INTERVIEW W/ GRANDMASTER OSVALDO ALVES (9TH DEGREE BJJ BLACK-BELT)

interview by: Prof Stephen Kamphuis

(l t r) Prof. Stephen Kamphuis, Grandmaster Osvaldo Alves & Prof Fabricio Martins

While in Rio I was invited to have lunch with Grandmaster 9th-degree red-belt Osvaldo Alves recognized by IBJJF as the worlds top BJJ instructor and head of the Fabricio Team, under 6th-degree Black Belt Master Fabricio Martins. Grandmaster Osvaldo is one of the signatories on all Black belt Certificates and is the Technical Director of IBJJF.

I would like to share this story with others as it gives an insight into the mind of one of the most important Jiu Jitsu innovators and instructors on the planet. His list of students reads like the who’s who in BJJ. He is and has been the Master of the Masters, the instructor to the teachers and even today still has his own school. From within his team and the people who have trained under him there have been black-belts in every division at the World championships such as Daniel Otero 2006 World Champion 4x Mundial medalist and 8x Brazilian Champion, a Black belt under Master Fabricio, Jacare started as a student in one of Osvaldo’s schools. The Grandmaster is still very active teaching most days, doing seminars, teaching private classes and his students run his school.

Grandmaster Osvaldo is called the encyclopedia of BJJ. Being with the grandmaster was like being with a rock star people where coming up all the time bowing and shaking hands. It just so happens Grandmaster Osvaldo loves Brazilian barbecue so we spent 4 hours with Master Fabricio doing the interpreting and this is just a portion of what was discussed.

Firstly I’d like to thank Grandmaster Osvaldo for honoring me with his time and allowing me to ask him questions about his life. Some of what is written below is direct quotes interspersed with some information that was given.

The first question, which must be asked, how did you get into BJJ?
At the age I was walking along the street going to Judo practice when this little blond kid about the same age asked me why I did not do a real mans sport. So we had a fight and the next day I was training BJJ. This little kid happened to be the very respected Reyson Gracie (son of Carlos Gracie) and they went on to become great friends. ( estimated age of the Grandmaster is 69 -73 but his age may change each time he is asked )

“ I first started training under Carlos Gracie Senior the Sports Originator and went from White to Black with Master Carlos as my instructor. At age 17 I received my BJJ Black Belt.” While doing BJJ Grandmaster continued training Judo under Suji Inata a student of Kimura.
Grandmaster Osvaldo was a former Brazilian Judo champion.

One of his proudest achievements and one that he is very humbled by is that each year he goes back to Japan to teach Jiu Jitsu to the land that created the art. He is deeply moved by the appreciation and respect given to him by the people of Japan. Grandmaster Osvaldo has taught at all the famous BJJ Academy’s in Japan including Budokan the Japan Institute for Judo which is open to invited guests only.

Grandmaster Osvaldo talked about Count Koma who taught  Grandmaster Carlos Gracie techniques from the Samurai form of Jiu Jitsu which where further developed by the Gracie family.  Grandmaster found during his training that many techniques needed too be refined. So he spent time studying all the positions and introducing new moves into the BJJ system over a period of more than 60 years in the sport and 40 years as an instructor. He studied  techniques from Boxing, Judo, BJJ and Vale Tudo. In his schools he taught  techniques from each art to create complete fighters, even from the early days he would train both Gi and No Gi on a regular basis during the week. His students like Master Fabricio are skilled in Judo, Boxing ,Vale Tudo, and BJJ.

It was Grandmaster Osvaldo who was responsible for the closed guard, he introduced sweeps originally there where only 8 techniques practiced and he developed another 42 to create a range of 50 techniques, wrist locks, arm bars, passing techniques, and much more he has been attributed as the creator of modern BJJ.

He started introducing conditioning classes to his students and people where calling him crazy. 40 years ago he created explosive exercises to improve the cardio of his students. Now this is an important  aspect of modern day  training. Grandmaster Osvaldo, will release a new DVD of  some of the  techniques he developed as exercises to compliment training and also some of his own favourite techniques.

As a Master Instructor he has created a lot of champion fighters, people like Fabricio Martins, Sergio Pana, Amaury Bitteti, Jacare, Fredson Paixao, Bibiano Fernadez, Paulo Caruso, and some of the following fighters have sought him out Minotoro, Vitor Belfort, Pat Militech, Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes, Mario Sperry for advice and instruction.

I asked the question how he made a Champion. The following is his reply.
“I will usually work with a group of athlete’s number approx 6 persons” .
First the training system is different from a normal routine,  to make a champion he will start by implementing specific rules, which relate to hours trained  and  training discipline.

“ Every training session begins at 6am with a warm-up a jog along the beach or in the jungle."

“The first session of the day is training outside the academy. Then back to the academy for further training positions and techniques, which are timed.”

The afternoon session continues with working techniques from different positions. In the afternoon session Master Osvaldo would get the athletes to work on certain positions that he feels are lacking in their game, he would dissect each athletes game and develop them as individuals using the group environment to improve their techniques. This strategy continues till today with certain students. At night the real training begins with sparring. Master Osvaldo would then watch his players looking for mistake or areas that needed improvement, which he would then work into their game. His objective is to work with the students to develop both their body and mind,  and to create tactics of each fighter. “As an Instructor I would be imparting the experience I have has gained from over 50 years of teaching and what I learned from my own teachers.”

How do you make a champion?
“ To make a Champion you must teach the person how to think, so he can make the right decisions and his body can respond. Teach the person to focus in the moment of combat. A professional fighter has only this way to train. He needs to believe and know the right way. The friendship and bond between the fighter and the teacher must be honest.”

When did you open your own academy?
Osvaldo would teach private lessons in his house some of the students where Relson Gracie, Carlinhos Gracie, Rolls Gracie, Rocean Gracie he became one of the most important teachers of the art. I opened my own academy in 1960.

I asked Grandmaster how was his relationship with the Gracies.
As a student of Carlos I was close to the master and have a good relationship with all the Gracie’s we deeply respect each other and it was Carlinhos Gracie the IBJJF President who appointed Grandmaster Osvaldo as the recognized no 1 Instructor in BJJ today, the highest honor you can have in the sport.

Who are your Senior Instructors?
Fabrico Martins, Segio Pana, Laerte Darcelor, Elvis Pamaceno, Raimund Nonato, Roberval Masgranhas, Radames, Ricardo Buldogue, Franklin Sergio Lisboa, Juniro, Ricardo Tanque, Carlos Toyota, Tomil, Toshil, Mario Masokataiama, Fontes, Gabril Ktober just to name a few.

Do you give seminars?
Yes I will be going to Japan this year and I always bring one student. Next year I will go to America I have made five seminars in America.

Are you surprised by the growth of BJJ?
“No, the World is surprised but not me. Bjj is so beautiful so efficient everybody wants to learn. It will continue to grow in the future. The IBJJF are also doing a great job developing the sport at competition level.  All guys who practice MMA need to learn BJJ.”
We then talked about the beauty of the art and he asked my thoughts.

Which fighters do you admire?
“ In MMA I like Anderson Silvia as a fighter, but for character I like the Nouraga brothers. In BJJ I like Roger Gracie and Marcelo Garcia and of course I like my student Daniel Otero, in the past Rolls Gracie and Sergio Pana stand out with the best technique and Fabricio also made his mark as 6 times Brazilian Champion when there where no World Championships and winning the Brazilian Championship was the highest honor .”

Master Fabricio is the 1st and only person you have graded to six degree and given your own personal certificate, which is a big honor for any student, can you tell us more about this.
“Fabricio has been my student for over 40 years he started with me at 4 years of age and is still my student.  When we first meet both student and teacher where very young. All students are different a good relationship with each student is the objective. The teacher must know the spirit of the student, which is possible for all your students. The teacher must care for his students and the students care for the teacher the principle quality of a student is belief and loyalty to their teacher, Fabricio has these qualities.”

I asked his thoughts about teaching techniques.
“ BJJ is not only about techniques BJJ is something more. Invisible BJJ this is the concept, teaching the concept of the techniques this is what a skilled instructor can teach. Bjj is an art, which will develop for the whole World, but few can teach the full game.”

Are you aware you have a team in South East Asia, including the Philippines, Taiwan and Korea with branches in Jordan, Dubai and Germany.

Master Osvaldo knew and thought it was very interesting and proud of the Teams and individuals in these countries and the relationship to him. “ It would be an honor to visit my team in these countries. ”

I asked him about the future plans for the team and we talked about the different teams under Osvalo. There are approx 7000 – 10,000 students in various teams that are all aligned to the Grandmaster but carry different names.

In the next year some of these groups will come under one umbrella making it one of the Worlds largest network of students and teams.

“ I believe we have a great team with good people. Our knowledge is very good. If people want to learn BJJ learn with members of the team they will learn real BJJ. I am very excited with the creation of the new team. Everybody needs to work together to grow the team. ”

I asked him what he though about belts being earned on the Internet or via online training.
“ Some Instructors take another way. All belts should be earned in the academy, the student should support the academy. It is difficult to teach and correct real BJJ without seeing it live.”
 

Finally Grandmaster gave Master Fabricio his blessing to award me my second degree under Master Fabricio and the Grandmaster.

Before we parted I just had to know. Grandmaster who won the fight between you and Reyson Gracie he just laughed.

INTERVIEW W/ KIM 'STUN GUN' DONG HYUNG

Stun Gun speaks about the future of mixed martial arts in Korea

photo from: bloody elbow

by Danny Kessler & Alexis Tomlin

Kim ‘Stun Gun’ Dong Hyung of South Korea recently won a fight against Amir Sadollah at UFC 114 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. I had the opportunity to sit down with the only Asian welterweight in the UFC to discuss his latest victory and the state of Mixed Martial Arts in Korea today.

He told me that going into the fight he knew Amir’s style from their time training together last year. Prior to the fight, he had arrived in Las Vegas with his coach Sung Hoon Yang and training partner Myung Ho Bae training for about a month in some of the top gyms in Las Vegas including Xtreme Couture, Wanderlae Silvas Fight Team, Warrior Training Center, Team Fasi, and Tapout Gym. Despite only competing in the UFC on a few previous occasions, he was immediately recognized by the fighters in the Vegas area all of whom remembered him from his battle the year before with Karo Parisyan at UFC 94.

Following a phenomenal performance against Sadollah, his perfectly executed GSP like timed takedowns earning him a decisive victory by unanimous decision, the stun gun returned to his native Korea appearing on ‘Celebrity Athlete Challenge’ among other popular talk shows whose main target audiences are the younger generation. Of late his face is increasingly recognizable as he walks around his home city of Busan. “Nowadays, even non-fighters are starting to know me.”, he said with no small degree of affection in his voice.

After winning $65,000 fighting in America, which is a lot of money in Korea, he bought himself a house.  “After I win my next UFC fight I’m going to buy a Porsche” he remarked confidently. Assumptions of the cocky stereotype of a flashy, thoughtless fighter laid aside Kim emphasized that he wants to show his success because he sees himself as a role model for future fighters coming out of Korea who dream of competing in the UFC.

In regard to the state of MMA in Korea he told me that “When I first came to the UFC people thought Koreans were weak, but I proved them wrong. Korea is slowly rising in the MMA world.” There are five other Korean nationals he believes are good enough to fight in the UFC and he wants to raise awareness of them in America. He says the younger generation thinks highly of him and of MMA; “Once they know the sport, they love it. Lately in Korea, the sport has grown exponentially.”

He relayed his feelings to me that Korea didn’t much care about figure skating before Kim Yu Nah exploded onto the scene. “Now they are all big fans since she won an Olympic gold medal”. He predicts a similar trend in viewership in Korea within the Mixed Martial Arts since he has been stacking up victories in the most established and well known MMA tournament on the planet, the UFC.

Talking about the popular UFC related television series ‘The Ultimate fighter’ Kim said he would love to see Ultimate Fighter Asia; Korea versus Japan with the winner having the opportunity to fight in the UFC. He thinks this would be a great way for the sport to grow in the relatively untapped Asian market.

With more fights two more fights remaining on his contract with the UFC we spoke at length about his hopes for the future. ‘I believe at this point I have made my bones with the UFC so I’d love the opportunity to fight a top 10 guy’ he told me, a fire suddenly alighting behind his otherwise striking, yet calmly composed face. ‘Of course most of all I’d like to fight GSP’ he continued, the excitement in his voice at the prospect not lost in translation, but realistically he sees himself being paired up against Carlos Condit for his next fight. 

In a country where they still consider sports a ‘stupid person’s job’, Korea’s Kim Dong Hyung continues to pioneer the path for future young hopefuls in the sport  and is helping to influence change in a conservative culture and contribute to expanding interest in the Mixed Martial Arts around the world.

WWW.DANNYKESSLER.COM

INTERVIEW W/ RAMON LEMOS

Thanks to Ralph Go for making this interview possible with his translation skills in Portuguese and to Prof Lemos for his time to chat with BJJ-ASIA.  -Luke

photo by: Cat de Leon

For those that aren't familiar with you or the Atos JJ team, please share with us how you started in BJJ and the people that make the Atos Team today. 
 

I started jiu jitsu when I was 5 years old, my father was a fighter and he put me in Orient association of Jiu jitsu in Niteroi, after some years I went to train with Andre Pederneiras, who for me is my master until today.  Today, I have Atos but I am not solely responsible for everything, I am responsible for training the athletes and every gives their part by dedication and organization. I have a team of students and teachers who help me in everything. I have athletes who are dedicated and I know that we are one of the best teams in the world.

What is the origins of the Atos name and how does this relate to it's members?

Me and Andre Galvao opened the team together, He is the leader together with me. We are both evangelist and believe 100% in Jesus Christ. When we formed atos we wanted a name that would remember Jesus and from there we got the name from the book Acts of the Apostles. Atos means Acts in English. We search to talk to God for all the members of Atos, training the body and also the spirit.

As the head of Atos and instructor to some of today's top competitors, how do you see the evolution of jiu-jitsu as a sport and martial art? Before, you would never see anyone living through martial arts, Today we can see athletes living through jiu jitsu, building a life through training and competition, Jiu jitsu is a martials arts that generates jobs for those who have dedication. For me this is the greatest evolution of our sport

With new affiliates in the Philippines, what is your impression of the BJJ scene in Southeast Asia so far? The jiu jitsu has evolved a lot in all the places around the world. Today, Atos counts on an affiliate in the Philippines led by Ralph Go and Ali Sulit, whom are already generating great talents. This year already producing a world champion in the Mundials, Soon they will have champions in all belts.

What plans do you have for the future and Atos JJ?

The plans for the future is to win mundial in the teams standing, build new talents and together with this, open new affiliates with the same quality of the head gym, and generate jobs for everyone.  

TEAM VPF (FACEBOOK)

WWW.ATOSJJ.COM

JULIANO PRADO: TMT

INTERVIEW W/ MAURICIO 'TINGUINHA' MARIANO

This is my second interview with Prof Tinguinha and for those who haven't read the first one, you can check it out HERE. This time around I wanted to focus on his experience as a teacher and comment on the increasing variety of sources for techniques from online-teaching, youtube, DVDs and seminars. What's remained consistent from the early days of BJJ and what has changed over the past 10+ years. I'd like to thank Prof for taking time out of his busy schedule and sharing with us his wealth of experiences. -Luke

Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us at BJJ-ASIA. With your new online teaching program, we'd like to talk about your teaching process and how you've seen your style of teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu develop over the years.
 

As an instructor, do you see any major differences in the type of students you have from the early 90's compared to today?

Yes, it is a lot different. Back in 90's specially in the beginning, BJJ was practiced mostly in Brazil and in few other places in the world. So the students that were more interested were younger, the teens and adults from 16 to 30 years old. We didn't have as many kids as now because the parents didn't know what kind of martial art it was, so they preferred to choose the traditional martial arts. I remember a lot of times hearing people say they would wait for their kids to get older, like fourteen years of age to start training and that would drive me crazy and the people over 30 had the impression that this martial art was for younger people so they thought they were too old to train. Nowadays BJJ is all over the world and people has a better knowledge of our Martial art so we have people of all ages training for all reasons, recreation, self defense, competition and professionally.
 

The internet and DVD instructionals have done a great deal to spread jiu-jitsu techniques to the world. How do you think this has changed the new white-belt student that came to your class 10 years ago versus the new student that comes in today?

Most of the students  I taught 10 years ago didn't have a clue what bjj was in their first class, a lot of times they thought they would be learning how to punch, kick and stuff like that in a bjj class, so we had to give all the education about bjj and etc... Now everybody is familiar with this martial art, they know it is a grappling martial art, mostly they are familiar with the basic chokes, arm locks and positions like the guard and etc... 

 

Does having more information at your disposal make for a better prepared student?

Definitely. It helps. Education and information is always good, the only thing that is important to keep in mind is what kind of information you are getting. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu it is extremely important to have a good foundation and learn the basic techniques first.

 

Do you believe DVD/internet can become a handicap? How do we control the quality of information when anyone can post an instructional on sites like youtube?

It certainly could be a handicap specially in the internet, it is important to understand BJJ is a very simple and at the same time very complex art, you see guys like Roger Gracie making history in BJJ by how impressively he has been submitting fighters in competition just with basic Jiu-Jitsu and guys like Cobrinha with a very sharp Jiu-Jistu with very high and advanced techniques. It takes time, doesn't matter which is your game, it takes a lot of mat time and most importantly it takes a good instructor to guide you to get those things. A new student is like a kid, he doesn't know what is right and what is wrong somebody has to teach them in which phase of his learning process the right information comes into play. There is no way to control the quality of information that is out there, any one can post any technique, the only thing we can do is to try to educate the student,make sure he knows who he is learning the technique from, if it is a qualified instructor. Because not only he could be learning the technique wrongly done as he might be learning something right at the wrong stage of his learning process, messing up his game going forward.

 

As the pioneer of the spider-guard I'm sure you've dealt with your share of complaints against your style of guard, similar to what the 50/50 guard may be experiencing now. How do you see jiu-jitsu's evolution and how teaching jiu-jitsu may also need to evolve?

As everything in life, evolution is something natural with time. The foundation will never change but this martial art is always evolving, which is a great thing. We will never get bored. Anyone can create and develop a technique in Jiu-Jitsu, there are too many ways, too many details to use the same technique. There is no only one way to do any technique. And I think that is great. It opens a lot of space for growing and evolving. About the teaching,as I mentioned before the foundation of the martial art will never change but as an instructor you need to be aware of what is happening out there specially if you are teaching a student in a higher competitive level, like for tournaments and MMA fights, as an instructor you need to always be learning as well, you need to be interested, to evolve with the art. I think that if you don't evolve with time and is not up to date with of is happening out there definitely you will be outdated. 
 

What do you do differently as an instructor compared to 10 years ago and what have you kept the same?

The way I teach the basic techniques and the importance I give to the foundation is the same but today I am much more organized as far as my classes curriculum goes, I have a better process and follow up on my student's evolution and progresses and I have a better understanding of what my student's needs are and how to better assist them in reaching their different goals, so today I can say that my teaching method and classes are 100% directed to the needs of my students and helping them learn and grow compared to 10 years ago. Every year I go back to my curriculum and my teaching method and see what I can make better, if I can add something to my class curriculum or change it.

 

What qualities in the teachers you've had in the past that you find most valuable for the student? How did these qualities effect you and your sucess in BJJ?

The best one I think is that the teacher be an example, the school is a reflex of the head instructor so aside to what you are teaching I think the way you hold yourself as far as how you conduct yourself, behave, talk and etc... inside and outside of the school is very important. I believe that having the opportunity of training in a safe and competitive enviroment gave me the competitive edge but made me very humble and level headed at the same time and it gave me a stability necessary to grow and a confidence to believe in myself and pass that to my school and my students. 

 

Please share with us some details about your new online program and how it can benefit all jiu-jitsu students.

The TBJJ.TV is a project a long time in the making, the website was all very well thought out, always having in mind the students and how to offer the best way of learning. The online training englobes all the aspects of Jiu-Jitsu from what to expect on your first day of training to more complex and advanced techniques. The idea was to create not only an online training with a lot of techniques but to go beyond that. I wanted to cover all areas of Jiu-Jitsu, attacks, escapes, beginning, developing the different games, but also the different views of the games, preparation, give the members an insider's look into all aspects of the  Jiu-Jitsu art. The website is also divided in different areas which makes it easy for different rank level students to find their areas of interest or different needs, that way members can follow a class curriculum to develop different games if they wish as well as a guide into those games with full assistance in each game and techniques. The website is divided by The Ultimate Beginner, Step by Step instruction, guiding the member through BJJ basics; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and NOGI (Submission Wrestling), hundreds of Gi and NoGI techniques, divided by categories and skill levels; Survival Guide, how to escape certain positions and difficult situations that are presented during training sessions;Training Sessions & Fight Footages, All access pass to training sessions at my school and tournament fight footages-vintage and new; Interviews, Insider look at the Jiu-Jitsu art around the world-fighters, coaches, practitioners share a little of their knowledge; We have way more in the website, the best way to have a better idea is to check for yourself, take a tour around the website, www.tbjj.tv

 

You've also recently moved to a larger location in California. What do you credit to your sucess and the growth of your school?

A lot of hard work and dedication and off course loyalty from my students. I didn't start this now, I have been teaching and training for a very long time. A long time ago when I decided I wanted to teach, that it was what I wanted to do in life I wasn't sure if I would be able to pay my bills since Jiu-Jitsu wasn't popular and well known like today, so when I chose to do this, was from my heart, to do something I loved doing, I am not in this business for the money or the status but I believe that you cannot go wrong in life doing something you love to do. When you put your heart into something, naturally the other things will come to you. 
 

What advice could you share with the potential BJJ instructors out there and for those that dont' have access to a brown/black-belt instructor?

My advice for those who want to be instructors is to take your training seriously, and prepare yourself just like you would in any other profession, you are gonna have a lot of influence in people's life, more than you can imagine, it is a lot of commitment and a lot of time you need to put in to be an instructor. I see a lot of people who like to train so they assume they will like to teach but it's 2 different things, you need to love to teach, you need to like helping people and you need to have a lot of patience to be a good instructor, don't do this for the money, don't do this for your ego, if you have the wrong reasons it will burn you out, do it because that is what you want to do and that is what you like.

 

For those who don't have access to a higher belt they have many ways to get the information by networking, doing seminars, dvds and internet, there is no secret techniques, the key is hard work and training smart.

 

Just to add, I would like to thank BJJ-ASIA for the opportunity and space to talk, you guys are doing a great job spreading Jiu-Jitsu in Asia. And for those  who wants to get upcoming news and everything that happens in my school, projects, interviews, techniques, they can check my website www.bjjoc.com  and my blog http://tinguinhabjj.blogspot.com/  where I share techniques reviews, tips and more... I am always trying to share my knowledge and spread the positive aspects of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu martial art with the BJJ community so on my website and blog I am always uploading FREE videos, techniques, interviews and more... My goal is to see the BJJ art grow even bigger but with quality and integrity. Thanks for everyone's support, from my students,my associated schools, my online students, and all who support my projects.

TINGUINHA BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU 22349  La Palma Ave. ste 118

Yorba Linda- CA 92887
PH: 714-694- 0103
WEBSITE: www.bjjoc.com

TBJJ.TV- New Revolutionary Training System        

Let the Revolution Begin!!!  www.tbjj.tv

5-QUESTIONS PART 3: STANLEY TAM @ SHANGHAI BJJ

What initially inspired you to get involved with martial arts and particularly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? 

Like a lot of kids, I became interested in martial arts through Bruce Lee movies, especially growing up as a Chinese kid in Australia back in the day when it was pretty rough. I started in full contact fighting at age 13, did TKD and kickboxing too but started to focus on traditional Chinese martial arts. When I was in high school, I saw one of the early Gracie Jiu-Jitsu ads by Rorion in Black Belt magazine and became interested in BJJ. But back in the early 90s there was no BJJ in Australia so I continued doing other arts. Then when I came to Shanghai to further study Chinese wushu, I found Paul Borret's Shanghai Mixed Martials Group which also trained BJJ under Shoot champ Matt Stevens, so I began my BJJ journey and never looked back.

Share with us the beginnings of your academy/gym. Who was/is the primary teacher and how large a student body was there? 

The evolution of BJJ in Shanghai is a long story!! But in a nutshell, BJJ in Shanghai was initially taught by Matt Stevens (a purple belt and East Japan Shooto champion). Paul Borret has a MMA group and we trained BJJ several times a night. Eventually, the expats left and we began to focused entirely on BJJ. At the beginning it was a club led by myself and my friend Ben. During this time, we had Chet Quint come visit us for training every month. Eventually Ben also left SH and I become responsible for the club. Then my friend Ryan contacted me and came back to SH from the US, together we started to really grow BJJ in Shanghai. Tony Eduardo came out and lived in Shanghai. It was at this stage that SHBJJ formed, our group turned into a proper academy with a permanent training facility. All of this happened over many years!

What were the major hurdles of starting an academy/gym and do those same challenges exist today or have they been replaced with new ones?
SHBJJ didn't happen overnight, it was a gradual process. When SHBJJ evolved from a club to an academy, we had to start worrying about the finances in order to keep the academy afloat. In Shanghai, the challenge is to educate the locals in BJJ and get them involved in regular training. Expats already know about BJJ but they come and go, so the student base is really transient, which means it is very difficult to grow the student base. 

What keeps you inspired after so many years?
BJJ is just so fun and addictive. There is always something new to learn and it's mentally stimulating. Plus, it's always fun to get on the mats everyday and see your friends and have a laugh on the mats.

What advice do you have for other academy/gyms just starting out? 

Start small, keep cost low and love what you do. 

WWW.SHANGHAIBJJ.COM

5-QUESTIONS PART 2: STEPHEN KAMPHUIS @ BJJ PHILIPPINES

 (l t r) Stephen Kamphuis w/ Prof Fabricio

What initially inspired you to get involved with martial arts and particularly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
The boxing gym I was training in closed down , the Judo dogo was sold, I tried Hapkido and did not find it suitable. Then I had heard their was a Jiu Jitsu school down the road . I had never heard of BJJ and assumed it was Japanese Ju Jitsu. I thought with a back ground  in Judo and Boxing maybe it would be a good sport for me.

 

Share with us the beginnings of your academy/gym. Who was/is the primary teacher and how large a student body was there?
My Instructor in BJJ is Anthony Lange from Australia , but with Team mates like Anthony Persoh and Elvis Sinosic they also had a great influence on me.  In Brazil my Instructor is Master Fabricio. I started with just one student Archie Celebre, and even when he turned up on the wrong day we trained.
 

What were the major hurdles of starting an academy/gym and do those same challenges exist today or have they been replaced with new ones?
I think many people find BJJ just to hard for them, they prefer a non contact sport or martial art such as non - sparring kickboxing . Rent costs and the initial set up takes a long time to recoup. It takes time to build a core group of students.

 

What keeps you inspired after so many years?
My students , my friend BJJ / Judo Black Belt John Baylon, the enjoyment that comes from teaching kids, seeing students develop and grow in BJJ and life and the desire to keep competing.
 

What advice do you have for other academy/gyms just starting out?

Start small and do not expect it to be an overnight success. Make sure your heart is in it, you must enjoy teaching and sharing information with others. Most importantly make sure you enjoy every class you teach, others will also.

WWW.BJJPHILIPPINES.COM

5-QUESTIONS PART 1: WARREN WANG @ TAIWAN BJJ

This is the first part to a series of interviews with academy/gym owners throughout SEA. The same five questions are given to each person and posted here on BJJ-ASIA where we can see the similarities and differences each person/group has. I believe this to be a great opportunity to hilight a few of the un-sung heroes in our community who have made it easier for all of us to enjoy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. -Luke

Warren Wang at the opening of the new Taichung branch w/ a wreath from the mayor.

What initially inspired you to get involved with martial arts and particularly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? that was a long time ago though. got started after a christmas party, where a bunch of dudes decided to wrestle after getting drunk. 

Share with us the beginnings of your academy/gym. Who was/is the primary teacher and how large a student body was there? taiwan bjj began as a club in taichung taiwan in 2003. after about 6 months, we started another club in taipei, 3 months after, the club grew to 30 guys. i was leading the taichung club on the weeknights and the taipei club on the weekends. we knew we needed more help due to the growing interests. andy wang came to taiwan and helped out for 2 years, after he left, the school fell apart due to the lack of management and consistent instructions. the guys stayed started training at community centers and later ended up renting mat space from a karate school. after a year at the karate school, which we decided we had to have a place of our own, a foundation to build the school. so we found a rental space and from there we've slowly grown. since moving to our current space,
 

What were the major hurdles of starting an academy/gym and do those same challenges exist today or have they been replaced with new ones? the most important thing i believe is stability and consistency in terms of location, attitudes towards training, and the nstructor. we have been lucky to have many helped along the way. andy wang stayed  on for 2 years and during his stay the school had about 30 guys training regularly. then the school was in limbo after he left. of course we were privelaged that in between guys like pedro schmall, chris ng and dustin thorton helped out tremendously. it wasn't until makoto ogasawara, who we are so fortunate to have, decided to help us and has been with us for 1 year and half, that the school started to grow again. 
 

What keeps you inspired after so many years? one, of course, i love the sport and love the bjj family that we've built at taiwan bjj. second, at the time, we felt that someone had to do it. 
 

What advice do you have for other academy/gyms just starting out?

passion is one thing, luck is another thing, but having financial resources and lots of friends is a must. try to stay away from all the politics and you will find this journy to be truly rewarding.   

WWW.TAIWANBJJ.ORG

SG PRO INTERVIEW

I was recently asked to participate in an interview with SG Pro and thought I'd share the link. -Luke

http://www.sg-pro.com/2010/01/16/sg-pro-interviews-luke-chaya-founder-of-bjj-asia/

NEW VIDS FORM TIGER MUAY THAI

Interview with 2x UFC Fighter Chad Reiner at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA training Camp Phuket, Thailand. 

UFC vet Roger Huerta holds a MMA Seminar at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA training Camp, Phuket, Thailand.

INTERVIEW W/ ROGER HUERTA

Sarah Bahous interviews UfC vet and MMA superstar Roger Huerta at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp, Phuket, Thailand.

INTERVIEW / LEGEND FC'S MICHAEL HASKAMP & CHRIS POLLAK

Today's interview is with Legend FC's creators/producers, Michael Haskamp & Chris Pollak. A unique opportunity to hear the concepts that have lead these two gentlemen to bring MMA to Hong Kong with a focus in cooperation and incorporation of HK's deep martial arts history. -Luke

For those who aren't familiar with Legend FC, please share with us its history and aim for Hong Kong and potentially all of Southeast Asia.

The idea for an MMA organization based in Hong Kong came from a conversation we had last spring, when we were talking about how Hong Kong – one of the world’s great cities and home to so much martial arts history – has such a strong martial arts community but no MMA tournament of its own. And so we decided to organize one.

Our goal is to give the Asia-Pacific’s best MMA athletes a platform on which to showcase their abilities and develop their skills. In the process, we want to raise the profile of MMA as a sport and give these men the credit and recognition they deserve as some of the most hard-working, talented competitors in the sporting world.

What do you feel differentiates Legend from other MMA promotions in Asia outside of Japan?

We are fans of all of the other MMA promotions in the region, and go to their shows when we can. From our perspective, this sport has enormous growth potential, and the more opportunities athletes have to earn a living from their hard training, the better they will get, and the better MMA will be to watch. For our part, we are focused entirely on building awareness of MMA in Hong Kong as an ethical, professional, world-class sport.

On the website you reference Bruce Lee's influence in martial arts and what may have evolved to become MMA as we know it today. How do you see events like this affecting the more traditional martial arts community in Asia? Is there opposition or acceptance?

We often refer to Bruce Lee because he was one of the pioneers of the idea of incorporating the most effective techniques from a range of martial arts in order to develop the most powerful integrated system – the “style of no style,” as he referred to it.

The response from the traditional martial arts community has been positive since most people understand that the development of MMA in Asia will be beneficial to the overall martial arts community. As people become more interested in MMA as spectators, a desire to actually learn and engage in the martial arts will naturally follow for many of them.

Very few people will ever have first-hand experience organizing such an event. What do you see as the major challenges to overcome?

Our largest challenge is Hong Kong’s low awareness of MMA. We have a long road ahead of us in terms of building a reputation for MMA here as an international professional sport on par with football and rugby, but that is exactly what we aim to achieve.

Do you feel there are any stigmas about MMA and its fighters that you would look to change or promote to this new public?

As the readers of BJJ Asia know, the sport earned a bad reputation in the US in the 1990’s for marketing itself as a “no holds barred” competition in the early years, among other missteps.  Fortunately for us, because no one has previously organized a professional MMA event in Hong Kong, we have the opportunity (along with the rest of Hong Kong’s martial arts community) to help build the sport’s reputation from the beginning among the people of Hong Kong, who are not yet familiar with the sport. For our part, we hope that we can establish the sport’s reputation as one conducted under a strict set of rules to maximize athlete safety; as a contest between high-level professional athletes; and as a new and exciting sport with broad appeal.

What do you look for in the competitors you have in your events? Is there a specific criteria and how does one go about securing a fight-card spot at Legend FC?

As avid MMA fans, we make matches that we are excited to watch. We look for tough competitors with aggressive fighting styles. We attempt to create dynamic, balanced bouts where the competitors are well-matched against one another. All other things being equal, we would sooner have an athlete with fewer wins but most of them by knockout or submission than someone with a better record whose victories come primarily via judges’ decision.

While MMA experience is important, we also look at athletes who have a strong competitive background in other martial arts and who have made the crossover to MMA more recently. We’re constantly looking for new talent, so athletes interested in competing at Legend should contact us through our website with an introduction, their stats (e.g. height, weight, etc.), a link to their Sherdog record, and links to video footage of them in competition for us to get a sense of their skills.

Is there anything you'd like to share with the readers of BJJ-ASIA?

Yes…buy your tickets to the event! January 11, 2010, at Star Hall in Kowloon Bay – tickets are available now through HK Ticketing (www.hkticketing.com) and Tom Lee music stores.

INTERVIEW W/ RALPH GO

 (pic from: BRAZIL BLOG)

For those that aren't familiar with who you are, please share with us a bit of your BJJ history. How and when did you get starting in BJJ and where did you receive your initial instruction/promotions?

 

My name is Ralph Go, I started BJJ in late 2003 with Ali Sulit. He was my original instructor and he is reponsible for the structure of the team we have today. Before we used to be an affiliate of New Breed Academy based in California under John Ouano and Myles Vives. i recieved my blue and purple belt under John Ouano and brown under Makoto Aramaki, unfortunately due to lingering internal problems that we were unsatisfied with for quite some time, we decided to go our seperate ways from Newbreed to form VPF here in the Philippines. now VPF here in the Philippines is affiliated with Atos of Brazil.

Coming up in the Philippines, how have you kept so focused especially when access to higher-belts/black-belt instructors was very limited?

before when we started we were all white belts, even Ali was a white belt. very rarely a colored belt would to come to train since we only trained at an affiliate gym which was outside of the main branch in the Philippines. I relied alot on video instruction to help me learn BJJ. However, in my opinion this can only get you so far. It made us very hungry to learn BJJ and it had me go to Japan, Guam, US, Brazil to learn.

 

What kind of advice would you give to those in similar situations where the instruction is not ideal?

 

keep traveling, learning and competing. I have seen many people be contented to what level they have achieved and just stop progressing. I have seen many people with alot of talent but no dedication just fade away and stopped training. If you have alot of dedication and passion for what you do you attract other people like you towards you that can help you.

Perhaps one of the most decorated competitors from the SEABJJ scene, what aspect of jiu-jitsu do you see playing a larger role in your training? sport or martial art? Do you separate the two or do they go hand-in-hand?

 

in my opinion they go hand in hand. my primary goal is to win competitions and reach the rank of black belt. outside of the competition areas, my objective is to be a good individual, someone other people can recognize for honesty and good conduct

How does this focus translate to what gets taught to your students at VPF/Atos?

 

we are what we do repeatedly, success is the constant practice of winning actions and fundamentals. there is no luck or miracles involved, nothing of that sort.  

This year has been quite busy for you having taken several months out of the year to travel to Brazil and US to train/compete. What was the experience like for you as a student in the birthplace of BJJ? How was it competing in Brazil?

 

it was an awesome experience, sometimes it feels like a dream. something you ask youself like did that really happen? or am I watching a video or am I really here? It was really hard at the same time. the training schedule we had we were training 3-4X a day in the middle of nowhere. No beach, the restaurants closed at night/weekends, basically not doing anything but bjj! many people say its actually not the typical brazil experience that other people have. You really have to love bjj to get through that, training that much really takes its toll mentally and on the body too! Competing in Brazil is a defintely at a very high level, the brown belts winning my category would definitely give high level black belts alot of trouble somewhere else. 

With whom did you train in Brazil?

 

I spent a few weeks visiting Rio de janeiro and training at Checkmat, but for the most part I spent training in Rio Claro, a small town outside of Sao Paulo. Here was the homebase of Atos BJJ, Everyday I trained with Rafael Mendes, Bruno Frazzatto, Guilherme Mendes, Guto campos, Claudio Calasans, Gilbert Durinho 3x a day. They have also some monster guys at lower belts. They have blue belts that would totally kill alot of black belts and brown belts it was ridiculous already. 

From your experience training in Brazil, what would you like to bring back to SEABJJ in terms of training/mindset/technique?

I was able to see first hand why everyone was so good. Everyone had the mindset that the one who trains the most will win, and every one reaps what they sow. Hence they train 3-4x a day. I thought I was training alot before I went to Brazil but now I realize I wasnt doing anything! Everyone showed alot of dedication and will to succeed that I havent seen anywhere else. There really isnt any secret formula, all the best guys train alot.

 

Unfortunately you were injured just before the Mundials. How did you cope with not being able to compete after so much preparation?

yes unfortunately I got injured during one of the last training days before going to Mundials so I had to sit out and just watch. I was dissapointed but some things I believe are blessings in disguise, many things I thought I knew about jiu jitsu I had to totally change when in Brazil. My mind was so overloaded with things I felt that I needed some time to adapt to the things I learned first. 

 

You're most recent victory came two-fold at this year's Tokyo Open having taken your weight division and the absolute. Could you walk us through your weekend and a few or you matches? Do you feel this victory is a turning point in your game or is it just another part of the process?

 

Actually I didnt take my weight division, I lost first round by advantage in the lightweight brown division. I was very dissapointed but I was able to enter the 2nd day with alot more will to win and thank God I arrived as champion. I submitted all my opponents except the final of the absolute. I was very happy I was able to implement the things I trained for. However still so many mistakes and things to improve. I'd like to continue to compete in big tournaments to improve such as Europeans, PAN, Abu Dhabi Pro trials, Rickson Cup, Asian Open, Mundials, Brasiliero next year but being limited by budget I can only focus on a few.

VPF has just recently become an affiliate of Atos JJ, one of the newest teams winning gold at the highest level with Ramon Lemos and Andre Galvao as leaders. What does this affiliation mean for the team in Philippines and what changes do you see coming in the new year?

 

Definitely, we are very happy with this opportunity. You can expect the level of Philippine BJJ to go up. Many fellow BJJ practitioners here in the Philippines has recognized our work in VPF and now are training together with us as one team. this happening and the affiliation with Atos what was impossible before, is now possible for us.

BJJ-ASIA would like to thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Is there anything you'd like to share with the readers? 

thanks Luke! I'd like to leave a message to the readers always come to academy to train, depending on how many times you can train or your schedule permits. always try to come to the maximum of your abilities. What we do repeatedly defines who we are!

INTERVIEW W/ ALBERTO CRANE

Alberto Crane was recently in Thailand holding seminars in both Phuket and Bangkok. Here's an interviewed during this time at Tiger Muay Thai.

INTERVIEW W/ SILVIO BRAGA

A bit late on this one but earlier this month the Fightworks Podcast aired their interview with Team Grips head instructor, Silvio Braga. The interview was recorded at Art of War this past Summer. Check it out if you haven't already. -Luke

WWW.THEFIGHTWORKSPODCAST.COM

VIDEO INTERVIEW W/ LEO VIEIRA

Thanks to Prof Escobar and Fang for coordinating this interview for me. A collaborative interview since I sent in the questions and they were the ones executing it. Also, much thanks to Leo Vieira for taking the time to talk with BJJ-ASIA and sharing with the SEABJJ community his thoughts on the growth of BJJ in Asia as a whole and his future plans as leader of Checkmat JJ. -Luke

FIRST OF 2 INTERVIEW WITH LEO VIEIRA

The boys at SG PRO beat me to this one but I think they address different topics with the ADCC champ. Always down for more info. Thanks guys - Luke

Known as one of the most exciting practitioners in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu today, Leo Vieira made an impact when he entered the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships and won the tournament twice in 2003 and 2005 in the lightweight category. He was also a finalist in the 2007 tournament, losing out to former HERO’S and current WEC fighter Rani Yahya and also wound up as a semi-finalist in the 2009 tournament. Recently, Vieira came down to Kuala Lumpur to conduct a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar with the help of BJJ Black Belt Marcos Escobar, who teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes at CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts and fellow BJJ Black Belt Chico Mendes and SG Pro was able to conduct an interview with Vieira. Special thanks go out to Marcos Escobar and BJJ Blue Belt Lim Fang Han of CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts for helping us get the interview.

From left to right: Marcos Escobar, Leo Vieira and Chico Mendes

SG Pro: Leo, first of all, welcome to Malaysia and thank you for taking the time to do this interview for SG Pro. It’s an absolute honor having you with us.

Vieira: My pleasure to be here in helping spread the BJJ fever around SEA and even more visiting our first official branch in here.

SG Pro: First of all, can you tell the readers about yourself such as your upbringing, how you got started into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and your gym in California?

Vieira: I started when I was eight years old stimulated by Bruce Lee movies. I consider myself a lucky guy that could watch and participated in BJJ’s growth worldwide. As you all know IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) is based in CA, running big competitions over there. We needed a training camp in that region and today thanks to the great job of Lucas Leite, Pantcho, my brother Leandro and many others we currently have five clubs over there.

SG Pro: The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships is the most prestigious grappling tournament in the world and you have won the tournament twice in 2003 and 2005. What was it like to compete in the ADCC World Championships?

Vieira: ADCC is the biggest grappling competition in the world. It has changed the way people used to see No Gi competitions. All great fighters want to be a part of it. I’m one of the fighters with the most attendance in the competition and is always great to be part of it.

SG Pro: You’ve fought Rani Yahya twice during the finals of the tournament in 2005 and 2007. Both of you are 1-1 against each other. How tough was Yahya in the two fights you had against him?

Vieira: Hmmm… just for the record, we’ve fought at ADCC already three times – BRA 03, USA 05 and USA 07. Rani is a tough fighter and also a great guy. I respect him a lot and our matches will always be a great show cause both of us have a game that moves forward.

SG Pro: Do you see the two of you someday having a rubber match to finally settle the score once and for all and if so, would it be under ADCC or MMA rules?

Vieira: Well, as I mentioned before we’ve fought three times. We’re professional fighters and I don’t think the score is what matters. Fighting is our life and for sure we’ll meet again in some competition someday. Maybe in SEA in the future… who knows?

SG Pro: You competed in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships this year, but lost out to Rafael Mendes in the semi-finals. What happened?

Vieira: Well, I made some mistakes and Rafael is great fighter. When you commit mistakes with a great fighter you pay the price. That’s what happened. I’m sure we’ll fight again in the future and I’ll try not to commit mistakes.

SG Pro: I understand that you had a match against the legendary Mark Kerr before. Care to share us your thoughts on that match?

Vieira: It was my first No Gi competition and Mark Kerr was in evidence at that time. I think that was a good opportunity to show BJJ’s efficiency once I was fighting someone twice my size & weight. Even not winning that match, till today people remember the fight and ask me about it.

Leo Vieira (blue gi) sparring with Marcos Escobar (black gi) at CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts Gym.

SG Pro: This is your first time visiting Malaysia and here, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is slowly but surely gaining popularity. It is no secret that MMA is becoming the fastest rising sport in the world and recently, there has been a strong interest in picking up the art either for leisure or competition. How do you feel about this?

Vieira: The rise of MMA worldwide is very good for BJJ. However I would say MMA is the fastest rising sport in terms of audience. People love to watch MMA competitions but when we talk about training or practice, most of them chose to go for BJJ. Even in Brazil or US we have much more people training BJJ than MMA. Most of the great MMA fighters came from BJJ. I think what SEA need is to have more people involved with the sport (BJJ) itself… academies, fight wear, competitions etc. This will help in the growth of the sport for sure.

SG Pro: When you came into CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts on Thursday (the day after Vieira arrived from Brazil), what was your reaction like seeing as to how many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners there were in the gym with several of them coming from East Malaysia and also all the way from Singapore?

Vieira: I’m glad to see so many people and to see they love BJJ. I think it’s all about hard work with quality. Marcos Escobar is a good friend of mine for a very long time. He’s also a great fighter with many titles in Brazil and overseas, including ADCC. Nowadays, he’s the coordinator of Checkmat in Malaysia & our official representative in Asia. I’d like to congratulate him for the great job and I’m looking forward to coming back here soon.

SG Pro: What is next for you after this seminar is over? Any upcoming fights for you?

Vieira: I had a great time here, the seminar was great and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel staff took good care of us all. Anyways, I’m far away from home since September and now I just want to go back to my wife & kids.

SG Pro: How do you find it here in Malaysia? Any thoughts of coming back to the country again?

Vieira: Malaysia is a great place, great people, great food… even though I’ve failed in eating Durian for this on I’m still white belt (rs). I’m planning to come back with my family next time.

SG Pro: Who do you think are the top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in MMA today and why?

Vieira: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Demian Maia & B.J. Penn. Even though all MMA fighters practice BJJ, in my opinion, those are the ones that use BJJ the best in the fight.

SG Pro: Now it’s time for our SG Pro interview tradition, the word association! What I’m going to do is name a fighter or organization and you will have to describe them in just seven words or less. Let’s start with the first one. Marcos Escobar

Vieira: Checkmat Asia & SEA

SG Pro: Chico Mendes

Vieira: Checkmat wouldn’t be the same without him.

SG Pro: CRUSH Mixed Martial Arts

Vieira: Escobar BJJ Academy.

SG Pro: ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships

Vieira: Biggest and most traditional grappling competition.

SG Pro: Rani Yahya

Vieira: Great fighter.

SG Pro: Barret Yoshida

Vieira: Very flexible.

SG Pro: Rafael Mendes

Vieira: New generation.

SG Pro: Mark Kerr

Vieira: Great champion. A shame he has stopped competing.

SG Pro: B.J. Penn

Vieira: Great friend, big heart and an awesome fighter.

SG Pro: Kenny Florian

Vieira: Dangerous south paw.

SG Pro: Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto

Example of dedication.

SG Pro: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Vieira: First to display pure jiu-jitsu in MMA.

SG Pro: Ultimate Fighting Championships

Vieira: Biggest MMA event.

SG Pro: Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti

Vieira: He who gave me the black belt and someone that I have a lot of care & respect.

SG Pro: And finally, Leo Vieira

Vieira: 1-father (family), 2-leader, 3-coach and 4-fighter. Nowadays those are the priorities in my life.

SG Pro: One last question, do you have any messages you would like to convey to our readers and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners out there?

Vieira: Doesn’t matter how great and talented you are, results come with dedication & faith. Train hard, train more & train always.

SG Pro: Thank you very much once again for your time. We at SG Pro would like to wish you all the very best in your career!

Vieira: Appreciate the opportunity, my pleasure. God bless you all.

WWW.SG-PRO.COM

INTERVIEW W/ BRIAN EBERSOLE

Brian "Bad Boy" Ebersole (Tiger Muay Thai interview and highlight reel)

INTERVIEW W/ LEANDRO 'BRODINHO' ISSA & RAFAEL DOS ANJOS

This interview is brought to us by SG PRO FIGHT COMMUNITY, with Leandro 'Brodinho' Issa. Not only was he awarded 'most technical fighter' at this year's 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Grappling Open, he's also one of black-belt instructors at EVOLVE MMA, Southeast Asia's leading MMA academy. Thanks to the guys at SG Pro for this one. -Luke

Also check out their interview with Rafael dos Anjos: HERE
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SG Pro – Fight Community has the privilege and the honor of interviewing the most technical fighter of the 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open, Leandro Thomas Issa da Silva. Known to his peers and students as Brodinho, he is currently a 1st degree BJJ Black Belt instructor at Evolve MMA and is a BJJ Mundials World Champion with over 11 years of experience and has won numerous regional and national titles in Brazil. Join us as we discover what makes this World Champion ticks!

SG Pro: Brodinho, first of all, thank you for finding the time to do this interview with us!

Brodinho: Thank you. Thank you. I’m happy to be here. I’m sorry for my English. I am still learning every day.

SG Pro: First off, tell us more about yourself, the information that we find about you on the internet is limited. All we know is that you are a BJJ Mundials World Champion with over 11 years of experience, you won the title of Most Technical Fighter at the recent 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open and that you are currently teaching at Evolve MMA.

Brodinho: I am from Ubatuba, Brazil. BJJ is my life. When I young, I was problem kid. I have many street fights all the time. But BJJ change my life and make me understand honor and respect. It make me understand to be calm and humble. I’m training BJJ now for 11 years every day for 6-8 hours every day. This is my life. I’m a professional fighter since I have been 15. I don’t know how many tournament I compete, but I think around 200-250 tournament. I am Mundials World Champion in 2004. In Brazil, I training at Gordo Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro. It is one of best schools in Brazil and have many World Champions and over 50 Black Belt there. Now, Gordo Jiu-Jitsu is become Evolve Brazil. It is championship academy. Gordo is the master there. He is many times World Champion and he invent the half-guard in BJJ. Now, I come to Singapore this year and I will live here forever. Evolve is my life and my family. Thank you to Chatri Sityodtong and Gordinho Correa for everything. I am now learning Muay Thai because I am professional MMA fighter. Muay Thai at Evolve is the best from Thailand. I am thank you to Evolve for making me better in everything.

SG Pro: How old were you when you started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and what draws you to it?

Brodinho: I have about 14 years old when I start BJJ. I love BJJ. It gives me discipline, honor, respect. It make me humble. BJJ is a beautiful art. This is it. It is art. I love to challenge myself physically and mentally. BJJ make me a better person.

SG Pro: We did a search on youtube and found a couple of your fights in no gi competitions in Brazil so do you actually prefer competing in the gi or without the gi and is there any difference to it?

Brodinho: I love gi more. I do both. But with gi, it is more technical and makes you a better fighter. If you learn only no-gi, it is very hard to reach a high level. There is big difference. When you are beginner, it is very important to learn with the gi. For my MMA fights, I still train with the gi because it make me to be more technical.

SG Pro: What is the thing that inspires you to keep on training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu all these years?

Brodinho: BJJ is a martial art. It teach me to become a man. I love BJJ. This is my heart.

SG Pro: You currently have a 4-2 record in professional MMA, winning 3 of your 4 fights via submissions. Are you more comfortable grappling than striking and are you currently working more on your striking?

Brodinho: I am BJJ Black Belt. I am a World Champion in BJJ. For me, I am grappler. Submissions is natural for me. But since I come to Evolve, I am now training very hard in Muay Thai. The Sityodtong team is the best from Thailand. My dream is to have my Muay Thai as good as my BJJ. As a professional MMA fighter, this is what I need. I am lucky to have the best teachers in Muay Thai like Nuengpichit Sityodtong, Chatri Sityodtong, Yoddecha Sityodtong, Daorung Sityodtong, and everybody. They teach me so many things and I never seen so much technical detail before. Before I came to Evolve, I thought Muay Thai was just power. Now I realize that it is like BJJ. Muay Thai is art with many technique and details.

SG Pro: We reviewed one your fight at Fury FC 3 against Takafumi Otsuka and it seems that the referee stopped the match too soon and the camera shows you visibly upset and seemingly adjusting your cup. Would you want to share with us what happened in that fight?

Brodinho: The referee is there to protect the fighters. I know this. When I step into the ring or cage, I am prepare to die. The cup break because the Japan fighter knee my balls. This is illegal. I try to speak for referee that the cup is broken.

SG Pro: You won the 2004 BJJ Mundial World Championship under 70kg Category, how has participating in this prestigious event changed your life?

Brodinho: It is nice, but I want to be better more every day. MMA is a new challenge. My goal is to be World Champion in MMA in the future.

SG Pro: You were declared the Most Technical Fighter of the 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open, share with us your thoughts on the tournament.

Brodinho: For me, I am happy because my students do so good. I win too, but more nice is Evolve is the Champion Team of the tournament. We have many tough fighter like Tommy, Judd, Neelan, Brian and everybody. Evolve is tough people. They have many tough fighters there for the tournament, but Evolve is better technique, more heart, and more fitness. The absolute finals for Black Belt was tough because Rodrigo is a top fighter from Brazil too and he is 10 kilos more heavy than me. Makoto in No-Gi final is good fighter too. I am happy to win both of these tough fighters.

SG Pro: When will your next fight be and how is the preparation for the fight going?

Brodinho: I am fighting in Art of War next. It is the biggest MMA show in China. I am start training already for it. Every day, 2x training per day. I train a lot in my Muay Thai with Nuengpichit, Chatri, and Yoddecha. This morning I train with Chatri and Nueng at 9am. I fight on November 28, 2009 in China.

SG Pro: Brodinho, you trained under Professor Gordo in Evolve Brazil and now that you are permanently in Singapore, you are training under Professor Gordinho. How is it like training under two of the best instructors that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has to offer?

Brodinho: I am have so lucky. I have the best teachers in the worlds for BJJ and Muay Thai. I learn every day. I am improve every day. They teach technique and details. So technical. I am so have luck. Gordo and Gordinho is best from Brazil.

SG Pro: How has teaching in Evolve MMA alongside some of the world’s best, changed your life?

Brodinho: I am so have lucky! In Brazil, I train with BJJ World Champions every day. Nothing new. In Singapore, I train with BJJ and Muay Thai World Champions every day. I am learning so fast. I improve so much. My teachers push me and teach me. Thank you for Gordinho, Nueng, Papa, Chatri, Lui, Tommy, Neelan, Brian, Josh, Oliver, and all the instructors. My team make me better. This is my family. My students make me better too. Evolve is my life and my family forever.

SG Pro: You were seen rolling around with your students and sharing tips and techniques with them. Most of the Evolve students we speak to talks of you as a jovial man who always make the effort to greet them when they enter the gym and as someone who is very approachable and that they see you as a friend rather than just an instructor. What are your thoughts?

Brodinho: Thank you for Gordinho and Chatri. Everybody want to be instructor at Evolve now. In Brazil, they have many Black Belt who want to come to Evolve. But Gordinho and Chatri don’t let. For them, only the best can come. The best fighters who are the best teachers and who are the nice people. I think Evolve have the best teachers in the world. All the Evolve instructors like each other a lot. This is family. My students is my family too. Gordinho and Chatri care about everybody a lot. This why Evolve is family. Love for everybody and learning together. Evolve is family.

SG Pro: Beside you and Professor Gordinho, two of your best friends, Mundials World Championship Silver Medalist, Almiro Barros and multi time Mundials World Champion, Antonio Braga are also Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors at Evolve. With such a strong instructors team, do you see any of your students competing more in both local and regional grappling tournaments and events?

Brodinho: Yes, the Evolve team have champion in first tournament in Thailand. Everybody is getting better. In future, Evolve will win a lot. My students will be best in Asia. Evolve is best already. Our family will have stronger and better. Best teacher is make best students.

SG Pro: Are you getting used to living in Singapore and used to the culture here?

Brodinho: Singapore is nice. Brazil is my home, but now Singapore is my home too. I want stay here forever. Everybody so nice. Evolve family help me so much.

SG Pro: We heard that you are really good at UFC Undisputed! So which is your favourite weight class to play and who is your favourite fighter to use? Or have you already created yourself in the Create a Fighter mode?

Brodinho: I play a lot. I like for video games. Andersen Silva is my favorite on the UFC game.

SG Pro: When a couple of our readers knew that SG Pro will be conducting an interview with you. They requested to ask a couple of questions so here goes;
What is the best way to beat an opponent who is bigger and strong than you in a Jiu-Jitsu competition? (eg: absolute division)

Brodinho: Technique make for win. If you better technique than opponent, you win. Practice everything. The detail is important. For big and strong, play top game is important. For submission, take the back and choke.

SG Pro: When injured, do you completely stop training? if you still train what is your training regime?

Brodinho: No I don’t like to stop. If I hurt bad, I stop. If I hurt no bad, I try to something. Swimming and other physical preparation. If no fight, I train 1x a day in the Fighters Program at Evolve. If I have fight, I have 8 week preparation with 2x training every day. BJJ and Muay Thai. Some wrestling and some MMA. I focus most on BJJ and Muay Thai. I eat protein shake and vitamins. I do running too. I do FightShape too. Everything is preparation.

SG Pro: What is the one piece of advice you can give for improving your Jiu-Jitsu game at any skill level?

Brodinho: Train consistent. If you come every week, you will better. If you don’t come every week, it is more time to be better. 2-3x one week, then be better for your jiu-jitsu. If more training, then better more. Evolve have the best teachers in worlds for you. So you can improve more fast.

SG Pro: You are well known for your flying armbar and your technique at jumping guard, is there any advice you can give us on how to train for these two techniques?

Brodinho: My favorite technique is flying triangle. I do many times in tournament for submission. Practice it a lot. This is what I do.

SG Pro: This last question is from one of your student; How do you make really nice pasta? (rumour has it that you made really good pasta!)

Brodinho: Yes I am good for pasta. It is cheap and easy to make. When Braga and I live together, I teach for him the make the pasta. I do pasta cook a lot.

SG Pro: And it’s time for our little word association again! This is how it works, i’ll name someone and you will have to describe that person in just seven words or less. Here goes nothing, Professor Gordinho.

Brodinho: the best in the world

SG Pro: Professor Gordo.

Brodinho: the best in the world

SG Pro: Antonio Braga Neto.

Brodinho: he is UFC Champion in future

SG Pro: Almiro Barros.

Brodinho: very good BJJ, my good friend

SG Pro: Rafael Dos Anjos.

Brodinho: UFC Champion in future too

SG Pro: 2004 BJJ Mundials.

Brodinho: Train hard makes victory

SG Pro: 2009 FBT Thailand BJJ/Sub-Grappling Open.

Brodinho: Team Evolve is Champion!

SG Pro: Singapore.

Brodinho: Beautiful country and nice people

SG Pro: Evolve MMA.

Brodinho: My family is the best in Asia.

SG Pro: Future.

Brodinho: I want learn every day

SG Pro: And of course last but not least, Leandro Thomas Issa da Silva.

Brodinho: I am hope Future MMA World Champion

SG Pro: Some really interesting word association there, Brodinho! What advice would you give to all the aspiring Jit-Jitsu practitioners out there?

Brodinho: Evolve is best teachers here. Training hard every week, ok?

SG Pro: Any parting words for our readers?

Brodinho: BJJ and Muay Thai change your life. This is it. Evolve is special. No have academy like Evolve in the world. Evolve family is champion. Evolve is for peoples who are champion in their heart.

SG Pro: Brodinho, thank you so much for your time and we hope to hear more from you in the near future!

Brodinho: Thank you, thank you. I fight next month in Art of War in China. I will win for Evolve. I fight many times next year. Come train with me!

*SG Pro – Fight Community would like to thank Brodinho for finding time to do this interview with us. Do continuing visiting SG Pro – Fight Community for more MMA goodness!