Train in Rio Newsletter
May 24 2010 / Issue #1
In this issue:
Rio International Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2010
Train in Rio is taking 10 jiu jitsu players on the trip of a lifetime. We are partnered with Professor Vinicius "Draculino" Magahlaes of Gracie Barra Texas and will be doing a 5 day seminar in Belo Horizonte and then traveling to Rio de Janeiro for the Rio International Open. Look forward to many great pics and videos.
Jiu-Jitsu a smooth art
For a long time it was always said "Jiu-Jitsu is a smooth art", "the weak defeats the strong", "the technique is superior to strength". These have not lost their meaning, but maybe, the technique is sharing some importance with other attributes.
With the MMA explosion, everybody saw themselves in a position where not knowing jiu-jitsu could be as detrimental in a fight as not developing other skills. High level fighters are not those specialists in only one discipline, but those who combine as many different disciplines as possible, in addition to the mental and tactical preparation.
Just like the MMA fighter, the jiu-jitsu athlete that concentrates only on the physical side and not all aspects will find themselves in a bad position. It isn’t often that we see physically excellent athletes with a little or no technique being champions and staying at the top for a long time. It’s important to note that the strength, speed, resistance, and flexibility are extreme essentials, but not a priority, because in the end the technique and the strategy will make the difference.
Therefore I say: work your mind and body equally, refine your technique, formulate a good strategy and have good fights.
Good training,
Sergio Lourenco
Sergio Lourenco Jr is a Gracie Tijuca professor, 2001 World champion, 4x pan americano Champion 99-02
Interview with Marcelo "Uirapuru" Azevedo
Train in Rio: Your nickname is Uiapuru, right? Who gave you this name?
Uirapuru: I got this nickname when I started training capoeira. My teacher had a book called 1001 animals and when everybody started training he would ask to open the book. The page that you got was the nickname. First I got "Galo" (Rooster), I thought it can’t be Galo because I am Flamenguista (soccer rivalry for our American friends) I can’t be called Galo. God save me! Then I opened the book again and I got another animal but it was too ugly… then I tried again and I got Uirapuru, it’s a nice animal… that was it.
Train in Rio: What does it mean?
Uirapuru: Uirapuru is a bird from Amazonas. I like this nickname because I never heard of anybody with it before.
Train in Rio: On March 20th you won a fight in one round against Charles Byrd. It was quick, wasn’t it? Two minutes and four seconds.
Uirapuru: Yeah. Thank God everything was all right.
Train in Rio: What are your thoughts on the fight? Was it easy for you?
Uirapuru: I was surprised because he is a Muay Thai guy and he looked for the clinch. I mean, he made my life easy. When he went for the clinch I looked... I put him down… I passed his guard, then he tried to mount, gave me his back… and that was it. Two minutes. Everything worked fine, thank God.
Train in Rio: How do you train for the fights?
Uirapuru: I believe in Jiu-Jitsu very much. I train a little bit of boxing, and little bit of Muay Thai but I believe that you have to be a specialist in a fight and I’m not going to change my origins. I’ve trained Jiu-Jitsu for 15 years. But I also put a lot of value in the physical preparation. I think that 60 to 70% is physical preparation because if you get tired in the fight, you are dead!
Train in Rio: What about capoeira?
Uirapuru: Capoeira helps a little bit on the flexibility, physical awareness, and paying attention. But just like I told you, I believe very much in Jiu-Jitsu, in the things that Draculino taught me all these years… he has a vision for the future. He sees beyond, before what is going to happening. This gives me a calm confidence.
Train in Rio: How did you start at MMA?
Uirapuru: It was funny I remember that I was a brown belt and Draculino asked me if I wanted to fight. At the time I thought it was a joke. It was about a week before the world championship, I remember that I was training for the competition… and I was a little bit apprehensive to say no to him. Then I fought and I liked the experience. My first fight was against Babalu, thirty minutes! He weighed 100 kilos (220 lbs) and I weighed 80 kilos (176 lbs) and… it was good! I started liking it. It was good because it was a challenge.
Train in Rio: There is somebody you would like to fight?
Uirapuru: No… to me, if the person is about my weight I’ll fight anyone… I don’t have restrictions and I never choose an opponent. I’ve already fought hard core people like Babalu and Jorge Rivera. To me what matters is if the person is about my weight and inviting me to fight, that’s all I need! There’s no specific person I’d like to fight. I have no anger for anyone. It’s a sport… I go to the cage, I do my fight, I get my money and I leave.
Train in Rio: When is your next fight?
Uirapuru: I might have a vale-tudo fight on July 31st.
Train in Rio: What do you want for your career in 2010?
Uirapuru: I intend to do two more vale-tudo fights… and I am going to stay in Brazil for a while. I want to start dedicating myself to becoming a good teacher like Draculino. I want to explore this side because age is catching up with me and I know I can’t fight forever. I want to take care of the academy in Brasil, to become a good teacher, and do two more fights. I am going to make a few changes this next year. I think that this year I could have fought a little bit better, I lost the second fight. Next year I want to prepare myself, I want to say goodbye to this career winning at least one cycle. This is my dream.
Train in Rio: Are you going to retire next year?
Uirapuru: Maybe. I always say "This is my last fight" but I keep postponing and postponing… until my body quits I’ll keep going.
Train in Rio: What do you do for fun when you are not training or fighting?
Uirapuru: I am a home body. When I am in Brasil I like to go to the movies with my wife… I never liked the night life much. I like simple things, have fun hanging out with my wife and her daughter, my nephews… I love children. That’s the good stuff! Being with family and friends is the best thing in world.
Train in Rio: Any advice to the beginners?
Uirapuru: If you have a dream you have to hold on to it until the end. You are going to find many obstacles in the way and if you give up on the first try then the dream was not so important. The way to do it is to go through the obstacles and to keep going, keep going, until you touch your dreams. If you follow you dreams and believe it you will make it.
Train in Rio: Any final thoughts?
Uirapuru: I want to thank Draculino for everything he taught me, to thank my mother for dealing with me for all these years, and to thank my wife that stayed in Brasil, being patient and holding on for almost 10 months away from me. She was patient and understood that it was important to me for stay here, in the States, for all this time. So… this is it. I want to thank these three people that are very important in my life.
Train in Rio: Thank you very much!
Uirapuru: Thank you!
Watch the fight at http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=video.detail&gid=98871
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