Interviews Archive

Abu Dhabi has been introduced the grappling world through ADCC. But one man, helped make Abu Dhabi become more than just a name of an event, he built it up to become a Mecca of BJJ. After spending years in Abu Dhabi, BTT Black Belt Carlos “Carlao” Santos, has now left Abu Dhabi and returned to Brazil. In a recent interview with Grappling Weekly, Carlao tells us of how he ended up where he is today, what he did for the sport and the future of Carlos Santos and Professional BJJ.

GW: First off Carlao, tell the Grappling Weekly readers a bit about your background before you went to Abu dhabi?

CS:I started training on the famous Carlson Gracie Academy in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. I stayed there until I got my brown belt and I won 3 world champoinships with blue, purple and brown belts. Then I moved to the BTT Academy in 2000/2001, where I got my black belt and I was responsible for the Kimono BTT team.

GW: So, how and when did you end up teaching in Abu Dhabi?

CS:In January 2002 I went to Abu Dhabi for the first time. The BTT made an agreement with the ADCC club, to send one different black belt teacher to teach there for one month. On my second chance, in August 2002, the ADCC asked me to stay for more 6 months; that end up in 9 years.

GW: How did the Abu Dhabi World Pro come about?

CS: Since I first arrived there, I wanted to make the BJJ professional. That was a hard work until I get the government support. I always loved the Jiu-Jitsu competitions. Then I saw so many great athletes leaving the sport because they had no support or money prizes. So I thought that with the Abu Dhabi government support I would be able to make a great event, with good money prizes, to attract the biggest names of the sport. And now it’s done!

GW: Can you tell the people the major differences between ADCC and the Abu Dhabi World Pro organizations.

CS: The ADCC is a no gi event organized by H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan. The World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup is a kimono event created by me with the support of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan, the Crowne Prince of Abu Dhabi and older brother of H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon. The World Pro has the normal jiu-Jitsu rules, the main difference is the time of te fights that is 6 minutes, for being more dynamic for the spectators and the tv.

GW: Alot of people became very confused in North America regarding the ADCC and Abu Dhabi World Pro. They were calling each tournament ADCC gi, or Abu Dhabi Pro etc….What suggestions do you have for solving this common problem?
One suggestion we have heard is to have the ADCC competition one year, than the World Pro the following year to avoid the confusion.

CS: The names are completely different, ADCC and Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup. And I think that proper information were really easy to find to avoid any confusion.  About having the events in different years, it’s not a good idea. That would be a loss for the sport that grows every year!

This is my opinion, and I hope the new organizers keep the World Pro every year.

GW: Looking back, if you could do anything differently, what would you have done?

CS: I would have done all my deals in a firm contract and trusted less on people’s word.

GW: What accomplishment in Abu Dhabi are you most proud of?

CS: The project Shcool-Jitsu, that made our sport mandatory discipline in more than 40 public schools. It shows the value of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in education.

GW: Where do you see Jiu-Jitsu going in ten years and how do you feel your work and contribution has affected the Sport, not just in the UAE but in the world?

CS: I hope to see a Jiu-Jitsu World Tour as we see with Surf and F1. That was my idea when I created the World Pro and I will continue To work hard on this purpose.

GW: What do you think the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has to do in order to become either a professional or Olympic level sport?

CS: The actual Sport’s management need to develop the marketing and the politician areas. The events need more advertisement in big medias. The World Federation should promote their events and the champions not only in specialized medias, that would bring more private and government sponsors.

GW: You recently announced your departure from Abu Dhabi publicly. Can you tell us about your decision to leave Abu Dhabi and also where will you go from here?

CS: Over the past year things have changed a lot in Abu Dhabi. I was the one who had all the ideas and made them all come true. But after Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became too famous and many Sheiks showed their appreciation for the Sport, the “friends” just changed side. Some of the people that I invited to work there got involved with some Arabs and they took me out of the game. I waited a little but nothing has changed. And now the“good friend” is in control. I hope they don’t let my legacy die.

I am considering some other opportunities like Qatar, Saudi, Jordan, Canada, USA.

At the moment i am in Brazil, taking some time off, but soon I will be working on a book: Carlão, Sheikhs & Jiu-jitsu  to tell everything about the 9 years I stayed in the UAE

I have done my job and now I am opened for new opportunities to continue fighting for the profissionalization of our Sport.

My contacts:

primebjj@hotmail.com

www.emiratesone.blogspot.com

Carlos Santos
Jiu-Jitsu

www.emiratesone.blogspot.com

From:Jits Magazine

Jits Magazine’s David Abbou sits down with 3rd degree Nova Uniao Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Wagnney Fabiano to discuss both his MMA career as well as his thoughts on BJJ.

Part 1.

Part 2.

From:littleone via onthemat.com

A couple weeks ago I took the time to interview my training partner, Edwin Najmi, a blue belt active competitor who is beginning to sweep the scene. Although he’s younger than most seasoned competitors out there, he has proven his place in the bjj world and has a lot of potential. Often seen as Romulo Barral’s mini-me or sometimes even relative, he has followed his professor’s footsteps in more ways than one. Check out what this “Young Assassin” has to say regarding his training regiments, accomplishments and goals.

How old are you?
17

How did you start and how long have you been training?
When I first started training I wanted to do MMA so I first trained no gi. I still want to but my goals changed. I want to be a jiu jitsu champion but soon I will fight MMA. I’ve been training since May 2009 in the gi but I started with no-gi and judo one year before that.

Where did you start?
Romulo Barral. I trained without the gi for 2 months until he convinced me to take the gi classes. I tried it and I liked it so now I train more gi.

How often do you compete?
Pretty often. NABJJ No Gi Tournament was my 13th competition this year.

What are some notable accomplishments?
2nd place Worlds White Belt Adult
2nd place No Gi Blue Adult
2x Grapplers Quest Champion
Best of the West Champion
1st place Gracie Nationals

How do you prepare for competitions?
I don’t do much different–I work up a game plan and don’t try anything new 2 weeks before. I also train hard until a couple days before.

How often do you train?
I train jiu jitsu twice a day, 6 days a week and strength and conditioning twice a week.

When you’re not working out or on the mat, how else do you train?
I try to keep up to date with new moves and even create moves/try different things. I’m always thinking about the counter moves. I watch other guys fight to modify their moves to my game.

You’re a juvenile fighting in adult divisions. What are some of the differences you find between the two and which do you prefer?
When I fight in adult divisions I get overpowered sometimes but I have the advantage of being faster and I usually have better cardio. With adults, I really push the pace. When I’ve fought in juvenile, my opponents are faster and more technical than adults with good cardio. I prefer fighting adults, though, it’s more of a challenge.

Has Romulo made a large impact on you?
He has done more for me than just improve my jiu jitsu. He evolves my game a lot but if my grades aren’t good, he doesn’t let me train. If I’m late, he doesn’t let me train. He’s someone I look up to–role model. I want to be like him.

Who are your favorite MMA fighters and why?
I like Diego Sanchez because of his mental strength– it’s like no one in MMA. He may get physically tired but never mentally tired. He has one speed and that’s 100 mph. Also my good friend and up and coming 135er, Jared Papazian, because he is a real competitor. However he performs in the gym, when he competes he performs 20 times better.

Who are your favorite BJJ competitors?
Rominho, which is a little biased but watch him! His game is like a lightweight and no one trains harder than him. He’s always 5 steps ahead of you and has already planned where he’s going before you get there. I also enjoy watching Braulio Estima and Cobrinha.

What is your life like outside of jiu jitsu?
My life is jiu jitsu–all about training. I get out of school at 11:30, run to the gym for the 12:00 class, rest, come back for the 5:00 class.

Where can we expect to see you in 2011?
I’m planning on making some noise in 2011. Dropping to light feather 141 lbs with the gi on, and competing in all the major tournaments starting with the Abu Dhabi Trials in Vegas next month. Also I plan on having a couple amateur mma fights as well.

Lastly, I’ll go ahead and have you address the “Are you related to Romulo?” question.
/Laughs. I’m not, but everyone thinks I am! A lot of brazilians will come up to me saying, “Tudo bem!?” and think that I’m his cousin or brother but I’m actually Armenian! He’s considered family to me and we’re always together but we aren’t related.

Thanks to all my teammates, Romulo Barral, Mik Milman Photography and Arena Fitness

From:graciemag.com

After putting away Matt Hughes is glorious fashion at UFC 123, BJ Penn is on fire. And to keep up the momentum, he’s counting on the help of Abmar Barbosa, who this year stood out for his performances at events like the Pan, where he took second, and the Asian Open, which he won. Abmar spoke a bit about what he’s doing in Hawaii with GRACIEMAG.com:

So what’s the news?

I’m here in Honolulu, Hawaii, and I’m teaching a seminar this weekend. Soon I’ll go spend a week or two training with BJ Penn.

How did this opportunity to train with BJ Penn come about?

We spoke when Joe Lauzon introduced us, at UFC 123. I promised to pay him a visit to train and here I am.

And what’s on the schedule for after training with BJ?

I’ll return to Virginia, because I’m going to lead the Fairfax Jiu-Jitsu team in competition. There’s going to be a mega-training camp in February of about ten days at my branch in Providence. Besides that, there’s my DVD, which was launched in November and is selling like mad. I hope everyone likes it, I dedicated myself 100%. I’d also like to thank GRACIEMAG.com for the space it’s given me.

From:graciemag.com

Mario Reis likely to be at European Open. Photo: GRACIEMAG archives

Two-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion featherweight Mario Reis is now regarded as a veteran by the new generation coming up in competition. But the leader of Gracie Barra Porto Alegre still has a lot of fuel in his tank, he guarantees it. During a conversation with GRACIEMAG.com, the black belt sets his goals for 2011, looking forward to the European Open, and among other things, he analyzes the current champion of his division, Rafael Mendes.

Mario beating Theodoro Canal in Rio Open 2010 final. Photo: Gustavo Aragão.

Check it out:

What are your plans for 2011?

My goal for 2011 is to do the whole IBJJF calendar and compete in other events, like the World Pro, for example. I feel it’s a good time in my career, I’ve had time to train and focus on competing. I want to explore all facets of Jiu-Jitsu and compete at all the big tournaments. I’m fortunate not to have any injuries, I’m prepared and I’m going to keep it up till the end of the year. Competition is what motivates me to further develop. I’ll probably be at the European Open competing at featherweight, the division where I feel best. I’m focused on the European Open and then I want to be at the Pan too.

Rafael Mendes is the current featherweight world champion. A lot of opponents criticize him for his style of fighting. What do you think of him?

I think he’s a really smart and, above all, strategic athlete. He knows what game he’s going to bring against each fighter. For each fighter, he changes his game and that intelligence of his got him to where he is. He’s very effective in competition, he’s a finisher but, above all, he’s strategic, and he is to be congratulated because he knows the right way to deal with each fighter.

You won two IBJJF Worlds’ as well as a number of other major titles. What motivates you to carry on competing?

What motivates me is extracting as much as possible from Jiu-Jitsu, like overcoming obstacles and controlling my emotions. I want to push all the limits and make it to the top. What keeps me going is seeing how I still perform well against the young guys who are at the top. I can make it to number 1 in the IBJJF, that motivates me, I want to keep getting better. This kids who are on fire now are a lot of incentive to me.

This year you had some exchanges and trained with the folks at Gracie Barra America. Do you intend to continue doing this kind of prep work?

The best place to train, seek new information, work on my technique and fix my mistakes is at Gracie Barra America with Master Carlos Gracie and Marcio Feitosa, not to mention all the top guys who train over there. I’m going to try and get closer to the master. That’s where I’ll be able to grow to make it to where I want to be.

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To find out more about the European Jiu-Jitsu Open to take place January 27 to 30 in Lisbon, click here.

From: Dennis Asche via onthemat.com

Hear about working professional Dr. Cristiano Merheb and his involvement in the academy. Dr. Merheb has helped a number of Jiu-jitsu/MMA/Muay Thai/Boxing practitioners, both professional and amateur to cut weight and gain muscle mass. Learn more about what he does for athletes and everyday people in a way that fits the Jiu-jitsu lifestyle.

Listen to the Podcast

From:grapplersquest.com

Joao Assis Speaks with Brian Cimins, CEO of Grapplers Quest

“Joao will have a LOT of fans after people hear him speak,”

or listen on iTunes (iPod, iPhone or other portable media device) at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/grappling-radio-the-voice/id348862440

From:tatame.com.br

After an undeniable victory over the giant Kendall Grove, the black belt Demian Maia is among the top names of the middleweight division of UFC. On an interview given to TATAME, Demian commented his difficulty of confronting a guy of 66, talked about his evolution on the exchange, talked about his season, told us his plans for 2011 and commented the statement that Anderson Silva has given about him on Sensei SporTV. Check there and other subjects on the below interview.

What did you think of your presentation against the giant Kendall Grove?

I’ve watched the fight later and I liked what I’ve saw, it was a very busy fight, I hit him with good jabs and I moved a lot on the ground, I couldn’t finish him, but I came close some times, I fit good coups and I showed I’m more mature inside the octagon.

You did a nice job on the first round and on the third you slowed it down a little. Did you administrated it because you knew you were better on the first rounds or were you tired?

I slowed it down because I knew I was winning the fight, but I believe that I clearly won the third round too, I attacked a lot, he came forwards but he couldn’t connect efficient coups, maybe one, and I’ve hit him like four times, it was a round where I explored my Boxing skills. When there were 40 seconds left, I grabbed his legs and hold him there because it didn’t make any sense to exchange with him and risk it all like a lottery, it would be a good thing for him and I would end up losing. Nowadays we have to stick to our game plan because it doesn’t work to just keep trying to punch the guy and finish being knocked out.

What was the most difficult part of confronting a guy of that height?

The most difficult thing is that we don’t have many people of that height to train with, but I was lucky to have Ednaldo Lula, a fighter of Salvador who is taller than him, besides I have trained Jiu-Jitsu with Antonio Peinado, who’s not as tall as Kendall. The difference was that Kendall trained with many guys of my size, while I only had one guys of his size to train with.

Even facing a fighter with a greater reach than you, you showed that you evolved a lot on Boxing. How is this stand-up work been doing?

I work with my masters and I like the guy a lot, professor Dórea, that you all know, André Lopes in Sao Paulo, who’s an excellent guy, a great person. Dórea is amazing, having him on my corner makes much difference and I work with these people I really care about and I trust the ones who are at my side and it makes my evolving more natural.

On an interview to Sensei SporTV, Anderson said you would be the next guy to be beaten on the middleweight division for a long time. After all this polemic involving the both of you, what did you think of this statement?

Actually, I didn’t see it coming, but I’m really glad to hear it from a great champion like Anderson is.

Now that you have won the second consecutive fight you’re back to the top of the division. What do you think of 2010 and what will you hope for 2011?

This year represented my maturing process, I’ve fought 14 rounds, I haven’t done 14 rounds in my whole career and I did it this year. There were four fights and I’ve only lost one, the title fight against Anderson and against him I think I’d have won at least one round, so I see this season as a very good one for me as an athlete. For 2011, I have to keep winning so I can have a title shot again.