Master Julio Cesar attacks to pass guard. Carlos Arthur Jr.
Last Sunday will forever be burned in the memory of the audience present at Arena Carioca 1 in Rio. During the IBJJF Master International, a traditional event that gathers the strongest South American veterans together, a coral-belt put his condition of master to the test against black-belts.
Julio Cesar Pereira, a founder and leader of GFTeam, debuted his red-and-black belt in competition as he entered the master-5, medium heavyweight division. He fought three times. First, against Carlos Medeiros (Nova União), he won on points. Then he faced Claudio Muniz (Carlson Gracie) and secured a spot in the final via unanimous decision.
In the last fight, Julio had Jairo Alves (Team JC) in front of him. The duel began with a sweep for Julio, but Jairo responded with a great guard pass. In the midst of the movement, Julio managed to recover the half-guard, sweep again and take the back, outscoring his opponent 8-3 for the title.
“I tell everybody to fight for pleasure,” Julio said. “Fighting BJJ is pleasurable, regardless of the win. Of course when you win it’s much better, but money and other goals are just a consequence.”
Check out, in a video by Patrick Liberato, Julio Cesar’s exciting final win.
