Budovideos Interviews

Rodolfo Vieira

What is your training regiment like?

I train three times a day. On mondays, wednesdays and fridays I train jiu jitsu and [physical] preparation with more intensity. In the mornings, physical training, afternoons, a lot of jiu jitsu, and at night, judo. On tuesdays and thursdays, strength training in the mornings, technical training in the afternoon, and light training at night.

--- How do you divide your training time?

So, on mondays, wednesdays and fridays, we focus on agility and explosion training, plenty of exercising without too much weight, working on the cardio a lot. Tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays, [I focus on] strength and power, all of that during the morning.

--- What is your usual gameplan when you fight each opponent?

I always fight to submit. I score always thinking to submit. If you watch my matches, you'll see I'm always going head-on. If I fight with too much of a strategy, I get a bit lost... When you're always attacking, the opponent gets lost. You can't give any room for him to think about attacking you, you have to always be ahead of him, but always with plenty of care not to expose yourself too much.

--- You won both your division and the absolute at the 2011 Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup which provided a generous reward. How well was this reward received?

The 50 thousand dollars were very well invested ... (laughs)

--- Jiu Jitsu was originally a weight loss program for you but turned into something more. Is your weight still an issue?

When I started, I was a bit heavy... I weighed like 87 kg at 13 years old. I have a lot of trouble with my weight nowadays, since I was already heavy when I started training, so I've been struggling with my weight for a long time. I'm always dieting, I can only eat junk in the weekends and when no competitions are around.

--- It's been made clear that your professor, Julio Cesar, has made a large impact on your jiu jitsu. What other roles does he fill for you?

Julio is very important, not only to my life, but to all of his students' lives. He's one big father, he trusts me a lot, so having him in my corner is very important. He gives me a lot of trust, he knows everything I do, sometimes he'll tell me something that I don't know, then I do it and it works. I don't know how to fight without him... but with him, it gets a little harder for me to lose (laughs).

--- You have fought and defeated some of the biggest names in jiu jitsu. Does this affect your strategies or mindset when competing?

I fought against most of the great players, and sometimes, I can't believe I've beat them. I think all of them can be dangerous to me, each one in their own way. There are many great guys around, so I have to keep myself well-trained to fight well against them, and if possible, to keep winning... (laughs)

--- How has becoming a black belt changed your view on competing?

The responsibility got even bigger. When you reach the black belt, everything changes, right? It's a lot different from the other belts. You have to try to be as professional as you can be, and take things like they're your job.

--- Is being undefeated a disadvantage to your learning? Is it harder to know what to work on when you never lose?

It is true, I haven't lost a gi match in over a year, almost two years... I think we should always work on our shortcomings, and improve our strong spots. We can never get comfortable with ourselves. After all, if you think you're already good enough, you can quit BJJ. Why keep on training if you know everything already? So I'm always looking for new things, always learning something new. I have a very open mind, and this is helping me a lot. My game has been improving. I want to reach perfection. I know it's hard, but I'll die trying.

--- What has been your favorite match so far?

I've had many wonderful victories in my career, but I'll have to single out my absolute final against Bernardo Faria. Without a doubt, that was the best [match] in my life... I beat him 9 - 0. It was fantastic and unexplainable.

--- What advice can you give to those looking to follow your path?

The advice I give is that we must always search for our dreams, as difficult as they might be, especially because nothing comes easy in this life... It wasn't any different for me. I struggled a lot, trained a lot, abandoned many things that a boy my age likes to do... I still haven't accomplished half of the things I want. But you have to take risks. I know how hard it is, it's always frightening to think: "what if I don't succeed"? That's very true for our sport. Since I've started, I saw many guys being successful through BJJ, so I thought, "I want this for me too". I kept going and going, but I have to tell the truth: a while ago, I thought about stopping due to the lack of support... The hardest thing is to depend on a tournament win to have some money. Doing what you love and being champion of everything just doesn't matter if you're broke. It's sad, but true... I think all of the greats went through that. Thanks to the support from my family and friends, my life has changed. I always heard that, if you did what you love, you would be a successful person, in one way or the other. Do things well, with passion and love, so you can be the best in the world. The best thing in life is to be around the people you love. To me, this is the most important thing.

My 2012 European Championship Experience

Stepping off the plane I feel a surprising sense of security. Despite being entirely alone since I hugged my mom goodbye at LAX, I have arrived in Lisbon, Portugal in one piece. I rush to get to my next checkpoint before I forget my list of things I need to do altogether. Arrive safely to Lisbon, check. A long layover in Amsterdam with snarling and impatient locals who have surely signed me off as a foreigner is finally a thing of the past and now I can worry about putting my slight knowledge of Portuguese to use. I make my way towards the exit of the airport ignoring the signs overhead due to the herd of miscellaneous jiu jitsu hoodies in front of me who look more accustomed to the territory than I. Next on my list is to arrive at the currency desk, check. My mother handed me a wad of cash before I left so I'd have money to exchange into euros for the cab ride. It's something my mother would normally do although this time I believe she felt more inclined considering I had just totaled my car a week before-- a dispute that is still in the beginning stages with my insurance company. If it weren't for my quick craigslist find for a new ride I'd had never have made it here. I can accept a lending hand when it's warranted.

After exchanging my money I get in line for a taxi, carefully looking over those outside of the airport assigned pick-up. Being kidnapped or even ripped off is not on my agenda. While on the short ride to the hotel I use the ​ driver as my first victim. "Voce fala ingles?" He knows a tiny bit of English but overshoots his judgement for my level of understanding even though I told him I only knew a little Portuguese. He speaks fast and I attempt to process his slur in my head before I resign and settle with a "hmmm sim." There's a pause and we kind of agree to just give up and before I know it I've arrived at my safe haven where I will reside for the next five days.

I had two days to adjust before I competed. Female blue belt featherweight was set for Friday at 9am. I spend time with a friend exploring the city with the purpose of getting my mind off of the competition but its the night before and I can't ignore it. I am here to compete. That's the only reason. My first trip out of the country is more than I had hoped for but I must not forget my purpose. I will show off my hard work tomorrow and I will bring back the most prestigious gold I have earned yet. I will make Cobrinha proud. Now if only I could sleep.

Morning of and I calm my nerves with a scrumptous yet potentially hazardous breakfast at my hotel. Everything is going as routine. I've competed enough in the past to have a routine. Walking to the venue I plan my game in my head. Pull guard and sweep or submit. Attack. Entering the venue it's a cozy yet monumental building with high ceilings and various places to sit. Copious amount of light finds its way through a variety of windows above our heads in what seemed like the perfect route for the morning sun. I follow the rays until my eyes meet the bullpen area. To no avail, I sip water hoping to settle down the burning sensation that has corrupted in my stomach. I hear my division called and I walk down to warm up. There's no turning back.

I am a competitor. Or so I think. I try to remind myself why I'm here. Waiting in the bullpen I stress about not being warmed up enough. My muscles and hands are freezing but my heart is pumping like I'm being attacked from all sides. This happens to me every time I wait for my name to be called and my match to start but whatever I had felt before was nothing compared to this. Am I stretching enough? Are people staring at me? Are they sizing me up? I try to look like I know what I'm doing. I've only been at this for less than three years but I try to tell myself that this is what I do, that I belong. I have traveled all the way from Los Angeles to compete here in this melting pot of new and different opponents and I've been through hell just to get here. I don't think I trained enough. I don't think my recent hardships were good enough reasons to refrain from training. I should have done better.

My name is called and I'm walking towards the ring coordinator. He doesn't bother looking at my I.D. and he tells me to wait. I never looked at the brackets online in fear that it would cripple me more than my existing anxiety is now. I must have had a bye considering all the girls in my division are going already on a couple different mats. Finally I'm called to enter. My gi is being checked and I'm wondering if the gi I had borrowed was a stupid choice. It's decked out with patches that have nothing to do with me considering its previous owner is a world champion black belt from Brazil. This is the third time I'm borrowing it because my navy gi is no longer acceptable to compete in and I'm hoping it will give me the same luck it did when I competed in Vegas six months before.

I'm directed to mat 10 where I set my things down and pace. I listen to the same song over and over again-- lystomania by Phoenix. It adds the perfect amount of bounce for me to do that jig where I hop to and fro, rotate my hips, toggle my weight between shifting feet, flail my limp hands around, scan my surroundings and attempt to look like I'm pumped, like I've done this a million times, like I'm so prepared that I can sustain a normal breathing pattern. It may add to my social anxiety if I realize how dumb I actually look but fortunately enough my audience is no longer my main worry. The match before me is coming to an end as a familiar American in my weight class has her hand raised. I make small talk with the ring coordinator as if I can afford the luxury of straying my attention from the six minute war I'm soon to willingly partake in. A glance at my opponent registers no emotion. I have never seen her before which is really a rarity. I don't recognize the name of the academy or team on her patches. I don't even know her name or where she even came from. It doesn't matter. I take one last sip of my water because I can already feel my mouth drying up like a desert storm.

I'm forced to wiggle around the winner of the last match as she puts her shoes on but I don't want to postpone so I end up rudely shoving past her as I bow and enter the mat to meet my opponent. We shake hands and the match starts. I pull guard slower than usual because she prompts no urgency. Immediately she's working a pass. My match was a blur and all I can gather was my tired soul attempting to use what I know but not being able to. If I had a better understanding of what was going on I'd be able to better recount my actions but somewhere between fighting the double-under pass for the third time and getting mounted, I had lost the match. That's really all I needed to know. As I stand up to the sound of the whistle, my thoughts are suddenly rushed back into my head as I realize what has happened. My hand isn't raised and I even begin to pull away before the full showing is done. My hair is falling out of its bun and into my face, my gi is wide open with my belt barely holding on somewhere around my waist as I am scrounging for my belongings. My only thought, besides how much I want to puke and be able to breathe is that I must leave. I gather my things and walk back to the hotel before I've fully recovered. Briskly walking past the stares of onlookers, I feel no shame for the abrupt exit but rather for the embarrassing performance I had just given in what was my only chance to prove my worth as a competitor.

It took a little for my feelings to conjure their way into a valid, logical, rational thought process. Sometimes it's hard to look at situations subjectively but outside sources tend to help entirely. In reality, I am a blue belt. I can fail at competition and I can be the best but when it comes to the grand scheme, anything I do at this belt level will not matter in later years. Watching the black belt matches and the emotions that are never revealed win or lose is what put everything into a concrete lesson. Here I am, two and a half years into this sport dealing with a loss that is really just a tiny bump in the road while my discouragement is a landmine. The only real problem is not my match but my lack of motivation because of it. I spent the remainder of my time feeling grateful that I had the experience. Perhaps losing is temporary and the true obstacle is my own mind. Jiu jitsu is a mental game. An individual sport despite the need for training partners and a mentor. There is no one there to compensate for your lack of skills or to hold your hand. Scary, but it makes winning even that much more special. The European Championships was a huge learning experience for me and I have grown a better understanding of the sport as well of myself. I can only hope to administer these newfound learnings into the following ten years of my competition future.

Ary Farias

How did you get started? What gave you interest in the sport of jiu jitsu?

I started when I was 11 years old at the Asle-AM gym with Ronaldo Jacaré! He was one of my biggest supporters and he always believed in my success.

I remember when I started, no one believed in me; Jacaré was the only one. He always said, "Ary will be better than me, you will see." When I joined the team, I remember that it was filled with great, tough kids my age and they beat me a lot! That made Jacaré really sad when he saw me getting beat up (laughs). That was when he said, "Kid, now I will teach you everything I know. You will be better than me. From now on, you are my son!"

Back then I only trained once a day. I trained at the 6:00pm to 7:30pm class, along with other kids up to 15 years old. Then he said: “Ary, I want you training at the same class that I do, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. It was a more professional class, with adults and higher belts. When those classes ended, he was always very tired, but always called me to the corner of the mat and taught me everything. He was always saying, "Ary, with this boy you have to train like this, and with that one you gotta do this!" He always had good will and pleasure to teach me with great detail. Our classes would often go until 1 in the morning!

That's crazy, right? (laughs) When I completed 5 months of training, he told me, "Ary, I want to see you do the same training I do, the same amount of training that I do, if you want to be the best". ''THERE IS NO MIRACLE WITHOUT SACRIFICE''. I responded, "Can I start today, master"? He simply said, "Now." I went home, picked up my gi and my belt and went back to the gym. Man, I remember the other kids didn't want to train with me anymore because I was making training too hard for everyone who used to beat me (laughs).

As time passed by, everyone started to leave the gym, stopped to attend the classes and chose different paths in life. I kept training hard and steady! That was the time when Jacaré said, "Ary, what do you think about living with me? I'll treat you like a son, kid!"

I was always very attached to that guy since the start. I said, "Dude, we have to talk to my parents!" He said, "Alright, let's talk to them today". They decided that I would live with Jacaré from Monday to Thursday, and from Thursday to Sunday, I would stay with my family. My parents decided that this would be the best for me; my financial condition at home wasn't the best. It was a great time in my life. We lived at the gym and slept on the mat.

I used to tell all of my friends at school that I had the biggest bed in the world, a 10x15 meters mat! (laughs) I am so thankful to this man who did everything for me: all of his teachings inside and outside of the mats, as an athlete and as a person. I owe him a lot. I've been through many moments by his side and he is a phenomenal person. He took care of me from when I was 11 to when I was 16.

What attracted me the most to the sport was the will to win and the will to always be the best at everything. When I wanted to start training my friends, who already practiced, used to tell me, "Ah, you won't like it. You won't win tournaments, it's just too hard." I love this kind of thing! I am moved by challenges. I like to make everything that is impossible to some people the easiest things in the world. So I told them, "I will train, I will love it, I will win tournaments and I will be the best at this sport".

Man, for everything in life that you start from zero and aim for success, you must carry a great desire to reach to your maximum limit! You'll always have a long road filled with obstacles such as: lions, wars, suffering, and everything bad is ahead of you to make you quit but you have to show that you're a warrior and win every battle that is in your way—never quit. If you want to defeat every one of them, you have to give your best and overcome your limits!

You trained with the greats such as: Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza, Ricardo Vieira, and most recently Ramon Lemos. What was/is training with each one like?

With Jacaré, I learned how to be a samurai and how to value the small details of life. I remember that we lived at the gym, and sometimes we didn't even have food to eat! I looked at the guy and he was always happy, joyful and had a will to win at life! He taught me that, at jiu jitsu, I should always have an offensive game with no stalling and have a good mindset.

With Ricardo Vieira, I learned how to build a great character and have a technical and dynamic jiu-jitsu style full of stunts!

I am always learning with Ramon Lemos. He is always telling his athletes that, without training, being talented means nothing. If you are an athlete who focuses on your work, you will be recognized for what you do and will never be forgotten for what you do or once did for the sport! He teaches me to be a true athlete! I needed a guy just like this; he completes me.

How did you put together what is now your style of game in jiu jitsu?

I really believe in God, and he drew me to have this game in jiu-jitsu. And I work very hard to reach success.

What are the advantages of being a part of team Atos? What was the deciding factor that made you join the team?

I've always had a great desire to train with the Master Miyagi Ramon Lemos (laughs). It was the best change. I am a more focused, determined, and disciplined guy because of it. Atos is a family who shelters everyone. The move to Atos happened because I knew the crew's work ethic and realized that many people at the team have the same goal that I do. It's a group where everyone trains to be champions, and the trainings are focused towards that goal.

I made the change after a lot of talking with my parents, who are always there to help me with my decisions. It was then that I decided to make the move. I found that it is a complete team in every single way. We have a great example as a teacher and it is a place where I feel completely at home. The crew is very warm, and they give me the adequate support to maintain my life as a jiu jitsu professional. What matters is that I am super happy with my team and my move. Certainly, this decision was made only to make my jiu jitsu evolve even more.

How did it feel to be considered the “featherweight king” by Tatame Magazine after Worlds 2009?

The only true kings are my parents. Without them, none of this would be possible! I took this praise as something very positive, coming from a magazine like Tatame that's very well regarded in the sport. I am only thankful to them for this praise.

You mostly fight at featherweight but have come down to light feather on occasions like the 2011 Europeans where you won the final against Bruno Malfacine. What weight category do you prefer?

My favorite division is featherweight, for sure. I feel great at it, and I don't even have to sacrifice myself too much when dieting, but at my gym there are people at that weight division! I am a very realistic guy, and I think that, right now, there is a lot for me to do at the light feather division. I feel very strong there against my opponents.

What are you currently working on in training?

I am always training, channeling and creating new movements for the sport so everyone will be constantly evolving! I was invited by the organizer David Aguzzi to make the superfight of the Montreal Grappling Experience on December 10, 2011, against Rob Di Censo. I have a great war and a mission to accomplish in Canada!

I am training a lot towards putting on a great show to everyone who is present in the day of the event, and I would like to extend an invitation to all of you to go and watch the show that we will promote, me and Rob Di Censo, and please, whoever wants to contact us to learn more about the event, or wants to schedule seminars with Ary Farias at your gym, contact me at [email protected] or [email protected]. My profession is jiu jitsu, ​ ​ ​ this is my school, my college and my post-graduation. Now I have started my masters program.

What is your opinion regarding belt and ranking? Do you think it’s necessary for each person to stay a considerable amount of time regardless of talent?

This is a very complicated question to answer. I believe that the athlete has to be at a good team, and that before he joins a team he should know the history of the place, who is the teacher and research the teacher's history. What matters is that the athlete should be in good hands. If he is, the teacher will only award him the belt at the exact moment, when it's needed!

I believe that in regards to the belt, it depends on the work and the development of the teacher towards the students. What matters isn't the belt— it only ties your gi. What really matters is to be focused on the evolution of your training. It doesn't matter if you're a black belt or not, what matters is to have quality in the sport! Oss!

And to finish: Has anyone ever suggested you look like Taylor Lautner from the Twilight series?

I am absolutely certain that I am more handsome (laughs).

Special thanks: Thank you to Budovideos.com for the interview, and credits to the reporter Erin Herle. I would also like to thank every fan of mine who roots for my success and who admires me as an athlete. There aren't words to describe the amount of love that I feel from you! You are the best fans in the world! Thank you to everyone who sends me messages daily.

Ryan Hall

How is training for ADCC going? Training for ADCC is going great. In addition to some of the tough students at Fifty/50, I've got a couple of friends in town to help me prepare and get my weight on track before I head up to NYC next week to train with Marcelo Garcia and the rest of the team for the 6 weeks ahead of the tournament. Who else are you training with? So far I've had Alex Vamos (Joe D'Arce black belt), Gianni Grippo (Renzo Gracie brown belt), and Josh Presley (a very tough purple belt from Titans BJJ in Nova Scotia) in town training with me 2x per day. Up in New York there will be a ton of really tough guys to train with and learn from. Henrique Rezende, Antonio "Batista" Peinado, and Paul Schreiner are there already and there should be at least a handful of other top competitors as well. It's going to be great.

What are your feelings towards training with people outside of your team/affiliation? I feel that I have been extremely fortunate to meet, train with, and learn from many of the top competitors and instructors in Jiu-Jitsu and I attribute in large part any success I have been able to have to this varied experience. No single person or place has all the answers one could look for and while there is certainly great value to a strong team environment, it makes no sense to me to isolate one's self from other avenues of learning.

Moreover, I have always had lots of friends from almost every team I'm aware of. When you're competing all the time and trying to do your best, you'll naturally gravitate towards other people on a similar path. Some of the people I've had really tough matches in the past (won or lost) are my closest friends and training partners now.

On top of that, I didn't join a gang when I started this sport. Anyone who treats someone else differently because they happened to sign up and pursue a sport (professionally or otherwise) at a facility other than their own--likely because of proximity to their house or job--should probably take a moment to reassess their priorities. I prefer to just work hard, have fun, and train with all kinds of people. I guess it's worked out OK so far.

Is this the type of mentality you encourage at your own academy? I have always attempted to foster an open atmosphere at my own academy. Everyone is welcome, regardless of affiliation. I've always been friendly with all sorts of people, so it would seem crazy to me to be any other way. Many of the great academies I've visited (such as Marcelo Garcia's in NYC) and the biggest influences in my Jiu-Jitsu career (Marcelo Garcia, Felipe Costa, Bruno Frazatto, Murilo Santana, etc.) share that approach. I guess I'd say that if an open attitude is good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me.

I'm sure there are many factors, but what ultimately motivated you to open an academy as a brown belt/when you did? When I left Lloyd Irvin's team, I was recovering from a series of serious surgeries and was uncertain as to whether or not I would be able to continue competing or even training at the same level. I opened my academy as a place to train, as well as a place that I could earn a stable living and provide the same to a couple of my closest friends who believed in me and came to work at Fifty/50 in the beginning. It's worked out great so far and we have a bunch of tough students (some who compete, some who don't) who are doing very well and share the values that I have. I feel extremely fortunate for the support that I have and hope I can continue providing a place that people enjoy as the years go by. You mentioned Murilo Santana as a major influence. Can you elaborate on how you met, how you started training with him and his impact on you/your game/life? Well, I was walking across the parking lot from my car to my academy one winter day and I saw a guy who looked like a Caribbean dictator. After about 10 seconds of internal debate (and pre-dialing the 1-800 number for Homeland Security) as to whether it was Murilo Santana or Cuban El Presidente Fidel Castro, I decided that it was probably the former.

Unfortunately for my guard, I was correct. Training with Murilo is awesome, and way more difficult than training with Fidel would have likely been. Along with Marcelo Garcia, Murilo beats me up worse than anyone else I have ever trained with. It's really motivational to me to know that such high levels of skill exist and if one works hard enough for long enough, they can reach that level, too. I'm just trying my best to get there one day.

Which brings me back to my point about training with everyone...

If I had looked at Murilo and gone, "Oh, shit. That guy's better than me and he's not even on my team. What if my students see him beating me? They won't respect me and think that I'm sweet...they may even leave! We won't hang out and eat Ring Dings anymore! Noooooo!" I would've missed out on an awesome opportunity to learn from someone who became a friend and person I really look up to. I don't think I could forgive myself for such a waste.

I've noticed you choose not to use social media, such as facebook and twitter, to promote yourself. What is your attitude towards self promotion? I understand that self-promotion is a part of the game and running a business, but I don't really care for it at all.

Unless it's taken to absurd lengths, I don't begrudge anyone for engaging in it.

What do you do when you're not training/resting/traveling to other gyms/competing? When I'm not doing Jiu-Jitsu, I'm pretty boring. Most of the activities I want to do come out of a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, haha. Rope swing, jumping off cliffs into water, eating cheese fries, and playing video games. Well, that, and just absurd amounts of hard drugs. That was in a "later years" version of the strip.

Besides ADCC, what are your future goals? I'm very focused on ADCC so it's a little difficult to think beyond that, but I'll be in Europe teaching seminars for about a month in October, which will be a lot of fun. It's always great to travel and meet new people who share the same passion you do.

Beyond that, I know I'm going to be continuing to train hard until the end of the year and see if I can stay healthy and compete at the No-Gi Worlds and anything else that comes up. I missed the US Open, No-Gi Worlds, and ADCC Trials because of injuries last year, but I have faith that this won't become a trend...again. In the time I've been training, I think I've spent a little better than 2 years off the mats with injuries/surgeries...which, now that I think about it, is fairly annoying. Actually, if that could go ahead and stop, I would really appreciate it. haha.

Bruno Malfacine

What is your team, rank and history as to how you started jiu jitsu?

I am a black belt and 4x world champion under Fabio Gurgel, one of the leaders of team Alliance. I started training in my city, Duque de Caxias-Rio de Janeiro, after being introduced by my uncle who trained because I was fascinated by the sport. I received my black belt from Vinicius Amaral, team leader of Game Fight, ex affiliated to GFteam and moved to São Paulo in 2008 to train with my professor Fabio Gurgel.

In 2008 you left your team of Gama Filho (now GFT) to join Fabio Gurgel at Alliance in Sao Paulo. Why did you choose to leave and what has been the biggest advantage?

I chose to leave because in addition to a few reasons, wanted to make this sport my life. I had already won my first World Championship in 2007 at black belt. I lost in 2008 but after the competition had a great opportunity to move to São Paulo and be a part of this family. The advantage is that today, as many others friends who live here in Sampa, I can fully dedicate my life because it’s what I chose for my future and what I love to do.

Many people feel that leaving their team is not an option even though the training might not be right for them. You were with one team from blue belt to black belt before switching. Was there a lot of tension when you left and what can you tell someone who is considering switching teams?

Yes, I trained with Vinicius Amaral, leader of the team Game Fight, a former affiliate of the GFteam, and also with Julio Cesar. It was a difficult decision but I had my reasons. My teacher helped me in this decision and today we have a great relationship. When I decided to leave, I talked with everyone and left everything perfectly clear. I did my part and left through the front door. I have great friends there today. Some supported me and others understood but didn't want to accept it.

Anyone who thinks about doing this today: think a thousand times before making the decision to not make the wrong choice and most importantly, leave with your head held high and a clear conscience. Always do the right thing. Today I can say that it was the best decision I have made in life.

What is your living situation in Brazil and does that benefit your training?

I now live in São Paulo and I thank God every day for being able to live my life doing what I love doing. It's like being on vacation all the time! The big names of team Alliance still live and train in São Paulo which makes it easier since we are all moving together towards the same goal. One of the secrets of our success is the arsenal. We are a family and with Fabio in command of drills and Edson Ramalho running our physical training, everything becomes easier.

You normally compete at rooster weight, winning 3 world titles, but recently came up in weight to fight at light feather in the European Championship where you also did well. How hard is it for you to make weight at rooster and have you considered staying at light feather?

Its not easy, lol. The preparation begins well before what you might imagine. For me, the competition already starts when I decide that I will fight. I focus all my energy on my goal. Diets, workouts, fitness, etc. There are many uncertainties and sacrifice that I must face for victory and this strengthens and motivates me to be in my best shape—prepared for anything.

Like many other young active competitors, you don't have the responsibility of managing an academy and students. Do you see this as an advantage?

Of course. Luckily, I have this privilege. It is very beneficial when I can put my entire focus only on training. We have a team of competitors here in São Paulo who are very strong and many do just that. But I believe that, although it is difficult to be a competitor and also have the life of a professor, today we have great champions who are both. It is an option for me and I already have plans to start giving lessons.

Are you planning on coming to the United States permanently?

Yes, of course it is in my plans! But I believe that will happen in the right time.

In a past interview you said that Caio Terra talks too much. At the 2011 Pan American Championships this year he opened it once more but this time to remark on the use of steroids in the sport using you as a head to step on. What is your response to his accusations?

He was unreasonable in that accusation. He can't point the finger at someone that way. I don't need to prove anything to him and he just needs to follow through with what he says. I do think that it is the right thing to do. All competitors should have to pass a test for this. It’s good for the sport.

Being a smaller competitor there are risks when entering an absolute division. While others of small stature have done well in these divisions in the past, you usually steer clear. Have you considered entering an open weight category? Why or why not?

I think so. I always want to test myself but I also know of the risks like injury. I might enter an absolute soon. My professor Fabio always jokes that I will compete in one of these any time ... lol

If you could choose one person to fight past or present, dead or alive, who would it be?

Robson Moura. I have always admired him and I'm a fan. I think it would be a great fight.

At the 2010 World Championship Michel Langhi was defeated by Ary Farias when he was then a brown belt and you noted that it was a loss Michel would have to become accustomed to. At the European Championship this year you faced him in the finals of the light feather division as he is now a black belt. Did you feel that you had to avenge Michel's loss and is Ary now someone you would like to win against in the future?

Michel is my great friend but in no way did I feel I had to avenge him. I do not like to fight with those kinds of thoughts. I just do my best all the time and the result will be the reflection of my training and my mind. It was a great fight and sure, we'll meet more often.

Your nickname is "bad boy" which was given to you as a child. What can you say is the definition of a "bad boy?"

It was just a joke! I’ve had the nickname since I was a child and it's only a nickname, I'm not a bad boy lol

Finally, at 24 you have a long way to go in this sport. What do you hope to accomplish by the age of 30?

I hope I have left my name in the history of the sport, have done good things and have contributed to the growth of the sport. I want to build my academy and become a good teacher. I want to be doing great things always. I want to be an example professionally and as a person. I don’t want to be admired just for my victories, but for everything I've done—by my character, which is the most important.

I would like to leave a big hug to all my fans, all that admire and support me. Remember: if you have a dream, go to the end and always believe in yourself! Thank you for all the messages! To keep up with my news, follow me on twitter: bmalfacine and add my fan page on facebook Bruno Malfacine!

Gabi Garcia

1. How did you find jiu jitsu and what has your journey been like thus far?

Jiu jitsu is my life. I have been training since I was a child. My life, my friends, and everything I do is about the sport and I think I've been doing a good job working towards that. The life of a fighter is hard, especially for a woman but it's what I love and what I chose to do. If I make this choice, I do everything I can to be the best.

2. Were you involved in any sports before you started jiu jitsu?

My family always supported the practice of sports, both for me and my sister. Before starting jiu jitsu, my mother put me in volleyball, basketball, hockey, and even jazz dancing. It didn't go too well, since I was always the biggest girl in the class and it just didn't suit me. It was at jiu jitsu where I found my true passion. Also, I was always very competitive, I couldn't stand losing even at par-ou-ímpar... (laughs)

[NOTE: Par-ou-ímpar is a game similar to rock-paper-scissors, meaning "odds or even numbers".]

3. Is jiu jitsu competitor your full time role or do you have other priorities?

I dedicate all of my time to jiu jitsu. When I was a purple belt, I could still work and study at college, but then I had to decide if I would carry on the sport as a profession, so I had to opt only for jiu jitsu. Now I spend all of my day training. I arrive early at the academy and I take my first class by the master Fábio Gurgel, then I go to my first physical training with my coach Edson Ramalho, and at night, I alternate between training jiu jitsu and judo. If you want to be the best, you have to dedicate yourself completely and always give your best. My only goal now is to be world champion and win the ADCC, and for that, I'll dedicate myself fully.

4. How far along in your jiu jitsu training did you decide to make this your career?

I started to compete in many tournaments and I took a liking for it so I wanted to train more and achieve better results. I then decided that I was going to dedicate myself more and take the sport as a profession. I have no regrets about it, because I do what I love.

5. How much do you train and how do you divide your time between each aspect (strength and conditioning, weight training, sparring, technique, etc)?

Master Fábio Gurgel leads my training. I follow Alliance's training program which includes training jiu jitsu twice a day, and I do physical preparation. All of my conditioning is taken care of by my coach Edson Ramalho, with a different focus depending on each tournament. I alternate my physical training with weight training and running and judo twice a week. In total I train 3 times a day, every day.

6. You have taught multiple seminars with your teammate Luanna Alzuguir, do you have plans in the future to teach in an academy?

Of course, but first I want to compete and win many world titles and I think there's still much to do for women's jiu jitsu. Luanna and I had much success in our seminars because there were more men than women attending, who left using our techniques, changing the image of a women's seminar. I want to have my own gym and my students, and have my own women's team.

7. You recently made some drastic changes in your weight and body, how hard was it to make this transformation and what kind of routines did you have to maintain?

It was and is hard. Truth be told, it all started when I won the worlds last year. My master told me that I needed more agility and to change my game, play guard more often, and all is welcome if it helps my progress. I looked for a sport nutritionist to help me. I wanted to lose weight but not physical strength. I've been dieting for 8 months and it's very hard, because I have to eat chicken and sweet potatoes every morning. You have to be strong willed and dedicated. Another factor that helped me a lot was starting to train in physical preparation and functional training with Edson Ramalho. My agility is another thing now, I'm doing better at training and I have cardio to spare. Now I want to keep dieting so I can move myself better. My master was right, and today, I can say that I have a good guard which helped me when I needed it the most.

8. You are a notable athlete in jiu jitsu for your size and stature and have even been the target of teasing from other teams. How much does this bother you and how do you deal?

I believe that if I didn't go through that, I wouldn't be where I am today. One of the things that made me reach the top was showing those people who talked about me that I was much more than they thought I was. Now most people who talked about me will say their opinion has changed and that they admire me. You have to follow the right path always and refrain from bad things. You have to follow your dreams and know your purpose. What people think about you today is their problem. I fight for my dreams and objectives and I showed many people that they were wrong and I have my worth.

9. Who are your idols and influences?

My biggest idol is my master Fábio Gurgel. He's beyond just a leader and professor, he's a great athlete, does physical preparation and trains everyday with us. I try to follow everything he tells me, and I try to mirror his jiu jitsu. If I can come close to what he is for the sport, I'll be very happy. Besides, he taught me that technique trumps strength and made me a true athlete. Gurgel is the biggest influence for making me be where I am, I owe a lot to him.

10. Have you considered branching out into fighting MMA?

I really want to fight in MMA, but first, I have to achieve some Goals in jiu jitsu. I have some more Worlds to win. Who knows, later on when women's MMA is better recognized and I get a good enough offer, I might migrate to MMA.

11. What future goals have you yet to accomplish?

The only title that I still do not is ADCC. I was honored by being invited by the Sheik Thannon to participate in the event and I'll dedicate even more and train a lot to win this ADCC. I want to keep my world title and reach for another absolute win. I've been training a lot and I have dedicated myself to preparation for this world's since January. I'm confident and I'll give my life on the mats in California; I'm ready for great battles.

12. What advice can you give to female competitors making their way up the rankings in high level competition?

That they should never give up their dreams. It's a hard path but it's worth it, that they should always dedicate themselves and train a lot. There is no glory without sacrifice, so give your best and fight for what you really want. I am very happy with the path I took, and I would do it all again.

13. Anything else you would like to add?

I would like to thank Budovideos for the opportunity, to my master Fábio Gurgel and my fitness coach Edson Ramalho, to my sponsors Keiko Sports, MGinaction and Corinthians, and send a big hug to everyone who likes my work. Thanks for all of the messages I receive, I can say that I'm a happy and complete person for being where I am and doing what I love. I'll keep training and dedicating myself to take women's jiu jitsu to the place where it deserves to be.

Mendes Brothers

How long have you been training and how did you get started?

We started training jiu jitsu in 2001. Our cousin used to train us in a small gym in the city. He used to give classes in a social project for children so we started training with him. We stayed training there for a few months however he needed to stop giving classes so we began to train with professor Ramon Lemos, who during that time was giving classes with professor Leonardo Santos. They always encouraged us to compete a lot. We always knew what we wanted to become since we started training and we dedicated ourselves to training. It was never just for fun; we always had a goals to train and be the best at what we do.

Who is older?

Guilherme is older. We have a 1 year and 4 month difference only. Sometimes people think we are twins because the difference is very little, hahaha.

What is the best part about having your brother as your training partner? What is the worst part?

The best part of training together is that we are both very determined; we dont slack off in training. We always go to train and we both like to study positions and help each other in our evolution in all trainings. We always search for our evolution and that of our training partners. The worst part is that we are both very competitive, a lot of times the training becomes like competitions, hahahaha.

You both have accomplished so much already, what are some goals you have that you have not reached yet?

In our vision, to become champions is great but it isn’t sufficient. It doesn’t stop there. We really believe that our potential is to become the best, to break records, to make innovations in the sport and create positions that will be used by everyone for future generations.

Can you tell me about the future of the Mendes Bros Association?

We are very dedicated to the evolution of our jiu jitsu and to the people who walk together with us. We are always looking to improve and to be better. We want to make a difference. The idea of the association is to have people who have the same ideology as us. We are all part of Atos-- Mendes Bros is Atos, but we would like to use the association with our name in front to have academies that like our style of trainings, ideas and objectives. We are having a lot of different ideas that can increase the way we accompany the progress of our affiliate, and already we are putting this into practice! We want in the future to have a different connection for all our affiliates so they can follow in real time the training with the Mendes Bros, independent of location.

Do you have intentions of moving to the United States to expand?

We have had a few proposals, but we are still studying them. We are very young and for whatever radical change in our lives it is necessary to analyze them prior to any action so we don’t make any mistakes. Our major focus right now is our training in Brazil as we have a team of black belts and lower belts who are very good. They are very focused and this gives us very good support so that we will have good performances in competitions. So we're still thinking about it a lot, we don't feel any pressure. If we move to the United States and we will be able to have a better life and still have good training, we can move for sure.

Do you think it's possible for an active world champion black belt to be a professor/coach and run an academy as well?

Yes, but it depends on different factors. It depends a lot on the dedication of the teacher. The more tasks you have, the more you need to dedicate yourselves. To become a champion you cannot commit errors in training. You need to be focused and have a lot of determination. We believe that anything is possible depending on dedication and effort.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Have faith in God. Everything is possible when we are walking a path together with God. God is the way for us to have a better life and for us to be better people.

What is the best advice you could give to someone who wants to be a world champion?

You must dedicate yourselves to your maximum. You cannot evolve every month or in 1 week, you need to evolve each movement, each second you need to be better than before. Don’t be comfortable with defeats, you need to turn them to your advantage to evolve. However, don’t be happy to just be among the best. If you want to be champion, you must only be satisfied if you reach the top of the podium. People accept defeat easily or become happy when they are among the best and they change the focus and go through the trainings just to be at the podium. It is clear that it all depends on the objective in one’s life, but if you wish truly to be number one, this must be your focus. Never be intimidated by the name of an adversary, nobody is unbeatable or unsurpassable. Train hard and with dedication you can surpass anybody.

When did you decide you wanted to compete?

Since we started training, we always put our minds to be champions-- that is our objective. We always wanted to win championships, have a name that is well known in the sport, so our future would be better. We love jiu jitsu and we dedicate ourselves to this so we want to be recognized for what we do. We have always had this idea and it is always our motivation. Competition is the esay part for the athlete; maybe there is a little tension but the part that is harder is the day to day suffering due to the hard trainings and diet. Fighting with tough guys is not the difficult part but fighting with tough guys every day in the academy is what’s tough, but we have gotten used to this. The competition is the happy part, its where we have the opportunity to show to the people and to ourselves how we have evolved and how we much we have dedicated. We were also always very competitive-- we don’t like losing. We are born competitors, we enter the mats to win, we don’t like to be “just another person." Competition is war, and we enter the war with much joy, since we know how much we have suffered and how much we have prepared.

Proudest moment?

There are many moments where we have felt proud. The first Mundial title is unforgettable, maybe the most outstanding since in the beginning we always dreamt of it happening. The victory of Rafael in ADCC 2009 after 40 minutes of fighting against Cobrinha was very emotional, winning over a great athlete like him is a great reason for being proud. The victory of Guilherme at his first Mundial as a black belt was also outstanding since he had just received his black belt and winning the Mundial at black belt is not an easy task. These are the unforgettable moments in our lives as fighters; we are working hard to have more moments like these in our lives.

How do you stay motivated while you are training for major competitions?

We are very motivated, because our objective is not finished yet; we need to work more so it will be able to happen, so each competition we win adds even more motivation. We know we are on the right track. Also, we love training; we have never felt discouraged or unmotivated in training since this is our life.

Does the hard training, sacrifice and suffering to be champion all pay off? Is it worth it?

All the sacrifice is worth it if you truly love what you do. In our case we are extremely happy with the life we have even with the restrictions and diets. We do everything to have a life like this because for us, what’s important is our path until we reach our objective-- to become successful people in what we do.

Bill “The Grill” Cooper

Pulling up to Bill Cooper's Paragon academy in Agoura Hills, CA, the first thing I noticed was the amount of condensation accumulated on the windows. They were so steamed up that I couldn't even gather what was going on inside although one could safely assume it was some intense training. As I walked in, it wasn't hard to decipher which person on the mat was "The Grill" himself given that he had shorts on resembling a black belt as well as a set of some notably unique teeth. The name is really all it takes. He smiled and greeted me and even asked me why I wasn't training. I made an excuse and sat down on one of many chairs along a red wall full of fight posters ranging in size and different event dates. Right behind the counter was a large Budovideos patch pinned up as well. Bill wasn't teaching the class at the time so we decided to start the interview. Getting along with the questions, he often turned to the mat to bark commands at his students who were sparring matches so intense you could have sworn there was a championship belt at stake. Every position that transitioned, he was yelling a submission that could have been nailed or commands for those in bad situations. The seriousness he carries in his voice is enough to make you want to do everything to win that match. As soon as we would move on to another question, it'd get him laughing and back to being the easy-going 23-year-old he is off the mat. The quick transitions made by his students at war before me were obviously inspired by the ones in his own demeanor. For our interview I had my standard set of questions ready, but Bill’s natural quirkiness and ability to carry on a conversation allowed me the rare opportunity to delve deeper into the mind of “The Grill.”

How long have you been training jiu jitsu and how did you start? I've been training for about 9 years, I started when I was 14. I was skateboarding in my neighborhood when Jeff Glover, who I had already known from the neighborhood came over and tried to recruit some of us to go try it out. He had been doing it for a year already and said, "Dude, you should do jiu jitsu!" I said to him, "Nah I already did karate, dawg!" He claimed it was way cooler than karate so I said "alright" and skated down to the academy, Paragon BJJ Santa Barbara. I was sold and immediately told my mom that she was going to be paying the monthly dues for me to train. So she did.

When was your first competition? I competed for the first time at 14 after 3 months of training. It was Cleber's Copa Pacifica in Huntington Beach.

Were you automatically hooked after? Actually, I really got hooked when a girl tapped me out in training. I was like, "wow this s#$% really works!" Also, I picked up the techniques quick because I break dance and the techniques resembled some moves I already knew. The armbar sweep was just like the windmill! It gave me confidence in the positions. As far as competitions and competing, I realized I wanted to keep doing it when I got a few gold medals at my first five competitions. I knew I wanted to be a black belt world jedi master.

What did you have to do to put it all into action? I bugged a lot of people and companies for sponsorships and I eventually taught privates. I bugged everyone. At 15 when I was a blue belt I got my first sponsors which were Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear and TapOut. They helped with tournaments, food and hotels. The toughest part was hustling for carpools and gas. I was always begging people to let me ride with them since I didn't get my license until I was 18. But I drove illegally starting when I was 15 and had to drive trucks when I worked for a moving company. I'd be backing up at 1 mph and yelling to my friend to make sure I wasn't going to hit anything! Once I got to about purple/brown belt, though, it all changed and people started asking me if they could take me! Funny.

Did you have any back up plans? School? Other interests? I used to want to go into the airforce and fly jet planes and also be a boxer. I finished high school and I took some college courses in auto mechanics during that time which was cool.

How often did you compete? I started competing like every two months and did more and more as time went on. At 15 I got appendicitis and was out for 5 months. I had to get staples instead of stit

Caio Terra

Well on his way to becoming a household name, Caio Terra is doing something right. With wins in open weight divisions, a willingness to spread his knowledge to anyone and a serious down to earth attitude, he is sure to succeed in making his mark. Here he goes into depth about ref decisions, his reputation and even what he has in store for this coming year.

How is your training going?

My training is going well. My schedule consists of jiu jitsu 12 times a week as well as working out after that every day. I work out to prevent injuries and I also focus on being a more strong, explosive competitor.

What is your motivation for competing?

I compete to get better. While some train to perform better in competition, I rely on competition to be better. It's hard to motivate yourself once you have accomplished most of your goals. You have to create new goals and that can be just as difficult. It is easy to train once a day without even being motivated, but a professional athlete must train more than just a few times a week. I like BJJ and training is a part of my life but I sacrifice a lot of things in life to train as much as I do. Fortunately, it has been paying off most of the time.

You have faced Bruno Malfacine in the finals of many tournaments over the past years including blue belt level. Would you consider him your rival or equal?

He's a great athlete and deserves my respect but he's not my rival. I like to watch him compete because he's definitely one of the best fighters nowadays. My main rival is myself, however I would love to beat him again.

In the past you have openly refuted against calls and decisions made against you at competitions and I know you've placed blame upon the competence levels of the current referees as well as lack of regulations. Do you believe that bias is a common factor in the decisions of the refs?

I think it can affect a referee's ability to accurately do their job but I think it could be many different factors. It happens with some more than others. Throughout my jiu jitsu career I have always been a part of a small team so without a big group or name to back me up and yell in my favor, the refs saw it easy to make bad calls against me. I don't believe they have any kind of feelings towards me, though.

Regarding the other factors:

First is that they might not like that fact that I was also a ref. I know the rules well and some of the refs feel challenged by it.

Also, some of the refs say that I talk too much during the fights but I don't see myself talking more than any other black belt.

There are other reasons that I would rather not expose. Sometimes they do make mistakes but I can't be too mad at them because besides few of my matches, the refs have done a good job.

And I want to make sure that I say it's not every ref that has made mistakes with me. It happened with just a few of them and I would rather believe that it was involuntary.

How often do you choose to fight in the open weight divisions and what can you contribute to your success in entering these in the past?

I will normally enter the open divisions if I am feeling healthy enough. I have nothing to lose, and the experience I gain doing it I will pass to my students.

I was always the smallest guy at my gym so I have had to learn how to deal with bigger guys since I started. Up until I received my black belt my main training partners were Luis Guilherme and Matheus Andre. They were very good and way bigger so I had to develop a game to be able to deal with them which made me understand better jiu-jitsu and develop an unusual type of game. I'm very happy with my learning experience, because I love the fact that I'm able to teach people all sizes, not only small guys or someone with athletic abilities.

What are your feelings towards the label "little guy jiu jitsu?" Do you think your accomplishments are overlooked because of your connection to this phrase?

I think it is not just me, but all my opponents that don't get the respect we should. I had to win the open class not once but a few times before people started noticing me. The smaller weight classes are always overlooked, unless the guy has trained with me LOL

Do you like to plan ahead for the future or do you enjoy living in the moment? How has this helped you throughout your jiu jitsu career?

I plan some things but I live in the moment mostly. I don't have plans for my competitions, though. If I'm not too sick or too hurt I'm competing. I have competed many times hurt and/or sick, sometimes without training for a couple months, but competing is my way to learn quicker and I always try to as many times as possible. I do have my main tournaments and I do train way harder for them but I try to train no matter what is coming up.

How hard was it for you to adapt to an American way of life when you moved to the US? Do you consider America home more than Brazil now?

It was actually not that hard. In the beginning I felt kind of lonely, but I think that's how it is wherever you move. To be honest, I have no desire to go back home besides to visit my family and friends. I love Brazil, though.

What competitions do you have planned for 2011?

I want to compete as much as possible. I will compete in the Pan Americans and at the Worlds Gi and No-Gi for sure, no matter how sick or hurt I can be. I also just won my invite to the Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup in April. I will try my best to be present at the rest.

Any seminars or special dates you want to mention?

I will be in Omaha, Nebraska on February 26th and New York on the 27th. If you would like to request a seminar at your school you can contact me on my website. I am open to any school and I hold no secrets.