Blood • Swæt & Tears

4:14am - I jolt awake, I beat my alarm by 1 minute, why up so early? I am off to the airport today for a busy week leading up to the Aus Cup in Brisbane. 
The Dale brothers and I are meeting the SUB Apparel fightwear PRO TEAM for a gym opening and to shoot a promo commercial for the SUB brand. Things got off to a great start when Kit called me to tell me that he was just waking up and there was no way he was making the flight. Not surprised! Ha!

 

After a quick breakfast at one of AJ’s regular places we headed off to The Tough Spot in Albion for their grand opening. There, Kit Dale and I showed a few basic BJJ moves and led a 30min introduction to Jiu Jitsu. It was quite interesting to show people who have never even seen BJJ before! Afterwards, SUB had a open competition, if you could last 60 seconds with out being submitted by either Kit or myself you would win free SUB Apparel fight wear! There were quite a few guy and girls lined up to give it a try and after 45 minutes of rolling only a few lucky ladies were sly enough to last the 60 seconds and win free gear!! It was great fun! 

The next day we headed to Axis BJJ on the Gold Coast for some sunday training with friends. It is always a fun time down there, everyone has a really good attiude and loves to train hard. 

 During the week Southside MMA and Sassom Fitness & MMA had Kit and I come down to teach a few night classes at their gyms. During the days we did some S & C circuits and lots of drills with Viencte Calvacante and Paul Stolyar and rolling and drilling with Hansel at Sassom. Thanks to the guys and the gyms for having us there. Its a huge help when gyms open their doors to us so we can keep up with our training and stay sharp! 
 Much love for all the SOUTHSIDE MMA team!! The team there is like one huge family and everyone is vey humble and I love training there!! Thanks for making Kit and I feel so welcome!! 

Later in the week Kit and I headed to the Gold Coast so we could meet up with Cristian and the guys at Full Metal Jiu Jitsu. We did some training and filmed an interview with How We Roll .com

Christian asked some cool questions. Here is the interview below check it out !! 

Also I say in the video I started training in late ‘05 start of ‘06 BUT after thinking about it and asking my wife, I figured out that I started training in September 2006! Thursday the 20th being my first ever class and the day I will always remember getting my ass kicked by a woman and young boy. That makes it exactly;
5 years, 10 months, 19 days  OR

• 185,673,600 seconds
• 3,094,560 minutes
• 51,576 hours
• 307 weeks 
  …from starting Jiu Jitsu until I received my BROWN BELT. A cool random fact!   

As the week came to an end we tapered off our training to prepare for the comp on Saturday and Sunday. To keep up with my routine at home I made sure throughout the week to go to Yoga every morning at FLEX HOT YOGA  and the final two days before the comp with less BJJ training, a couple of extra HOT YOGA sessions was exactly what I needed to keep my weight down and to stay feeling loose and comp ready. FLEX HY is also owned and operated by James Mantra a fellow JiuJitsu competitor and Yoga teacher. Thanks James for looking after me at your studio! 

The competition time was finally here. We made it to the venue where a bodybuilding comp was going on at the same time I was a bit confused when we showed up and there where a bunch of guys in man thongs rubbing dark tanning oil on themselves.
Below is the BJJ area!


My fight was at 1pm, so I coached a few of my team members that were there. Megan and Jason did very well and it was cool to watch all their hard work come out on the mat during their matches. Stuart, Nicole, Dean, and the rest of our extended CIA Paulista family from QLD did very well, taking home medals and putting on some very great fights. 
 

The way my bracket worked out I fought Gabriel Molon twice. In the first round we had a very intense fight that went the distance and Gabriel came out with the win. I then had the second round with Dennis from Axis. I ended up catching him in a triangle. 

In the final, Gabriel and I both went for it, exchanging multiple positions and footlock attempts. After it was all said and done with the score 0 - 0 1adv Gabriel took the win. 

My fist competition at Brown belt Australian Nationals Second Place. After the comp everyone headed over to Brisbanes worst vegetarian restaurant for huge steaks and good food. After dieting hard for the entire time i was up here it was great to have a big and well deserved cheat meal..   

Our last day we spent shooting footage for a soon to be released commerical for SUB Apparel Fightwear brand. Shot all in HD and by a pro team, it should look really great, so keep you eyes out for that! 

The whole ten days up in QLD was a great time and was highlighted by the competition at the end. Great people made the whole experience that much better! 

A HUGE  thank you to: 
Lisa Ng 
Benicio Murray 
Jason @ SUB APPAREL 
for the photos of me competing! 
All other photos taken by me with my iPhone. 

Thank to SUB APPAREL for flying me up and taking great care of me the whole time I was in QLD. Thanks to my Coach Carlos Vieira for working with me everyday to make my JiuJitsu sharp! Thanks to my awesome wife NOVA who never gives me stress and supports my JiuJitsu 100%! And thanks to all my other SPONSORS! 


ALOHA 

Osss! 

2012 AFBJJ Victorian Championships -

This past weekend the 2012 Victorians were held in the town that I live in, Melbourne, Australia.
Even though I just got home on Wednesday night 7pm from Abu Dhabi and I was feeling a bit jet lagged when it was time for me to fight on Friday morning there was no way that I would not compete! 

 At the comp… my first round was a bye and my second opponent could not make it, meaning that I would most likely be facing my long time friend and old training partner Aaron Hughes. 

 Aaron is a amazing competitor and we had a very fast paced exciting fight. I was able to come out on top with a submission win in the end, even after Az started the match with a big double leg take-down.  A huge Thank You to Jason Hill for the pictures and Aaron Depmsey for the video!

Leg drag pass



Looking for the back

Looking for the choke






Winner


Stoked to add the AFBJJ 2012 Victorian State Championships Male Adult -73kg GOLD to my list of titles!

Sushi and I closed out the division - CIA Paulista wins!

Simon “Sushi” fought two hard fights and submitted both of his opponents on the other side of our bracket. Sushi and I were happy to close out the division together as we train and fight each other in the gym everyday!

 After I finished competing I put on my referees uniform and refereed some fights. I try my very best to be an excellent referee and always give 100% of my attention to the fighters. In the past I have been the victim of shitty refereeing and it sucks, I never want to have someone walk away from any of the fights I have refereed and think that I was not paying attention or that I did not know the rules properly.
I enjoy being a referee, I find it can be mentally and physically draining standing for hours at a time but I learn a lot of good strategy and get to see what is working in comps firsthand. It really makes it all worthwhile. 

As a competitor you need to know the rules of Jiu Jitsu 100% without question. There are videos, downloadable PDF’s and live workshops before every major and IBJJF competition. Although they can be time consuming they will only add to your competition knowledge and game. If you compete PLEASE study and know these rules!!

Training for Worlds - 

I guess it never stops! Just a few trips in between lots of hard training and competitions. I am back home in Melbourne until the 18th of May before heading back to California to continue training and prep for the IBJJF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS May 31st - June 3rd .
My coach and a few of my teammates will be heading to Cali along with the SUB Apparel PRO Team. Until then we will be training hard, pushing our limits and mentally preparing for the biggest competition of the year!!


“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
—Vince Lombardi

But before all that im sure there is a QLD comp and possibly some other local ones here around Australia.

If you would like to see some photos of the Abu Dhabi competition shot by AJ and my self, Check out the gallery on SUB Apparels website.

Here are some awesome photos I found from the trip

SUB Apparels Online web store is now up and running!  The SUB Apparel GI’s are already being bought up !! Get on it and get yours before they are gone!!

www.SUBAPPAREL.com

Thanks to my SPONSORS and TEAM for all the support!!

I’ll update soon !!

Aloha

Osss!

Abu Dhabi World Jiu Jitsu Pro

Reflecting on the last week in the UAE, I find myself in constant amazement of what just happened! Imagine a giant hotel in the shape of a Sting Ray, full of the best Jiu Jitsu players in the world! Eating, training, competing and all staying together in the same place. As one friend said “This is like Disneyland for JiuJitsu people!” Indeed !!

I did not have the competition result that I would have liked, but just being there training and competing, made for an unforgettable experience! It also makes me hungry to compete again, train more, and to fix my mistakes!

Almost everyone who trains knows about and has been following the comp in Abu Dhabi. Instead of babbling on about my view of what went on, I thought I would show you my photos of the trip.  I hope you enjoy. 

 
Sunrise over Sheik Z. Bridge

Me, Kit Dale, AJ and Bruno Alves

THE ARMED FORCES OFFICERS CLUB (mini size)

Armed Forces Officers Club

Inside the AFOC miles and miles of Marble

AJ and Bruno at ADCC

The tatami at AFOC packed with the best BJJ players in the world!

Brulio Estima showing some guard passing positions on the hotel marble floor!

Cara De Sapato and I

Antonio Carlos Jr (Shoe Face), Lekinho Silva and I

AGIG Jess and I

TEAM SUB Apparel

Kleber and AJ In Sauna suits in a Sauna, say that 5 X fast!

The comp was a huge production!

The biggest bullpen ever!

The comp venue ADNEC

Competition Finals day

My teammate MICHAEL TORCASIO WON the -94kg Blue Belt Division !
He got a huge medal and $3000 USD for his efforts!! Fuking Amazing job bro!!

The Grand Mosque !

The Grand Mosque, inside, around and with lots of BJJ BB’s !

Detail : inside of one of the Mosques many domes.

Me Brian Morizzi, Kit Dale and Edwin Najmi

Traditional Spices

I rubbed every lamp like this I saw, unfortunately NO Genies ! 

Kalifa park

Worlds only 7star hotel

Wild Wadi Water Park

SUB Team enjoying the waterpark post comp.

Flo- Rida !

Dubai Mall is mind-blowing !!!!

I had a great time and Im already looking forward to next year! The UAE is really something to experience and a comp at this level, with huge cash prizes, will continue to grow and grow and I think every year be bigger and better.

I have to thank my SPONSORS, especially SUB Apparel  for making this comp possible for me and helping me reach my dreams.
 

A HUGE thanks to everyone who sent me massages and comments of support and encouragement, My coach Carlos Vieira, Team CIA PAULISTA and of course my beautiful WIFE Nova who is my biggest supporter.

The Victorian Championships is on this weekend and Im in! Jet-lag or not!!
Then back to hard training and prep for WORLDS !! Its only 7 weeks away !!!
GET READY !!!

Aloha !

Osss!

IBJJF PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS  2012 

I felt very well prepared for this comp, mentally and physically. Here is a quick run down of my matches as I can remember them, the first few are quite a blur.

First round : By! Bonus!!

Fight 1 : The photo below pretty much was the whole fight him in 1/2 guard and me trying to pass. I won after 2 adv. Tough fight.

Fight 2 : Was against Marcos Paulo Cruvinel of GF Team. If was a very hard fight. Me trying to pass, a big scramble, me pulling guard, and scrambling finishing the fight with me on top. I won by 2 adv again.

Fight 3 QUARTER FINAL : Was against Yusuke Hayashi of BJJ  Revolution team. We fought very hard. He pulled guard and I almost passed. Big movements and then I tore his pants. He had to change pants and then I quickly grabed his leg forcing him to pull guard and I got on top 1/2 and nearly got the finish with a brabo in the final seconds. I win by 2 adv AGAIN !

Fight 4 SEMI-FINAL : Was against Danny Wilson of Alliance.  He pulled guard quickly and did a big scissor sweep and to get his 2 points. We restarted and I have a 1/2 spider guard and a pants grip. I sweep and get to 1/2 on top an finish with a brabo. Submission !

Fight 5 FINAL : Was against Gerardo Gualdron of Alliance. He got a single leg and I sat to 1/2 guard, after working for a min my heel was caught in his pant cuff and the ref pulls it out for me. I then set up and finish the final by triangle Submission!! Watch the video here! :

Winning this comp was an amazing feeling. Months of prep, training and hard work all paying off in one moment and fulfilling one of my Jiu Jitsu goals and dreams. When I looked up and saw my friends and family cheering for me, I felt so happy and grateful. I celebrated for a minute, but now I am back to training and I must set my focus on my next goal. I know there are a huge amount of things that I need to work on to tighten up my game and there is not much time until the next comp!

I have to say a HUGE thank you to Andre Galvao for coaching EVERY one of of my fights, his advice was perfect and he always said the right things to put me in a winning mindset. I cannot thank him enough, as my coach Carlos could not be there, Andre looked after me like I was one of his own. Mutio Obrigado Irmao !!

I think Jiu Jitsu needs more guys to be like Carlos and Andre !!!

Thank you to Waldamiro Perez Jr and Gazze Jr. for opening the doors of CIA Paulista HB to us anytime we needed to cut weight, drill or train before the Pans. It was great to spend time with my CIA PAULISTA family in Cali and I cannot wait to see you all again! If you’re in or near Huntington Beach check them out!!