BJJ Champion Buchecha attacks Leo Leite during the 2012 Worlds; photo by Dan Rod.

Get ready for our first ever live interview.

Today, March 13, at 4:30 p.m. PST (8:30pm Brazil), we will broadcast a Q&A with current Jiu-Jitsu Absolute World Champion Marcus Buchecha, straight from GracieMag US Headquarters in Irvine, Calif.

The BJJ ace will sit on our mats and answer questions from GracieMag staff and readers.

Confirm your presence by clicking here:

See ya!

“I didn’t think; I just did, and God enlightened me.”

Edson Barboza last January, on his out-of-the-movies knockout of Terry Etim at UFC 142

“When he [Bochecha] took me down, I thought I was still ahead or at least tied on points. When I got his arm I didn’t even think of sweeping, since the hold was in so tight. But I didn’t have the strength to make him tap. My master Julio Cesar gave me an earful for only having gone for the tapout and not the points.”

Rodolfo Vieira last June, following thriller at 2012 Jiu-Jitsu World Champion

“He said he’s ready to sub me. Whoa, hold on… I don’t think he [Cezar Mutante] is going to want to go to the ground with me. He’s more likely to get me pregnant than finish me.”

Sérgio Moraes last June, prior to UFC event in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

“Chael, thanks a lot for the fight. If you’d like to have some barbecue over at my place, my door is open. And my wife will cook for us.”

Anderson Silva last July, showing he’s also a black belt in finesse

“I truly believe I’m ready. I’m ready and will hunt Anderson Silva when I get my shot at the belt.”

Chris Weidman last July

“It’s the opposite for women. If you have sex, it raises your testosterone. So, it kind of sucks I don’t have a boyfriend right now, but I’m sure my Twitter is blowing up with offers at the moment. I don’t know the exact science behind it, but maybe it was a pickup line or something I heard before. Who knows?”

Ronda Rousey last August

Fair-faced champion Ronda Rousey and her UFC belt (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa via Getty Images)

“I’ve been seeing blue and purple belts who think Jiu-Jitsu’s all about grabbing a sleeve and trying some little sweeps. That’s awful for the sport, but what can you do about it? No one can control that.”

Kron Gracie last September

“Buy a car, a good car. Riding motorcycles is a bad idea. But do they listen to me? Maybe José Aldo will now, since he’s been affected by it. It could have been worse; he could have broken a leg.”

Dana White last September, offering advice to featherweight champion José Aldo after his accident

“When I heard his arm pop I let it slip a bit, and that’s when [Jon Jones] got out of it. I messed up.”

Vitor Belfort last September

“Vitor gave me a hard time and made me rethink how I train. I realized there’s room for improvement. I need to be comfortable in the octagon. I train a lot of wrestling and striking, but I need to embrace Jiu-Jitsu more. It’s a question of practicing what I preach: to be a true MMA artist you have to train in all the martial arts. I have to admit I don’t practice my Jiu-Jitsu every day.”

Jon Jones last September

“This business of booing to me has to do with alcohol in the stands. In Japan, for example, nobody’s there drinking during the fight. They’re sitting there admiring the fight and the athletes who sacrifice their bodies to entertain them. Not the American fans—they’re there drunk, aggressive. We can’t please everybody.”

Demetrious Johnson last September, after turning flyweight champion while being booed at UFC 152

I just gave him the old-style Raccoon, it has been a while since the last time I did … Choke him out 3 times … And before he woke up I did hit each eye socket at least twice. Tomorrow he will wake up like a raccoon. And every time he woke up I was whispering at his ears, ‘That’s what death feels like. Don’t do that again.’”

Renzo Gracie last September, narrating a would-be New York mugging real time

“I honestly really don’t think [Jiu-Jitsu] does [work]. If you have any knowledge at all of Jiu-Jitsu, it’s just not going to work. If you literally have never heard of anything and have no idea what they’re doing, okay, kind of like the first UFC, yeah Jiu-Jitsu works. It’s kind of like trickery, basically. If you have any idea about any of the tricks, it’s just not going to work, unless you’re a complete idiot and fall for it.”

Dave Herman last September, before tapping out to Minotauro, designating himself a “complete idiot”

“Jiu-Jitsu! Jiu-Jitsu!”

Demian Maia, galvanizing a packed HSBC Arena after tapping out Rick Story at UFC Rio

“I’m too old to go getting hit in the head.”

Anderson Silva last October, reiterating his desire to retire… four years from now

“The the idea behind Jiu-Jitsu is to think only about making the opponent quit, to tap him out. I hate competing against those guys who go in there to win by advantages, or hang on to one position just so they can sweep at the end. That makes for ugly Jiu-Jitsu.”

Marcus Bochecha last November

Jiu-Jitsu world champion Rodolfo Vieira (GRACIEMAG archive photo)

“People keep asking me when I’m going to stop, so here’s my challenge to them: when someone passes my guard, then I’ll stop.”

Xande Ribeiro last November

“And with Wanderlei Silva as a coach on my team? Look, I may not end up winning the reality show, but this will be the funniest TUF of all times.”

Fabricio Werdum last November, after announcement that he will be facing Minotauro in the TUF Brazil finale in 2013

“Ben Henderson, I watched very carefully your fight against Nate Diaz. I’m going to try to use some of the stuff you have done in the fight to win over Nick Diaz, as well. I’m going to learn from what you did and try to apply it in my game plan. Thanks for showing me the blueprint.”

Georges St-Pierre this December

“Guys like me and Cain Velasquez are made at the gym, and the other guys [Overeem] are made at the laboratory.”

Junior Cigano this December

Team Nova União’s Marcio André at the 2012 Worlds: advanced studies of the guard, berimbolo and passes. Photo by Dan Rod/GRACIEMAG.

Seventeen-year-old Nova União purple belt Marcio André is one of those Jiu-Jitsu competitors who gets down to the nitty-gritty in his studies, devoting a big chunk of his day to positional analysis.

His efforts have been bearing fruit, as you can see in this video from the last Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, in Long Beach, California.

After ten striking encounters with the brothers Paulo and João Miyao, Marcio André developed a safe and effective way of freeing himself from the web known as “berimbolo”, a position the Miyaos are wicked at.

“The opponent starts by grabbing my belt and sending me backwards. When he pushes me backwards, I land seated at the other side of his head. I need to keep a distance and take his right leg out of play, since that’s the leg he uses to push me backwards or threaten me. Once I’ve got the leg under control, I grab his left elbow with my left hand and pull it upwards, at the same time extending my right leg, which is between his legs,” narrates Marcio, a student of Professor Fábio Andrade of the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Bangu.

“After that, I switch the hold on his pants with my left hand, put my arm in the middle of his belly and move my knee forward, turning sideways. If he tries sweeping me by tossing me backwards, I prop my head on the ground, release the grip and fly to his black. If he throws me backwards, I pass my leg over his, continue with my underhook, force my knee out and pass his guard,” said the promising up-and-comer.

What do you think?

Otavio Sousa tries passing Leandro Lo’s guard at Copa Pódio in Rio. Now the challenge is closer to home, in San Diego. Publicity photo.

GRACIEMAG.com: You’re in one of the most highly anticipated matches at Metamoris Pro, taking on Kron Gracie, who’s always dead set on getting the tapout. How are your preparations for the match going?

OTAVIO SOUSA: My preparations are going great. I’m training hard and am really focused. I can’t wait to hit the mat come October 14 in San Diego. I’m training differently for this match. After all, the strategy will be totally different. It’s one thing to compete at the Worlds in a number of matches. It’s another to do a supermatch where points don’t count and even if you’re winning you can’t think about slowing things down—you have to go on the attack and finish. To win an event like this one you have to be in great shape.

How does all that change in relation to your particular way of fighting?

My style is already quite attack-oriented. I always go for the submission whenever possible, so I’m not going to undergo any changes. I’m just going to add aggression and go for it till the end.

Who’s helping you in training?

There are a lot of special people with me. I’m thankful to my friends at Gracie Barra who are here helping me to evolve on a daily basis, uplifting me and giving me positive vibrations. I’d like to mention one name who I can’t leave out—Philipe Della Monica. He’s been a great partner and is helping me a lot both in Jiu-Jitsu training and conditioning. He’s always pushing me to my limit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86ELzqtbH2M

Will Zé Radiola be able to make it there to corner you?

I’d really like to have my teacher Zé Radiola there if possible. Having him there barking instructions is priceless. He might not be able to make it this time, but I’m sure he’ll be cheering for me like he always does. I can’t explain what it’s like when he’s around. I remember a scene from the 2012 Worlds. He was having fits, he gets so nervous, and I ended up winning the championship in the final seconds. It was exciting. For this fight at Metamoris Philipe will be cornering me.

You said something about changing your training. How do you train for a 20-minute match with no points?

Twenty minutes is a long time for a match, especially when there are two top-tier athletes in it. I’m pushing the gas in every roll, giving my all in every exercise, every sparring session. I’m looking at this match like a new challenge in my career. I’ve always competed at IBJJF championships, and Metamoris rules are completely different. I see this as a positive thing, and I feel that championships like this make the sport better, value the athletes financially and make Jiu-Jitsu more professional a sport. I have lots of respect for Kron. He’s a phenomenon, and this has all the makings of a great match.

So you like the rules. Is there anything you’d change to make it even better?

It’ll be a great party for the cheering sections. The only thing I’m not in favor of is the match ending without a winner if there’s no submission. I accepted the match because I like new challenges, and I’m sure it’ll be a great experience. I like testing myself, but I still prefer IBJJF rules. Another cool part is the exposure the athletes get; after all, there are fewer matches, so the athletes come to the forefront. I see Metamoris as an event complementing the competition Jiu-Jitsu we now have, where the incoming athletes fighting for recognition, the black belts from all the countries squaring off against each other and all.

Kron beat you one time at the Worlds, in 2007, as a brown belt. That year you were absolute world champion. What has changed since then?

These days we’re totally different fighters. I don’t just see myself as being better technically, but also more mature, experienced and confident. Kron is really tough and has really dangerous attacks. He doesn’t give his opponents room to breathe. I have my strategy and plan for neutralizing his game but I’ll keep you guessing until the 14th (laughs).

Teaching class every day and being world champion must be rough. What’s the secret to it?

It is indeed rough reconciling it all. But as they say, with sacrifice the taste of victory is all the more satisfying. The rewards make it worthwhile. Today I help transform people’s lives through Jiu-Jitsu, whether by teaching discipline to children, self-defense to women or showing everyone how to lead a healthier life.

What’s the recipe for being a Jiu-Jitsu world championship these days?

It’s all about humility—that’ll take you a long way. You just need to work hard, believe in yourself and not be afraid of making mistakes or taking risks. Now and then life blindsides you, but we have to just get back on our feet. Perseverance is everything. It’s not how hard you hit, but how much you can take without giving up, understand? The secret to success is to keep forging ahead.

Chilly handshake between Bochecha and Rodolfo in 2012 absolute / Photo: Dan Rod/GRACIEMAG

Marcus Vinicius “Bochecha” Almeida, current absolute world champion, revisits the events that led him to the pinnacle of the gentle-art pecking order:

At the time, I didn’t realize the importance of that fight not for me or for him, but for the sport. I think that fight is in the top ten of Jiu-Jitsu, maybe you guys agree…”, said the ultraheavyweight star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOtX9fiXb8A

UFC star Vitor Belfort with friends in Leblon

It was a beach day in Rio de Janeiro, the first week of June this year, and Vitor Belfort made the most of the sun and an injured hand to meet up with some buddies of his in the Leblon neighborhood. There, he heard from friend and journalist Carlos Ozório that Marcus Vinicius “Bochecha“, a partner of his at a Las Vegas training camp, had overcome the unbeatable Rodolfo Vieira in an electrifying match at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship.

Pleased with the news, Belfort remarked: “Bochecha’s good people and a great talent. And he knows his boxing too,” the UFC star said in praise. “I want to get Bochecha into MMA right away. At the camp he told us that MMA wasn’t a goal of his yet, and that first he wanted to beat Rodolfo and become absolute world champion. Well he’s done that now.”

The seductive offer from Vitor Belfort raises the classic debate: After winning a World Championship (or several), should a Jiu-Jitsu superstar stick his neck out in the painful new playing field of MMA and the UFC?

In the opinion of Jiu-Jitsu professor and fighter Renzo Gracie, no path is more natural to take than that one.

“We need more Jiu-Jitsu athletes crossing over to MMA,” opines Renzo Gracie in a recent interview on the SextoRound.com.br website. “Anyone who has dedicated their whole life to becoming a Jiu-Jitsu champion has just what it takes to become an MMA champion, because there’s no tougher sport than ours. The day I made the move to MMA I felt like I’d gone to the beach.”

“You have to do like Ronaldo Jacaré [two-time absolute world champion] did. The moment you’ve accomplished everything there is to accomplish in the gi, it’s time to leave the comfort of the Jiu-Jitsu academy and go throw down, because you have to show the world that our athletes are the best. And we’ve got 20 Jacarés out there,” adds the Gracie.

What do you think, gentle reader? Is the UFC the natural destination for our gi-clad aces? Would you like to see Bochecha and other world champions going toe to toe? Or does it make no difference to you as a fan?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments field below.

Marcus Bochecha celebrating winning at Jiu-Jitsu Worlds in California / Photo:  GRACIEMAG

Xande Ribeiro on the ground finishing what he started in full flight / Photo by Ivan Trindade

Xande Ribeiro was responsible for one of the most spectacular moments of the 2012 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship: a flying armbar that the two-time absolute champion of the world used to subdue Roberto Alencar in the heavyweight semifinal. The magic move, which had the crowd in the Long Beach Pyramid rubbing its eyes in disbelief, is now getting tactfully taught by the very magician himself. Following a seminar the black belt held at the Ribeiro JJ branch in the Brazilian state of Ceará, he took the time to demonstrate how to take flight and snag an arm—exclusively for GRACIEMAG.com.

Leandro jubilant after becoming the first ever Lightweight GP champion: the São Paulo native will now test his mettle at middleweight. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.com

The 2012 season has been excellent for black belt Leandro Lo, who won the Pan, Brazilian Nationals and Jiu-Jitsu Worlds. But the Cícero Costha team representative doesn’t want to hear about slowing down, and he’s already got another mission marked for the coming 21st of July, when he takes on the Copa Pódio Middleweight GP.

“I’m really stoked to see how I do at middleweight. I’ve been lifting weights to get stronger but I’ll stick with my same old game,” he told GRACIEMAG.com. “I don’t feel like I’m putting all my titles in jeopardy. I won the World Championship that day. I won the lightweight GP on that day. When the championship wraps up, that mission is over. Now it’s time to think about new championships, new challenges, like sticking my neck out at middleweight, for instance.”

Lo denies he’s favored to win, despite the frenetic, victorious pace he’s been keeping in sport Jiu-Jitsu.

“I don’t feel I’m the favorite; I’m just one among nine,” he stated humbly. “I want to thank GRACIEMAG.com and the gang for cheering for me at Copa Pódio,” he said in closing.

Copa Pódio goes down July 21 at Clube Hebraica, Rio de Janeiro. Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for further news on the tournament.

First, take a look at Philip Westman’s film about the Alliance fighter who like so many other girls was once shy, and is now an athlete brimming with health and friends. Afterwards, comment: how do you train to compete and win in Jiu-Jitsu? How many hours do you dedicate to winning each day?

http://vimeo.com/45334141

Match areas at Long Beach Pyramid / Photo: Mike Colón/GRACIEMAG.com

A quality common to Jiu-Jitsu practitioners is that they never give up, no matter how thorny the path gets. In the following movie you’ll get a look at the saga brown belt Tony Ferraz and juvenile blue belt Robert Rodrigues went through in getting back to Brazil after winning medals at the 2012 Worlds.

Short on cash but with grit to spare, the daring fighters went through comic adventures, moments of drama and plenty of trying ordeals. Get a sense of what they went through, and try not to ever have to get yourself into the same situations they did.

Keenan Cornelius sweeps the 2012 season. Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.

Keenan Cornelius became one of the big standouts of the 2012 World Championship after being crowned purple belt world champion at both weight and absolute.

The Lloyd Irvin athlete made it to a major landmark with the result, as the IBJJF tournament in Long Beach was the last major title he was missing from his mantel in 2012 – he came up with two golds at the Brazilian Nationals, the European Open, the Pan and now the Worlds.

Glowing with pride about her brother’s gold medals, his sister Chloe Cornelius sung a tribute to him, in a video clip à la Lady Gaga where she talks of Jiu-Jitsu, sacrifíce and victory. You dig it? Comment to us below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tur0G5qd4ho

Rodolfo foresees defeat at 2012 Worlds, as he sees 8-7 for Bochecha on the scoreboard. He hadn't lost in the gi since 2010. Photo: Dan Rod/GRACIEMAG.

A two-time heavyweight Jiu-Jitsu champion of the world, Rodolfo Vieira took off on a seminar tour in the United States just after the 2012 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship ended, the first weekend of June.

Via Facebook, though, the GFTeam steamroller felt there were still some loose from the championship needing tying up, and he took it upon himself to clear up some things relating to his quarterfinals defeat to eventual champion Marcus Vinicius Bochecha (CheckMat). And he did so with the characteristic sincerity common to great champions.

“Now the Worlds is over, I’ll speak my mind. I felt really bad about the comments made regarding Bochecha, saying he was arrogant, that he wasn’t humble and a bunch of other unpleasant things. I’m here to tell the world that he’s none of that. Quite the contrary, he’s a superathlete and a wonderful person; the kid’s pure gold,” wrote Rodolfo.

“I messed up with him, and badly. That’s why he wasn’t friendly with me—and with good reason. I’d have done the same… We can’t go judging people without knowing them. I feel that’s a major defect of ours, isn’t it?” said the GFTeam champ.

“I’m not bringing up the subject to address the problem that happened between us – the important thing to me was that I went and talked to him afterwards and he forgave me. We need to model ourselves on people like him, not just for his first-rate Jiu-Jitsu, but because of the good person he is, the good attitude he has on and off the mat. I’m certain the title is in excellent hands. Congratulations, Frapê. You deserve even more than that, brother. Even having lost the fight, it was the best I’ve done my whole life. And that’s enough for me,” said Rodolfo Vieira in closing.