Asian Cup final stretch
Carlao Santos making final adjustments
While most folks are in end-of-the-year mode, Carlao Santos is hard at work. December is just around the corner and the black belt is making final preparations for the Asian Super Cup, to take place this 12th and 13th of December, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. GRACIEMAG.com borrowed a bit of the organizer’s time to find out how the final stretch of the tournament promising to bring together some of the greatest gladiators in the gi is going. Check it out:
How are final preparations for the Asian Super Cup going?
It’s rush time here in Abu Dhabi, the event has made in to the schedule for celebrations of the United Arab Emirates national day, which is December 2nd. We coincide with celebrations of that date. All the sports media in the country is covering the event.
What is your assessment of the trials held in Porto Alegre?
Great. Couldn’t be better, as we’re bringing the best pure Jiu-Jitsu fighters over for the big show here in Abu Dhabi. It also serves to show the media in Brazil that a country’s entire royal family supports a sport looked down upon in Brazil. Therefore, who knows we might be able to change a lot of people’s minds about our sport over in Brazil.
What are the greatest challenges the organization faces?
To me it has to be the refereeing, since for the first time black belts will be fighting here, but we are using shorter fight times, of 6 minutes, and use CBJJ’s basic rules. But points will only be scored if it’s 100% clear. I hope the fighters and referees do well in this challenge. I always tell my referees here to always make sure there’s no stalling and the fighters are always going after the finish. I do this because I want the fight to be a great spectacle and the spectators to have no doubt as to who the winner is.
What are local expectations in receiving some of the best Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the world?
They are excited, as it will be the first time they will be near the best black belts currently fighting.
Normally competitions are dominated by Brazilians, do you expect there to be any surprises from other nationalities?
At black belt yes, but I’ll warn you now: if the Brazilian blue belts think they are going to come here and have an easy time they’re fooling themselves.
How many countries have competitors signed up for the competition?
More than 25 countries and 150 fighters are already signed up for the event here.
Is there any message you’d like to send to the public and competitors during this final stretch before the tournament?
That my dream and that of his highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Mohamad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his father, uncles and cousins is becoming a reality, making Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu professional, now at this tenth event of mine here in Abu Dhabi. Now our partner Zaid Mirza will in the week after our event here, hold his first international Jiu-Jitsu event in Jordan and also following the same lines as this one, to award the fighters with big money prizes. Therefore, a lot of people are coming to fight at the Asian Super Cup in Abu Dhabi and later will go to Jordan to fight, making it a small professional Jiu-Jitsu circuit. That’s the idea. A little down the road there’ll be more events, and then the dreamed of professional world circuit will be a reality.
Carlao Santos making final adjustments
While most folks are in end-of-the-year mode, Carlao Santos is hard at work. December is just around the corner and the black belt is making final preparations for the Asian Super Cup, to take place this 12th and 13th of December, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. GRACIEMAG.com borrowed a bit of the organizer’s time to find out how the final stretch of the tournament promising to bring together some of the greatest gladiators in the gi is going. Check it out:
How are final preparations for the Asian Super Cup going?
It’s rush time here in Abu Dhabi, the event has made in to the schedule for celebrations of the United Arab Emirates national day, which is December 2nd. We coincide with celebrations of that date. All the sports media in the country is covering the event.
What is your assessment of the trials held in Porto Alegre?
Great. Couldn’t be better, as we’re bringing the best pure Jiu-Jitsu fighters over for the big show here in Abu Dhabi. It also serves to show the media in Brazil that a country’s entire royal family supports a sport looked down upon in Brazil. Therefore, who knows we might be able to change a lot of people’s minds about our sport over in Brazil.
What are the greatest challenges the organization faces?
To me it has to be the refereeing, since for the first time black belts will be fighting here, but we are using shorter fight times, of 6 minutes, and use CBJJ’s basic rules. But points will only be scored if it’s 100% clear. I hope the fighters and referees do well in this challenge. I always tell my referees here to always make sure there’s no stalling and the fighters are always going after the finish. I do this because I want the fight to be a great spectacle and the spectators to have no doubt as to who the winner is.
What are local expectations in receiving some of the best Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the world?
They are excited, as it will be the first time they will be near the best black belts currently fighting.
Normally competitions are dominated by Brazilians, do you expect there to be any surprises from other nationalities?
At black belt yes, but I’ll warn you now: if the Brazilian blue belts think they are going to come here and have an easy time they’re fooling themselves.
How many countries have competitors signed up for the competition?
More than 25 countries and 150 fighters are already signed up for the event here.
Is there any message you’d like to send to the public and competitors during this final stretch before the tournament?
That my dream and that of his highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Mohamad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his father, uncles and cousins is becoming a reality, making Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu professional, now at this tenth event of mine here in Abu Dhabi. Now our partner Zaid Mirza will in the week after our event here, hold his first international Jiu-Jitsu event in Jordan and also following the same lines as this one, to award the fighters with big money prizes. Therefore, a lot of people are coming to fight at the Asian Super Cup in Abu Dhabi and later will go to Jordan to fight, making it a small professional Jiu-Jitsu circuit. That’s the idea. A little down the road there’ll be more events, and then the dreamed of professional world circuit will be a reality.
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