Lucas Montalvão is a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt. Photo: Vitor Freitas

Lucas Montalvão has just 20 years of age and a massive number of titles in the five years of his career. The Double Five athlete is currently doing a stint of training in Coahuila, Mexico to compete in the Miami Grand Slam and the IBJJF Pan, both set to take place in the U.S.

A recent interview shed some light on his preparation with the Mexican athletes as well as his teammates.

“The training is going at full steam,” said Lucas. “We are training two to three times a day. The work is being done to arrive in top shape in the U.S.”

He added: “I’m competing better every time playing on top, passing guard more, but in my training I’m usually versatile — I play guard and play on top too. I’m happy to have this opportunity to train here in Mexico, where BJJ is growing a lot, and this exchange will generate great fruits of evolution for each person involved.”

An athlete in the ultra-heavy division brown belt currently looking to win a fourth Pan title, Lucas analyzed the overall level of his division, and what the fans might except from him in his following tournaments. “My category is a tough category, with plenty of strong athletes, but this is the category where I feel good, and I’m going in to be champion,” he said.

Lucas also talked about the exchange he will be doing in the following months alongside Rafael Formiga, an avid competitor in the masters’, and how this motivates him to fight for a place at the top.

“I believe the United States is the best place in the world for any athlete — a first-world country and where, in my opinion, they have the best jiu-jitsu hub right now,” he said. “Taking part in this camp with Rafael Formiga and other strong fighters is going to be incredible; I’ll extract lots of good stuff for my evolution. Without a doubt, being world champion in the black belt is my great objective, and all that I do now will be reflected there.”

Caio at the 2013 Pans. Photo: Ivan Trindade

When the registration period for the 2014 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship winded down, we saw many black belts commit their names to the brackets. One in particular was Caio Terra, a multiple-time world champion at roosterweight who signed up for the ultra-heavyweight division. While he’s not a stranger to open weight divisions, the larger tournaments have never seen his name there.

The brackets were set and while we anticipated hearing the reason Caio entered a division of men who weigh well over 220 pounds with only 130 pounds to his name, he dropped out of the competition. Due to health reasons that are still unknown, Caio must rest rather than compete or train — a tough thing to do for a Jiu-Jitsu world champion.

Here’s what Caio had to say about his initial intentions and goals and how illness changed his plans:

GRACIEMAG: Why did you sign up for ultra-heavyweight division when you’re normally a roosterweight?

CAIO TERRA: I entered the ultra-heavy because I wanted to show the world that my Jiu-Jitsu works for everyone. I would have done the open but I am not sure my body could handle the 5+ matches and then the next day fight another 3-4 in my weight class. I believe in pushing myself and my limits, one step at a time.

Why are you dropping out of the championship?

I was having an amazing camp and was feeling the best I’ve felt in years. Last Thursday I had a very bad headache. A few people at camp got a little sick so I rested a day thinking I had the same thing. The next day my headache was so bad I couldn’t walk. I typically never go to the doctor but was very worried. The doctor gave me a shot because they thought it was sinus related. I slept almost 20 hours and when I woke up felt rested but still had a very bad headache.

I went back to the doctor and they suggested I do some tests and rest. I asked that if I felt I was up to it if I could try and train. They said absolutely not. I then joked, “So competition is out of the question?” and was told very seriously that I shouldn’t joke about this.

As of now I don’t know what’s wrong. I do feel a little better but my vision still goes in and out. One of my students in Oregon had similar things and it turned out to be a tumor. This really put life in perspective. One minute I’m thinking about brackets and next I am praying I am healthy.

How will you dedicate your time instead?

Getting healthy. I might go down to coach, even though I need to rest a lot I want to be there for my team. They have always supported me and I’m very thankful.

Stay tuned for more information about Caio as well as the Pans this weekend.