Igor Silva. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Rafael Bettega took heavyweight gold. The Alliance rep had to compete one less time in his bracket and saw his first opponent disqualified. In the final, he faced MMA fighter Marcus Maciel “Bicudinho” (BTT) and won via kneebar from half-guard.

Buiú clings to Murilo Santana's back. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Kleber Buiú (Gracie Barra), who came in off a win at the Rio Open, beat Murilo Santana (Barbosa) and took top spot on the medium heavyweight winners’ stand, after an evenly-matched dispute. Murilo started the action with a sweep, but in the final minute, Buiú was still playing for keeps and managed to make it to back mount to rally back for the win (4 to 2). Prior to the final, the fighter would beat his first adversary with a rear-naked choke and overcome his second with takedowns.

Tiago Alves passed the guard of Jonatas Novaes. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Another Marcos Barbosinha ace, Tiago Alves started out falling behind on the scorecards in the middleweight final. His opponent, Jonatas Novaes (Brasa), managed a sweep. Known for his high-pressure Jiu-Jitsu, Tiago persisted until passing guard (3 to 2). Alves won his prior matches by a large margin on points. In his first, 9 to 0, and his second, against a game Vitor Henrique (GFTeam), he also took a sizable lead, but his opponent ended up injured and out.

Davi Ramos (Top Brother) got by his first lightweight challenge on advantage points. He then faced Helder “Bob Sponja” Medeiros (CheckMat) in the semifinal, and won with two takedowns and a sweep for a 6-2 tally. In the decider, Davi submitted Marcio Rodrigues (Tubarão) with a footlock.

The best at featherweight was Leonardo Souza (Gordo-Evolve), who drew 2 to 2 with André Luiz (Godoi), but eeked out the win on advantage points. At light feather, Rufino Gomes (CheckMat) finished off two opponents with rear-naked chokes. In the gold-medal match he beat Leandro Escobar (Soul Fighters).

Michelle in absolute final. Photo: Carlos Ozório

In the female mix, Michelle Tavares recovered from a loss in the lightweight final, having moved up a weight category due to lack of opponents, and won the absolute. She won her first engagement with a triangle choke, her second with a ten-finger choke, and won the final against Polyana Lago (Alliance) by sweeping and mounting (6 to 0).

Marina on Michelle's back. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Michelle’s bane at lightweight was Marina Ribeiro (CheckMat), who managed a sweep and two back mounts to one sweep from the guard by Michelle (10 to 3). Another standout was Rosalind Ferreira (Gavião), who overcame Polyana Lago with advantage points in the middleweight final, and Luiza Monteiro (CheckMat), who won two matches with footlocks.

CheckMat took top spot on the team winners’ stand, followed by Gracie Barra and GFTeam.

Check back with GRACIEMAG.com for the full photogallery from the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals.

Murilo Santana won the absolute in 2009. Photo: Carlos Ozório.

The next CBJJ/IBJJF tournament in Brazil is the No-Gi Brazilian Nationals, coming up October 30 in Rio de Janeiro’s traditional Tijuca Tennis Club venue.

Big teams like Gracie Barra, BTT, GFTeam, Alliance, and Carlson Gracie are confirmed to be there.

However, time to sign up is running out, so anyone interested should hurry to do so by this Friday, October 22.

To sign up and for further information, click here.

On October 31, 2009, Carlos Henrique decided to stop by a marble store in downtown Rio de Janeiro. “I needed to buy two marble door frames for the bedrooms at home,” recalls the teacher.

Out of the blue, an armed man entered the store and advanced on the owner of the store, Edinei César. Desperately, the victim who didn’t survive latched on to Carlos Henrique’s neck. But the “human shield” knew Jiu-Jitsu, freeing himself of the rear-naked choke and throwing him to the ground. Even so, he took three bullets.

“When the guy came into the store screaming, I turned around. That was when the victim grabbed me in a rear-naked choke. I don’t even know how I freed myself of the hold, I just know I got out and threw him to the ground. Upon being shot, the owner of the store landed on me; that was when I took three shots from the thug, who kept shooting,” he recounts. Carlos was shot in the spleen, diaphragm and spine, where the bullet is lodged to this day.

“When the bullet goes in it doesn’t hurt, at least it didn’t hurt. I ran out of the store and passed out far away, where a passing ambulance rescued me,” he says.

After forty days in the hospital, seven in intensive care and four minutes in nearly-fatal cardio-respiratory arrest, Carlos Henrique won his private fight to survive. And he promised friends and students he would return to competition.

At the last International Master and Senior tournament on July 24, there he was against Roberto Gordo in the black belt heavyweight/senior 1 divisional final.

“You go on to value a lot of things in life, like a simple training session, the air you breathe, and those hours your son calls on you to play a video game and you say you’re busy,” reflects the teacher and one of the leaders of Brazil 021, already with thirty-three years of Jiu-Jitsu and more than twenty students promoted to black belt.

Carlos won his first match at the Tijuca Tennis Club by 2 to 0. However exhausted, he returned for the final and lost to Gordo. The next day, he didn’t settle for a W.O. and showed up in the absolute.

“He’s a great example to us all. While still in the hospital, he would always say that he would give himself the present of competing again. There you have it, a side show: second place but feeling like first,” says friend and student André Negão, of Brazil 021.

Peinado got the tapout in two matches at the competition. Photo: Gustavo Aragão

Alliance had another great performance with its heavy black belt team at last weekend’s Brazilian Team Nationals.

First, the students of Fabio Gurgel and Alexandre Paiva beat GFTeam’s B team. Rafael Bettega got an armbar submission, Bernardo Faria went part João Gabriel on points and Antonio Peinado got a chokehold finish.

Then, against Gordo-Evolve, Fabio Romão submitted Pedro Borges with a wrist lock, while Fabiano “Boi” Souza caught Renan Vital with a kneebar. As Roberto Gordo’s team only had four athletes, they were automatically eliminated.

In the big decider, against GFTeam’s team A, Peinado opened the scoring with an armbar on Vitor Henrique and Bernardo Faria used a triangle to put away Ricardo Evangelista. Rodolfo Vieira tried to rain on the parade with a choke on Bettega, but Fabiano Boi submitted Vinícius Marinho with another kneebar and secured the title for Alliance’s second time.

“Everyone trained hard for this title,” said a Bernardo Faria in celebration.

“This is one of the coolest championships to compete at because it’s not an individual thing. It involves the union of the entire group,” said Peinado in summary.

Check out Alliance’s celebrations and what the standouts had to say in the video below:

Rafa Mendes at 2010 Worlds. The champion entered the action in Tijuca. Photo: Ivan Trindade.

The Brazilian Team Nationals 2010 is going off in Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club.

In the main division, the brown/black belt one, the first final defined was the lightweight one. With safe performances from the Mendes brothers, Atos Jiu-Jitsu made it to a Brazilian Team Nationals final for the first time.

Ramon Lemos’s team, headquartered in Rio Claro, São Paulo, eliminated GFTeam’s team B and now faces GFTeam A, which made it through the semifinal with GFTeam C without fighting.

Could GFTeam have what it takes to stop Atos? Or would it be better to ask is Atos capable of stopping GFTeam, the current champion?

Among the heavyweights, current champion Alliance is in the final against GFTeam A.

Romero Jacaré and Fabio Gurgel’s team first beat GFTeam B by 3 to 0 and then dispatched Gordo-Evolve also without dropping a single match.

Now GFTeam overcame Alliance B by 3 to 0, and in the semifinal eliminated Nova União by 3 to 1.

Kudos to Rodolfo Vieira (GFTeam) and Antonio Peinado (Alliance) in the division.

Alliance took the brown and black belt female division without rivals.

Check out the results thus far.

JUVENILE BLUE

Light) Nova União

Heavy) Nova União

BLUE

Light) Nova União

Middle) Alliance

Heavy) Alliance

Brothers Gui and Rafa Mendes (in yellow). Photo: Publicity.

The diminutive world-champion duo promises to brighten up the Tijuca Tennis Club this Saturday.

On IBJJF.com’s list of those confirmed for the Brazilian Team nationals, Guilherme and Rafael Mendes are among those in the lineup. Team member Gilbert Durinho is another to confirm the siblings will see action.

The presence of current featherweight world champion Rafael and 2009’s light featherweight world champion Gui catapults team Atos to favorite status for the competition in one of the most visible divisions: the adult-lightweight division of the brown-and-black belt category.

To see the famed brothers Mendes and countless other stalwart competitors in action, don’t miss the Brazilian Team Nationals 2010 this coming weekend in Rio de Janeiro’s Tijuca Tennis Club, for anyone who can make it. If you can’t, keep up with the action right here on GRACIEMAG.com, your Jiu-Jitsu reference.

Check out how team Atos’s brown/black belt lightweight division will look:

Rafael Mendes

Guilherme Mendes

Gilbert Durinho

Bruno Frazatto

Davi Ramos

Eduardo Ramos

David Lemes