As part of a new Jiu-Jitsu training camp in Europe, GMA member Caio Terra of Institute of Martial Arts and three other black belts have joined forces.

From July 11 to 21 you can train with Caio Terra, Yuri Simoes, Kit Dale and Ary Farias in Belek, Turkey which is located in the Antalya province. Accommodations will be held at Spice Hotel & Spa for everyone at the camp.

Members of the camp program will train in both gi and no-gi during two sessions per day. As part of the package price, food and beverages will be included as well as the rooms which hold two guests. The airfare is sold separately.

There is a price for BJJ practitioners and guests who are coming along as non-practitioners so both Jiu-Jitsu and tourism can be found on this vacation.

If you are interested in this exclusive, luxury training camp then book now as spaces are limited and running out.

Find out more information at http://bjj.spice.com.tr/

That sentence has accompanied me nearly my entire life in Brazil. Arabs in the land of Pelé and Royce are commonly referred to as Turks. And there’s a simple explanation for it.

The first Arabs to arrive in Brazil, early in the 20th century, entered the country using Turkish passports, since Turkey controlled nearly the entire Arabian peninsula. But not a lot of people knew that Turks and Arabs had been rivals for ages.

Hence, within the Arab community in Brazil, there was nothing endearing about being called a Turk. In pursuing my Arab identity, often by way of Jiu-Jitsu, I sought to get to know as many Arab countries as possible. And to convey a bit of my gentle art knowledge to my friends in the Arab world.

A little over 30 days ago, before definitively returning to Brazil after three years in the Middle East, I resolved to check out Istanbul, in Turkey. I got in touch with one of the country’s gentle art figureheads, purple belt Ertan Balaban, a student of team Brasa’s Igor Silva.

Ertan is a great host, the kind of guy who will open the doors to his home to any stranger in exchange for a few gentle art positions. In this respect—hospitality—Turks and Arabs are quite similar. Besides his classic style of Jiu-Jitsu and the high degree of discipline he demands in class, I noticed in Ertan a special quality that has been vital to Jiu-Jitsu spreading in the country: determination.

Upon sitting down for lunch at a restaurant with his father, a respected university professor, and his Turkish-American cousin—both notable intellectuals—, it came to me that Ertan had attained his notability in Turkey through Jiu-Jitsu, an art he got to know and began practicing seven years ago, when studying in the USA.

Ertan and Igor Silva / Personal archive photo

Beyond being just a martial art, to Ertan Jiu-Jitsu is a worldwide movement.

“You see, I met Mohamed here over the internet, just as I met so many other Brazilian black belts who’ve been through these parts. And he’s already like a brother to me—a Jiu-Jitsu brother. You tell me if there’s another movement in the world—whether an association group or sport—that can bring so many people together like this. That’s what I’m talking about; Jiu-Jitsu is indeed a brotherhood,” says Ertan Balaban.

In a few words, this Turkish purple belt managed to sum up worldwide Jiu-Jitsu today.

We’ve surpassed borders, whether they be political, religious or cultural. We become a great network of convergence, of opinion makers, of lifestyle.

The Jiu-Jitsu practiced in Turkey is the same as that practiced in Brazil, which is the same as that of the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Asia or Oceania.

Perhaps not simply for the technical factor but more for the factor of tradition of understanding, lifestyle, its practitioners’ togetherness.

Now back in my beloved country of Brazil for good, I now feel more Brazilian. And more Arab. And why not say it, more Turkish.

A wonderful 2012 to you all, GRACIEMAG.com readers and my Jiu-Jitsu brothers.

Syria's Khalid Walled defeated Egypt's Hani Hurricane in December and promises to be in the second one. Photo: Khalid Walid Hassan.

A Jiu-Jitsu black belt and promoter of the Desert Force MMA event, Jordanian/Brazilian Zaid Mirza wants to use his MMA event to scout talent in the Middle East.

Mirza’s idea is to promote a GP within the next installment of DFC, on March 31, exclusively for fighters from Middle Eastern nations, Iran, and Turkey.

“From the last installment we already got a sense that there are greatly promising fighters in the region. I want to make their promise into reality,” says Mirza.

One who has lent his support to the idea is Alex Negão, a Carlson Gracie black belt residing in Abu Dhabi, where he coaches Emirates Team for MMA.

“It was a great idea of Zaid’s. I’ve seen a lot of good kids around these parts. I believe that in three years we’ll be able to launch some of them on the professional circuit,” wagers Alex.

Zaid adds that he included Iran and Turkey because they are sporting powerhouses in the region and have a great tradition in combat sports, thus raising the bar of the technical level of the competition and opening the market up for a total of 24 nations.

But anyone led to believe Desert Force will be restricted to Middle Eastern fighters couldn’t be further from the truth. The event will have a permanent professional card with fighters from all four corners of the earth.

Interested fighters, both for the Arab card and the international one, should send their Cvs for evaluation to info@desertfc.com.

Gui (in white) and Rafael Mendes: seminars in Europe in September. Photo: Publicity.

Guilherme and Rafael Mendes will spend two weeks at some of the most popular tourist sites in Europe.

But they’re going there to work. “We want to let everyone know we’re heading to Europe; we have seminars scheduled in Switzerland, Turkey and Birmingham, England,” wrote Guilherme Mendes to GRACIEMAG.com.

“We invite one and all who can make it to our seminars, to get to know us, our way of training, our game a bit better,” says 2009’s light featherweight world champion.

“Thank God we’re seeing wonderful recognition from people; we receive emails asking for seminars in different places every day. We want to take the opportunity to say thanks for the affection, it just motivates us to train even more. The joy of being an athlete and achieving victories goes beyond winning on the mat, there’s also the gratifying victory outside of tournaments: that of fulfilling dreams and conquering people’s admirations, and being happy with one’s own self,” he says.

“We’re going to compete this year; we’re training a lot and are in top shape, feeling really good!”

If you’re nowhere near Europe or Rio Claro, Brazil, you still have the opportunity to learn from the Mendes brother in GRACIEMAG. In this month’s training program. Subscribe here and secure your copy of GRACIEMAG every month at home.

Zurich, Switzerland – 10 September
Team Nogueira
EMAIL: info@frota-team.ch

Geneva , Switzerland – 11 September

Team Anderson Pereira
Academy Shinbudo 81,Av louis Casai 1216
+41787448972

Istanbul, Turkey – 12 September
Corvos MMA Academy
05335604424
Sehit Tegmen Ali Yilmaz sok. no:16
Besler Plaza Kavacik

Birmingham , UK – 19 September
GB Birmingham
01217068465
steve.fan@btinternet.com
Station Road, Acocks Green