Rodolfo durante vitória em cima de Bráulio Estima em Abu Dhabi, em 2009. Foto: Ivan Trindade

A riveting match with Marcus Vinicius “Bochecha” unfolded this Saturday at the 2012 World Championship in Long Beach. It was the first points loss ever incurred by Rodolfo in the gi at an official event as a black belt.

After witnessing a historic 8-7 outcome in the absolute quarterfinals, one of the finest matches of the event, with a last-ditch double-leg from Bochecha raising the roof at the Long Beach Pyramid, a lot of people were left scratching their heads trying to remember the last time Rodolfo had lost. After all, ever since he was a brown belt the steamroller from GFTeam has been collecting achievements, and as a black belt, very seldom defeats.

As a black belt, Rodolfo Vieira lost for the first time in the quarterfinals of the 2009 World Championship, coming up short on advantage points to Alexandre Souza in the heavyweight division. That Sunday would mark the last time Rodolfo lost a 10-minute match in the gi.

Refresh your memory of the match by clicking here.

On March 14, 2010, Rodolfo would again leave the mat forlorn, this time at the Abu Dhabi WPJJC tryouts in Gramado. When the six-minute regulation time was up, the Rio de Janeiro native had fewer advantage points than did Alexandre Ceconi, and failed to qualify at the event.

Having lost to Ceconi, Rodolfo went on to try his luck at the tryouts in Rio de Janeiro, where by coincidence he met Alexandre Souza in the final – after beating Léo Nogueira and Braga Neto… After a 0-0 draw, the judges opted to hand it to Rodolfo, thus getting even for his 2009 loss.

Who was it that used to defend this thesis statement? None other than Grandmaster Helio Gracie, who left us two years ago on January 29, 2009.

The master was right. These days, Jiu-Jitsu is being practiced by more and more women as a means of self-defense, as a sport and as exercise. At the 2009 World Championship there were 143 of them signed up. At the 2010 Worlds the number jumped to 176.

The growth of female Jiu-Jitsu is one of the themes of Brazil’s “Sensei Sportv” television program this Saturday, featuring super model white belt Carol Francischini practicing self-defense positions with her boyfriend, Guilherme Valente.

As an homage to the philosophy of the late teacher, GRACIEMAG put together a special Training Program on self-defense.

Rush to get yours at bookstores. Or click here to subscribe and get the inside scoop, the latest training techniques, and everything else there is to know about the gentle art of Jiu-Jitsu in the comfort of your own home every month.

Don't mess with this top model. Photo: Publicity/Sportv.

Caio against Barata at Las Vegas Open; photo by John Cooper.

Caio Terra is always competing. Furthermore, Cesar Gracie’s roosterweight trains the ground game with MMA beasts like Gilberto Melendez, Jake Shields, Nick and Nate Diaz. The repercussions from his winning the absolute division at the Las Vegas Open on the 14^th are still rippling. But now Caio only wants to hear about his upcoming challenges, like the American National championship and World No-Gi Championship. Check out what he has to say:

You became the lightest absolute champion in IBJJF history. How might that affect your career?
I’d won the absolute division at Naga this year, and I did my first absolute at the American No-Gi Nationals last year and took third place. But winning it at a tough IBJJF tournament like that one was truly a surprise for me. It made me really happy. But I think the thing I was happiest about was not getting hurt…

You even stripped off the gi that very Saturday and entered the American Nationals, participating in one of the most controversial matches of the championship, when you were eliminated in the semifinal. Did you expect to go further?
I certainly wanted to win, but I think it would have been tough; I’d had a lot of matches that day and hadn’t eaten anything. It was a true marathon for me. In spite of everything, when I make it to a final I always come up with some extra gas in the tank.

If we want the sport to be professional we have to be professional in every way, not just in our physical ability” Caio Terra

You lost to Diego Herzog via an illegal move, when he crossed his leg over your knee. What do you think of that rule?
At the last four major tournaments I competed in there were four major errors: this one in Las Vegas, in the No-Gi Worlds 2009 absolute, in the final of the 2010 Pan and the final of the Worlds 2010, when my opponent clearly ran off the mat carrying me piggy back…
They were major errors that kept me out of competition. I feel mistakes happen, but they are bothersome for all the time and money spent in preparing, training and traveling. We need professionals who pay more attention; looking in for the outside, everyone sees the errors without needing a replay.
As for crossing the knee from the outside in, truth is I feel it could count, as could the heelhook. But if it counts for one it should count for the other. I was playing within the rules and if it counted I would have tried not to expose myself in that way.

You’ve been a ref before. What can be done to make refereeing evolve?
Referees should be professionals, like they are in other major sports. Until that happens, other viable things can be done, like obliging refs to redo the refereeing course, before the event. It’s normal that one makes mistakes, but a lot of people make too many mistakes because they don’t know the rules.

And why haven’t you been refereeing lately? Did you decide to dedicate yourself solely to your career as an athlete?
No, there’d be no problem in carrying on refereeing. Truth is that the public and practically the entire Jiu-Jitsu community also don’t know the rules, so spectators complain and argue things that don’t make any sense. Anyone who studies the rules properly will see that everything is interconnected and everything makes perfect sense. I feel all the black belts who compete and take their students to compete should know the rules and thus need to study them and take the refereeing course. If we want to make the sport professional we need to start being professional in every way, not just in our physical abilities.

Terra in No-Gi Worlds 2009 final against Carlos Holanda. Photo: Alicia Anthony.

What are your objectives to come? Any absolute coming up?
My main objective is the No-Gi Worlds 2010; I want to become three-time champion at black belt. I also have a superfight in New Hampshire two weeks from now, and I want to also compete at the Gi American Nationals in September, and perhaps I’ll compete in São Paulo at the end of the year. Whether I enter the absolute or not I decide on the day, if I’m feeling well I compete, otherwise I’d rather spare myself to not risk getting injured.

Who do you have to thank for this good phase you’re seeing?
I want to thank my sponsors Budovideos, Shoyoroll, Dethrone and Versatile Fighter for their support, and all my students for helping me train and everyone who reads this interview and wants to carry Jiu-Jitsu forward. If you have any comment or opinion don’t keep from expressing them.

Check out Caio at the 2010 Pan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrU5Dek_nOM

Romulo Barral. Photo: publicity

While he recovers from the latest operation on his knee, Romulo Barral amuses himself on the internet.

The Gracie Barra ace was injured in his loss to Tarsis Humphreys in the medium heavyweight division at the last World Championship, and he promises to return to Jiu-Jitsu training in two month’s time. Between weight-lifting sessions, @romulobarral surfs the internet, holds polls and offers predictions over Twitter, and watches UFC videos.

In one of these posts, the current world absolute runner-up revealed his plans for his career: to become absolute world champion and a UFC fighter.

Romulo was runner-up on three occasions (2007, 2009 and 2010) and won the absolute division at the 2007 Pan. In MMA he holds a record of two wins by rear-naked choke.

A teacher in Los Angeles, Barral made the most of his time on ice to send a message via Twitter directly to UFC top brass @danawhite: “I want to fight in the UFC someday, I want it more and more with every event.”

If you aren’t on Twitter, get on twitter.com, participate and find out all the goings-on in the lives and careers of the biggest Jiu-Jitsu and MMA stars around. Everybody’s on there.

And of course, follow @graciemag_br and @greaciemag so as not to miss a beat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yns12Kciac8

Rodolfo against Léo Nogueira in the Rio Open final. Photo: Gustavo Aragão

Rodolfo Vieira had great expectations for 2010. After winning the absolute division at the 2008 World Championship as a brown belt and defeating a number of black belts on his way to winning the World Pro 2009 title, the fighter was promoted at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão International Airport. Also in 2009, he won the Rio Open already as a black belt.

This year, though, a knee injury kept Rodolfo out of the main competitions. But, after a period of inactivity, the student of Master Júlio Cesar reclaimed his place as a top-tier competitor. Could he turn out to be another obstacle for Roger Gracie?

You flew to Abu Dhabi but were unable to compete at the World Pro. What was it like to be out of action this whole time?

I got injured, had a serious knee problem. It’s awful… It gets you really down and you feel you’ll never fight well again. I’d see the guys in my division fighting and doing great, while I was there on the sidelines. I’d wonder if I’d ever fight like I used to again. The good folks on our side, the family and friends, lift us up and with that support I managed to return in grand style.

Júlio Cesar promotes Rodolfo on his return from the World Pro 2009

But did you imagine you’d make such a great return?

I surprised myself. I submitted everyone when I fought in São Paulo and then I made it to the Rio Open, where the level is way up there, and I won at weight and the absolute. I was really pleased.

Some GRACIEMAG.com readers are already speculating about the possibility of you beating or not beating Roger Gracie. What do you think of that?

Look, that’s complicated business (laughs). Who doesn’t want to fight the guy and beat him? Roger is the best in the world, I can say no more than that. All you have to do is look at what he’s done and is doing. But it’s that old story, right? We saw Werdum beat Fedor and so I believe it’s possible to beat him. It’s just not easy. You have to train and believe in yourself because no one’s invincible. But I think I still have a ways to go, I’m aware of that. I’m a fan of his Jiu-Jitsu, he’s the man and I have to train a lot.

But what would be the path to beating him?

The path is on top. On bottom, I don’t think anyone’s managed to do it yet.

Against Fernando Boi, in the Rio Open absolute semis. Photo: Gustavo Aragão

When will you compete next?

I’m going to take a rest, but next week I’ll be back in training to try and get the prize money at the National Cup. There’s the Brazilian Team Nationals and GFTeam will take a good team at lightweight and heavyweight black belt. I also want to do the Brazilian No-Gi Nationals and to be in everything that comes up. I’m content to just be back competing.

Do you contemplate doing MMA?

I do. That’s where the money is. But I’m 20 years old and still have much to accomplish in Jiu-Jitsu. I got my black belt a little over a year ago, so I have to brush up my ground game a lot to not have a poor showing. Who knows? Maybe four or five years from now.

I’d like to let the gang know that anyone interested in having me for a seminar can reach me at rvieirajj@hotmail.com.

Roger vs Demente. Photos: Regis Chen.

The 27-year-old fighter’s eyes are hazel and weary. Roger Gracie is the black belt with the biggest buzz about him at the moment, undefeated for one year, having submitted every single one of his opponents in 2009. He’s coveted by MMA events, and at September’s ADCC will try to hang on to his title of super-fight champion, worth around 50 thousand dollars for 20 minutes of combat. His voice, though, is in stark contrast with the best phase of his career. He speaks softly, in a tired, far from satisfied tone. Three weeks ago, he came upon a rival that could take on his 1.93 meters and 98 kilos. And now speaks with GRACIEMAG, after finally having put him to sleep.

To see the little Tristan Gracie on the champion’s lap is a welcome surprise. A big guy, the first-time father has a way with his son. He adapted his grip for the new challenge. The joke was, at the Worlds in California, last June, that Roger submitted his nine adversaries so quickly to make it back in time for delivery. Tristan showed at 59cm and 4.1kg and repaid all the affection with endless hours without sleep, fooling mother Anna and the father who, in grappling, is rarely duped. “It’s hard work, you know. Whoever told me all newborns do is eat and sleep pulled a fast one on me,” Roger says, remarking how he had to postpone till September or even October his MMA fight at the American Strikeforce event, the third of his career, his first outside Japan.

“Train a lot, eat a lot and rest a lot” is the motto the Gracie has repeated for years, a routine Tristan’s arrival altered completely. And nor is there any mystery or dramatic turn of events in the trajectory of the two-time absolute world champion, whose numbers may never be beaten.

Roger’s shift in mentality in relation to Jiu-Jitsu, the first crossroads he came upon, took place, as is often the case, at blue belt. His uncle and teacher Carlos Gracie Jr, one of his chief mentors along with cousin Renzo and uncle Rilion, elucidates: “That happens with everybody, because most white belts are kids, and see it as a game. It’s at blue belt that the young person begins to come to awareness and have notions of values – and to think about what they want from the future, what inspires them and what they want to be in life.”

The Gracie started blazing the trail of success at around 15, though. And, in an episode he, himself, considers crucial in his development, Roger went through a period where he perceived his evolution – which transformed into motivation and will to carry on with hard work. “I was chubby and went to spend some time with Rilion in Southern Brazil, in Florianópolis. There my uncle put me on a diet, made me run every morning and I trained with Rolles there. I felt the improvement, saw the benefits. I never stopped,” he recalls.

The good shape, the technique and the motivation were tested on his return to Rio, in 1999. At the tryouts for the Worlds, Roger was back with a fine-tuned guard and was winning. Until, after sweeping his opponent thrice, opening a comfy 6-0 lead, he couldn’t figure out what happened when his rival leapt to his foot and applied a rear-naked-choke on it, crunching everything – a move these days not even permitted in the juvenile division.

“I was disgusted with myself,” he says, with his ever-peaceable demeanor, his nostrils dilating before he speaks, betraying that either a smile or serious answer is on its way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIk8XckFH3c

At the Worlds held in the Long Beach Pyramid, where he had his latest and most impressive performance, Roger gave clues as to how he faces defeat. Of the five times he let the gold slip through his fingers, three were brought on by takedowns. He wasn’t pleased at all with them. But, shortly after taking a perfect takedown from Claudio Calasans, in the absolute quarterfinals, where he needed to (as is his custom) come back from behind in a match, Roger joked: “If I don’t get taken down it even takes the fun out of it,” he said smiling to the reporter.

And it’s smiling too that opponents try to come up with a way to beat Roger, or at the very least not tap out to him. “There have been many great fighters, in and out of the family. But what Roger’s doing no one has ever done. He mines the enemy defenses, putting the individual in indefensible situations,” stresses Carlinhos Gracie.

Cover in Japan.

In fact, there were five collar chokes, one guillotine and three chokes known as the ezequiel (forearm choke), when one’s own sleeve is used – and Roger advanced to pass and mount without giving up a single centimeter. “Beyond the perfect technique and weight distribution, I felt like a dwarf fighting him,” says Bruno Bastos.

To Ricardo “Demente” Abreu, his slayer in the super heavyweight final is “very tight and never errs. Roger doesn’t leave any room for you to execute your game.” What most impressed friend and victim in the absolute final Rômulo Barral is Roger’s guard pass. “He traps the opponent’s hip like no one else does. I knew what he was trying for, I understood that I couldn’t give him that space, but he managed. And my choke defense, which works with everyone, didn’t hinder him in the least, I don’t know why. I suspect it’s automatic to him,” says Barral, who held out for 9:31 min.

Gracie taps out Randleman at Strikeforce, just before the 2010 Worlds. Photo: Esther Lin.

Weight, height, reach, that’s fine. To his masters, though, his mind is what makes Roger who he is, demonstrate the technique he has, and not be submitted since blue belt, which comes to over one hundred matches. A head and character molded not just in the dozens of championships he’s disputed, but especially in training, at the everyday crossroads in the academy.

Like the evening when Roger went to Gracie Barra, in Rio, too tired to train. Neither friends nor teachers could convince him. It took the seasoned Alexandre “Café” Dantas showing up unannounced for Roger to disappear and return in a blink, with his gi. He wanted to test himself against someone super-tough who wasn’t always available, as he trained in Ipanema. “Folks tend to pick and choose a bit who they train with, and avoid hard-core training. Roger always did the opposite. He would seek out tough adversaries; he’d go after the challenge, the dispute. His strength of will was greater than the dread, that vanity of losing in training to whoever it may be,” Carlinhos winds up.

It happens that Roger doesn’t let himself be satisfied. He may have the most feared guard in the world, the deadliest mount in Jiu-Jitsu, but it doesn’t matter: “I think folks these days are satisfied just not to get swept, or to have one game that’s just stronger. Not me.”

And where is such a mentality forged? In Roger’s case, it was at home. The ones to provide him the most incentive have always been mother Reila Gracie and father/mentor Mauricio Gomes, long divorced. And, while the mother nourished him with affection and tales of grandfather Carlos, the father too sought to teach him a bit about life, baring his weight down on the knee he placed on little Roger’s belly as a form of play.

Better get ready, Tristan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENNwF65LxI0