Qualified for the Abu Dhabi, the black belt now hopes to carry on winning in both his divisions; and bring on the Pan!

Rodolfo in photo by Gustavo Aragão

How was your performance at the event?

At weight things weren’t easy at all. I beat João Gabriel by 6 to 2 in the first match; in the second, against Alexandre de Souza, I got the takedown twice and passed guard; in the semifinal, against Português, I had two advantage points; and in the final, against Moreno (Diogo Sampaio, watch the match below) I scored 20 to 0 and finished with a choke from the mount. I only got the finish in the final of the division. There were four more matches in the absolute.

You are from Campo Grande, where the event took place. What was it like literally being able to compete at home?

This time I fought in my own backyard and was super nervous. My first Jiu-Jitsu championship was here, in 2005, and it was my first contact with competitions. Since then this is the first big event to take place here. Thank God everything went well and I am now champion. The crowd was on fire and I didn’t let anybody down!

What’s the next big event now?

I’m going to try and win weight and absolute at the Pan, then I’ll head straight to the World Pro.

Will this hunt for weight and absolute continue in Abu Dhabi? In 2009 you opted only to compete at weight?

I’ll keep up the pace in training. If I don’t get injured, I’ll show up there in good shape. In 2009, I don’t even know how I managed to win. I had a hurt rib, I was just there for the ride and ended up winning, but I was unable to compete in the absolute. Last year I got hurt again and couldn’t compete in anything. This year is promising and, with God’s help, I’ll train a lot só I can become champion at weight and open weight too.

Caio at World Pro Tryouts / Photo: Carlos Ozório

The GRACIEMAG.com team was on its toes at the World Pro tryouts in the Northeastern Brazilian town of Natal. Over there, they witnessed up close Caio Alencar, a Kimura Nova União athlete, who qualified for the over 92 kg division finishing off four opponents.

“Training is still going on strong under the supervision of coach Jair Lourenço and physical conditioning coach Adriano Curinga. They are the ones taking care of my training over there. The main focus is Jiu-Jitsu, which I practice from Monday to Saturday. But I also do physical conditioning three times a week,” the fighters tells GRACIEMAG.com.

Training in the northeast is going strong, but Caio is also planning a trip to visit Atos, with the Mendes brothers.

“I have more that sixty black belts to train with here, so I can prepare well here in Natal. But I have some trips to the academies of friends in João Pessoa, Recife, and Maceió planned. I’m going to pay a visit to the Mendes brothers, in Rio Claro, before the trip, since I’m so well received there. We’re all friends,” he says.

He expects the World Pro to be challenging, and of course, Caio is confident he will have some surprises in store for his opponents.

“I really want to face the top guys, like Gabriel Vella, Rômulo Barral, and Rodolfo Vieira, among others I know who are out there. I’m going to try and win at weight and open weight at the World Pro,” he says in closing.