Tanquinho out of UFC Debut wi/ Rib Injury

Read it over at Graciemag. Not sure what he was training or how this close to the fight that he hurt his ribs but weird things inadvertently happen. It's a combat sport. I'm slightly less excited for this card than I was before but getting to see Dominic Cruz back in action is priceless. I bet a solid amount of cash on him to expose Dillashaw as a pretender and a poor man's version of Cruz so we'll see how the layoff affects Cruz/ring rust et cetera. In other news Travis Browne and Matt Mitrione will give one another brain damage. Alvarez faces his third former world champion (Pettis) in as many fights (the Ryan Bader career plan), Ross Pearson looks to get back on track because despite a split decision W over Felder he's been inconsistent across his last 4 fights even against mid-range opposition. Felder himself despite entertaining fights with Pearson and Barboza has also been around the .500 mark in his UFC stint despite a crowd-pleasing style of stand and bang. 

Graciemag: Rafa Mendes Talks ADCC/Mundials Disappointment

Bernardo Faria Double Underhook Pass

If you read this blog, and particularly my posts regarding my most recent tournaments and what I've been working on, this one mentioning Bernardo Faria should come as no surprise.

I've modeled the beginnings of my deep half guard game on him, and appropriately enough, this video shows a pass from a position he ends up in not only from the guard pull, but often after his favorite deep half sweep.

I find myself here for the same reason he does, it comes naturally as a follow-up to the type of deep half sweep for which he is known and to which many high level guys still find themselves unable to prevent (or it sets up Faria's modified double leg/dental floss grip I believe it's called takedown).

At any rate, here it is:

Graciemag Spotlight on 10 Non-Black Belt Competitors to Watch

Check it out HERE:

Nino "Elvis" Schembri Free Webinar - Wednesday

CHECK it OUT:

Graciemag Gives Keenan Cornelius His Due

I've blogged about him HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE....and.....finally, it has happened.
Graciemag has an article articulating just how much Keenan Cornelius accomplished as a purple belt this year.

"Having overcome Paulo Miyao of Cícero Costha team by a narrow margin, Keenan is now the simultaneous holder of the following gold medals:
Europeans 2012 – weight and absolute
Pan 2012 – weight and absolute
Brazilian Nationals 2012 – weight and absolute
Worlds 2012 – weight and absolute
An unprecedented achievement. May your brown belt be nigh, KC!"

As it is, I'm competing tomorrow, my last competition before knee surgery.
Wish me luck.

- Happy Trainingz!

Grappling Links for your Tuesday

Graciemag has a follow-up piece on Otavio Sousa after his winning both weight and the absolute in the black belt at the NY Open. The piece on his NY Open performance is HERE along with a butterfly guard pass that one of my instructors teaches, incidentally.
My earlier pieces on Otavio Sousa are HERE and HERE.
If I'm not mistaken, he's also out of GB Pernambuco where I trained earlier this year during my stay in Brazil.

For those that don't know, I'm a big John Danaher fan. Not b/c he coaches GSP b/c I've heard so much about how amazing he is, but his approach to explaining the why and how we do things is refreshing. I'm much more interested in WHY a high level practitioner thinks the way they do than "show me an inverted spider guard to spiral guard transition to reverse omoplata."
I posted awhile back HERE about going inside the matrix with John Danaher. Coincidence I guess that the podcast I'm linking here went with that same angle. You'll also notice my post is dated January 16th of this year. Any how, whatever, the podcast is good and as always, Danaher says some things that make you reconsider or at least add to your perspective on grappling. And that's the difference between a good speaker and a great one.

BJJ Heroes has a piece up on Vitor Toledo HERE.
(the guy who Kayron crossfaced to hell and beat recently at the Pan Ams).


Graciemag also has a piece up on Minotauro HERE, the one, the only, the legend. It also includes a guillotine prevention bit. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The World Jiu-Jitsu Expo in Long Beach is also heating up to be quite the fan friendly and hardcore grappling fan's dream:
Kayron will face Rafael Lovato Jr.
Victor Estima will face the wily Kron Gracie (Victor lost by DQ at the recent 2012 Pan Ams to Kron via reaping the knee).
And for the ladies, Kyra Gracie has thrown her name in the mix with an as of yet unnamed opponent being sought out.

At any rate, Happy Trainingz!

Andre Galvao despises Stallers, I'm Back from Brazil, & IBJJF TV - Episode 3: Chicago Winter Open

Matt Horwich if I'm not mistaken (from the IFL and other organizations, in the Gi).
Btw, here's a quick segment on Mr. Horwich, who is truly, a one of a kind individual.

1. 
From over at Graciemag, Andre Galvao says, "...Jiu-Jitsu is made for fighting, not stalling. Jiu-Jitsu these days is full of stallers who fight to be able to say they didn’t tap to so-and-so".

2.
Settled back in from my trip/training in Brazil.
Back full swing into the grind for the Pan Ams.

The biggest thing I took from training in Brazil was the attitude that in large part, it's better to roll hard 3 rounds, then rest for 5 then go hard for another 3 rounds than just roll for 30 min's straight at about 70%.
I was told at both gyms I trained at to rest and then come back again strong ("forte", in Portuguese I think), rather than bullshit around and roll super relaxed.

When it comes to training for tournaments, this was made very clear to me.

I'd heard and been told that Gracie Barra is uptight and anal retentive about stuff.
My experience in Pernambuco was positive. Off the mat, most of the guys were friendly and welcoming. On the mat, however, when it came time to roll, the vast majority were playing for keeps. Friends would roll with a more relaxed pass, but the rest were rolling full out. Despite the heat and humidity, the rolling was pretty much 100%. They're more particular about things like keeping your Gi/Kimono top on while you're on the mat (and off), but a number of the higher belts took the time to ask me to roll and work with me.
I'm surmising that the reputation Gracie Barra has gotten is largely exaggerated. Their BJJ is legit. Their blue belts were all good. Every one of them. The purples and above were completely  beyond my abilities.
Their attitude and training is professional. They had extensive warm-ups, the class was structured, the white belts were separated, and my hypothesis is that in large part they are reshaping the poor reputation Jiu-Jitsu had for a time in Brazil as being troublemakers and fighting in the streets. Ze Radiola, took the time to personally come over, shake my hand, invite me back, ask about my trip to Brazil.

3.
On to some video/BJJ/grappling goodness for your Wednesday:
IBJJF TV - Episode 3: Chicago Winter Open

7 Lessons/Wisdom from Flavio Canto

A quick break from the 7 days of foot locks post:

A post over at Graciemag with some thoughts from Flavio Canto, Olympic medalist and Pan-American Medalist.

1. LEARN TO BUDGET YOUR TIME In 2011, Flavio Canto had to live with a knee injury, a serious bacterial infection in the injured area, four surgical operations and a lengthy period of recovery. But that didn’t diminish his discipline and dedication one bit, as he kept up his training, presented on the “Sensei Sportv” TV program, taught judo and Jiu-Jitsu at his Instituto Reação outreach project, and took seventh at the Judo World Championship in Paris. Canto is a master of the art of getting the most out of the hours of the day, living by the credo, “If I like it, I’ll find time to do it.” You can do it, too. Concentrate on what’s important, eliminate wasted time, and live a more fulfilling life.

2. GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF GREAT, AND OF SUCCESS
Flavio always wanted to make a difference and fight against the plight of the underprivileged that was stuck in his face every day, living amid the inequality rife in Rio de Janeiro. He’d hand out meals, collect clothing, trudge up favelas to try and teach the kids to read, and only after years of this did he realize that the martial arts were the greatest weapon he had for his cause. “What I did wasn’t much, it didn’t make major changes in anyone’s life,” he told reporter Pedro Só of “Trip” magazine. “I found myself when I came to the understanding that judo could be used as a tool for social inclusion,” Canto often says. Don’t waste time with what you only do well. Focus on what you’re great at, and you’ll make a difference.

3. HOW ABOUT A CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE?
Canto was born in Oxford, England, and his move to Rio was decisive in shaping the way he sees life today. He breaks it down: “The misery in Brazil, which to many is just a normal part of life, always shocked me.” If you’re feeling disheartened or stuck in a rut, one reason could be that you’ve been looking at things from the same perspective for too long. Take a trip, compete against different people, practice aspects of Jiu-Jitsu you used to scoff at. Changing your point of view is always a healthy thing to do, and often it can revolutionize a life.

4. REPEAT THE TECHNIQUE TILL IT’S PERFECT
Flavio designates obsession as his greatest flaw. “If I can’t get a position into perfect placement, I very well may stay up all night till I’ve got it the way I want it.” Be loaded with defects like Flavio Canto is. Perhaps with your game will get more and more like his, as shown in the video.

5. A LOSS IN JIU-JITSU IS AN OPPORTUNITY
“In 2000, when I lost the tryouts for the Sydney Olympics, I realized my world hadn’t come to an end,” begins Canto, “I saw that I could use the extra time for a bigger project. That was when I started Reação.” Today the institute Flavio oversees is installed in four major low-income communities in Rio de Janeiro: Rocinha, Tubiacanga, Pequena Cruzada and Cidade de Deus.
According to close friends of his, Flavio knows every one of his students’ names.

6. FLAVIO CANTO WASN’T BORN PERFECT
Reação came to be when Universidade Gama Filho university invited the judoka to teach at the Rocinha favela, for an outreach project called Educação Criança Futuro (Children Education for the Future). “That was when I realized the power sport carries, from the feedback I got from the parents,” remembers Flavio. “The more aggressive and rambunctious kids became more stable—sort of like what happened with me. I wasn’t easy, I went through a phase where I’d get into a lot of fights. And I got beat up a lot too.” The lesson is that it’s never too late to change your ways. Withdraw from what does you harm, and dedicate yourself to growing as a person, Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and a professional.

7. DISCOVER THE PLEASURE OF CHANGING SOMEONE FOR THE BETTER
The pleasure Flavio Canto gets from teaching isn’t limited to discovering gems like world runner-up Rafaela Silva, 19, of the Cidade de Deus favela, polished up by Professor Geraldo Bernardes. Rafa, tipped by experts to be an Olympic champion down the road, is just another one of the students Flavio learns from every day. “I learn much more from them than I teach them. They make me a less selfish person, more humane, basically a better person,” Flavio told “TPM” magazine one time. And he wraps up by teaching what drives him these days: “For every life we see transformed there’s the feeling we’re doing so little, that so many more lives could have undergone such changes. It’s a feeling sort of like the one from ‘Schindler’s List’. That’s why we keep demanding more an more of ourselves.