Archive for the 'jiu-jitsu' Category

I think it’s safe to say the last part of this year has been a weak one for MMA’s big-name shows. So lately, I’ve turned most of my attention (and writing) to boxing and jiu-jitsu. Watching recent shows, it just kind of feels like we’re in a bit of a rut. Everyone’s going through the motions, but we’re missing a little passion.

I watched the Renzo Gracie: Legacy DVD again recently, looking for inspiration. (I gave it kind of an uncharitable review here. It’s actually better than I gave it credit for, but that’s for another time.) Maybe Dana White was watching too, because it looks like Renzo will be making his UFC debut in 2010.

Gracie’s return to the limelight kicked off with a spirited interview at FightWorks Podcast last Sunday, where he goes into some detail about his return to MMA, but mostly, and more interestingly, uses his time to respond to an earlier interview from FWP with his uncle Relson.

You have to hear this.

Total-MMA readers will remember Saulo Ribeiro in the second of our two part interview last month, describing how so many different voices are trying to control jiu-jitsu, all to no avail. Ribeiro even recalled Hélio Gracie himself saying, “Son, no one control this s–t!” Here Renzo proves it’s just as true now as when Helio was fighting in the 1950’s; as he offers to pay his uncle Rorian’s Gracie Academy in Torrence an old fashioned “dojo storm” to prove the merits of his own instruction.

But there’s no point in trying to summarize — this speaks for itself. Renzo’s is easily the best (audio) interview I’ve heard in 2009… and it was worth the wait. I expect Renzo to bring the same passion to his UFC appearances. Maybe not a contender at his advanced age but with his spark back, I think it’ll be a ton of fun.

Pictured: Saulo Ribeiro (right) demonstrates an escape during his Fife, WA seminar last month.

As his seminar comes to a close, three time world champion Saulo Ribeiro takes a few minutes to drive home a message.

“Nowadays, everybody tries to own the identity of jiu-jitsu,” he begins. “But it’s bigger than all of us. Nobody can be the face of jiu-jitsu. We’re all the face of jiu-jitsu. You look in the mirror, you see what’s wrong, and you change. You’re using jiu-jitsu. When things get tough, you look inside yourself, and see who you really are. You face the fears.

“Jiu-jitsu is a humbling journey. Every time you think you’re there, you’re not. You open yourself. But you have to make the decisions, and jiu-jitsu helps with this. I’m so blessed this is my work.”

Ribeiro’s own humbling journey includes a visit to Rio to make a pitch to include jiu-jitsu in the 2016 Olympics to the president of Brazil, a cup of tea in Abu Dhabi with a sheik, and a few rounds with a Thai boxing champion off the Las Vegas strip…

Read the rest of this entry »

Pictured: Five time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Saulo Ribeiro enjoys a break during his Fife, WA seminar on 18 October 2009

Part One: Saulo Ribeiro on his love for the art of jiu-jitsu — and preparations for his student Diego Sanchez’s bout against BJ Penn next month

If a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Hall of Fame were to be created, there is no doubt that one of the first honored would be Royler Gracie’s most decorated disciple, Saulo Ribeiro.

The native of Manua, Brazil has recorded a staggering record five first place finishes at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, two at the Abu Dhabi World Submission Championships, and a gold medal at the world no-gi jiu-jitsu championships. Having retired after the World Submission Championships in Barcelona last month, Ribeiro continues to attract attention as a top-flight trainer whose MMA standouts include Diego Sanchez — who contends for the UFC lightweight title next month against Ribeiro’s fellow world jiu-jitsu champion BJ Penn. Ribeiro’s instructional book, Jiu-Jitsu University, is also hailed as the best of its genre.

It’s been a diverse career by any measure. But after conducting a seminar in the Seattle area, when Ribeiro is asked about his life — from his early days training in the Amazon, to his stellar competition days, to his current role as trainer — the same words flow over and again, in a strong Brazilian accent:

“For me it’s a blessing.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago, Total-MMA had the pleasure of visiting two of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s legends at a seminar at Marcelo Alonso’s Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Seattle. We enjoyed the wisdom of Carlson Gracie Jr. in part one. Today we turn the focus to Ricardo “Rey” Diogo.

You might not expect it from a man who goes by the Portugese word for “King,” but asked about his recent victory at the 2009 BJJ Pan American Championships, Ricardo “Rey” Diogo sounds more humble than boastful. To hear him describe it, the victory sounds like just another day at the office, not unlike appearing at a seminar:

“I felt very good,” he begins in his strong Brazilian accent. “But mentally I prepare myself for all events I go through.. Proper training, proper rest, proper conditioning. You have to do all these things right. It’s what I try to do when I compete, have total confidence in myself. I have a few movements in my game that I have total confidence in, and that’s what I want to show in my seminars.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Pictured: Carlson Gracie Jr. (left) and Ricardo “Rey” Diogo at their Seattle seminar last weekend

Part One: Carlson Gracie Jr talks about his life in jiu-jitsu, his thoughts on his most famous black belt Miguel Angel Torres, and how a guy from Rio finds himself in Chicago anyway…

Total-MMA had the honor of meeting two more Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legends last Saturday, as the art’s “Crown Prince,” Carlson Gracie Jr, came to town for a seminar, assisted by Ricardo “Rey” Diogo, the 2005 and 2009 Pan-American BJJ champion. The two were hosted by Gracie’s childhood friend, Marcelo Alonso, at his Seattle academy. All three proudly wear black belts awarded them by Gracie’s father, the late Carlson Gracie Sr.

In a brief interview at the seminar’s conclusion, Gracie offers a few surprises. He has a reserved and even modest manner as he describes the seminar’s success, as well as his own career in “the gentle art,” with a quiet confidence.

“The seminar was great,” he begins, in his characteristically mellow tone. “It was even better than I expected, because lately everybody does seminars everywhere. All great fighters, they travel all over the world and do seminars. I’m not saying I’m not one of those!”

Read the rest of this entry »

Pictured: Ivan Salaverry (left) looks on as Eddie Bravo instructs at a seminar at Salaverry’s academy in Seattle.

It’s impossible to miss the passion Eddie Bravo brings to training students in his unique system of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

He exitedly yells to students at today’s seminar at Ivan Salaverry’s academy in Seattle, alternating partners as they try their hands at Bravo’s take on the art. “Over to Mission Control! To New York!” goes one guard sequence which he has adapted. The students each would eventually walk off the mat all smiles at the seminar’s conclusion. Many would return moments later with one of the three jiu-jitsu instructional books that Bravo has authored, looking for an autograph. While always controversial, Bravo’s innovations has clearly won him many fans.

But what lurks beneath the surface is that Bravo’s real passion has nothing to do with his unique setups for triangle chokes and shoulder locks that have earned him his fame.

“My music is what really drives it,” the founder of “10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu” says. “The jiu-jitsu is what took off first. Now I’m trying to get into the music industry through the backdoor.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Pictured: Attendees of Royler Gracie’s Fife, WA seminar last Saturday

There have been many legendary champions in the world of jiu-jitsu, but it may be difficult to find anyone who can match the achievements of Royler Gracie.

He’s well known as a veteran of Mixed Martial Arts competition, where he & his brothers Royce & Rickson helped make the Gracie name known worldwide; the sport where Royler’s father Helio helped establish his family’s dominance a generation ago. But it’s in pure grappling competition where Royler has really shined: a four time world champion at black belt in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) World Championships, and a three time winner of the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships. Last Saturday, the legend enjoyed a huge turnout at a BJJ seminar in Fife, Washington; where he was hosted by Carlson Gracie black belt Marcelo Alonso.

It was a rare treat for all involved, perhaps including the legend himself; as in his thick Brazilian accent, Royler encourages the seminar’s attendees to ask questions near the seminar’s conclusion: “Guys, I learn a lot from my brothers and I learn a lot from my father. But I learn most from my students. When they ask me something, I have to know. If they ask and I don’t know, I know I have to learn. And I learn new jiu-jitsu every day!”

Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of weekends ago, I had a ton of fun at a “Modified MMA” tournament hosted by the good people of Warrior-One, an MMA retailer and training center just north of Seattle. The event offered an opportunity for a hopeful fighter to begin to bridge the gap between jiu-jitsu matches and MMA, by beginning to mix strikes with grappling in a controlled setting. It’s the kind of community event that I hope to see more of.

While at Warrior-One, I picked up our sport’s newest full-length documentary, Renzo Gracie: Legacy. Similarly, Legacy attempts to bridge that gap between the personal side of one of our greatest figures, and his achievements in the sport.

It’s mainly successful, although it also left me wanting more. Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah, I know we say it a lot, but it’s still amazing how far this sport has come.

Many of us here in the Pacific Northwest remember the days when Randy Couture & Maurice Smith (and later, Couture & Josh Barnett) were fighting each other for the UFC title while training out of our local gyms. It was a source of pride for us that many of the biggest names in this sport made our area their home. Unfortunately, our local media totally ignored the phenomenon.

Times have changed. This week, the story of Cindy Hales, the local BJJ phenom who fought Megumi Fujii in MMA last year, made the front page of Seattle Weekly. This is a story that sadly flies under the radar of even most MMA fans here, and yet it becomes a cover story for one of our better outlets. Now, that’s more like it. In Spoiling For a Fight, Hales expounds on her triumphs in jiu jitsu and MMA — and her struggles. She has sustained knee injuries which her boxing coach Mike Gavronski thinks have ended her fighting career, and suffered through a massive same day weight cut against Fujii.

Whether or not Hales gets the rematch with Fujii that she seeks, there’s no doubt the attention she gets from this article is well deserved. Whatever happens next, kudos are in order for Hales on her fine career, and respect goes to Seattle Weekly for recognizing it.

Today, Tatame Magazine reported the 95th birthday festivities for the legend himself, Grandmaster Hélio Gracie. Wow. I hope I see the day.

Following an auotgraph session with fans, several members of his family’s jiu-jitsu royalty, including Rickson, Royler, and Kyra Gracie, presented the patriarch a red belt embroidered in ten gold stripes. Total-MMA can’t offer any such honor, but we can offer you a few links to learn about the man who helped build MMA with his legendary vale tudo bouts of the 1950’s:

Read the rest of this entry »