GM #147: Jiu-Jitsu for the joy of the Royal Family
Run for your GMA member academy and read about all the best that happened in Abu Dhabi at the World Pro Cup
Jiu-Jitsu for the joy of the royal family
40 years ago, Abu Dhabi was nothing more than a fishing village. Four decades on, the capital of the United Arab Emirates could be called the new jewel of Arabia. Oil money brought with it development that meshed perfectly with Middle Eastern tradition. The harmony prevalent in the UAE is also the result of a royal family illuminated and attentive to what best the world has to offer without forsaking traditional customs.
Among these benefices is Jiu-Jitsu, introduced to the country in 1997. In 2009, we reach the pinnacle. During the first two days of May, the first World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup took place in Abu Dhabi. “It’s a dream come true,” in the words of the event’s organizer, Carlao Santos, a black belt who seven years ago went to teach the royal family and now leads an unprecedented endeavor to spread Jiu-Jitsu to the masses, with class taught to over three thousand children in schools, for example.
GRACIEMAG disembarked in Abu Dhabi along with a cast of notable aces of world Jiu-Jitsu. There were Marcelo Garcia, Rafael Lovato Jr., Fabio Gurgel, Alexandre de Souza, Rubens Charles “Cobrinha”, Braulio Estima, Rafael and Guilherme Mendes and many others. After the disputes were all done, though, it was Tarsis Humphreys who shone the most, with gold in the absolute black belt category, in his category and 14 thousand dollars in his pocket. But the WPJJC was much more than just that. It was held at a first-rate venue where tennis stars Federer and Nadal once performed; present was Sheikh Mohammed, prince of Abu Dhabi, in the pulpit of honor and lots of emotions from the Middle Eastern champions. All that you will find in over 15 illustrated pages with a battery of images of the bouts as well as beautiful Abu Dhabi and its unique mix of Middle Eastern tradition and ultra-modernity.
Meanwhile, in the United States two events shook up the Jiu-Jitsu calendar. In Manhattan and Los Angeles, the NY Open and the American Cup proved there’s no greater program than to grab a gi and hit a competition. It doesn’t matter what belt or age the practitioner. In the Big Apple, Lucas Lepri and Gregor Gracie took the spotlight. In California, the number of unknowns at the party proves just how Jiu-Jitsu is gaining ground at all four corners of the globe with every day.
During a stop-through in Rio de Janeiro, modern Jiu-Jitsu’s birthplace, we found Hillary Williams, a purple belt from Little Rock, Arkansas, who like any good American stuck an idea in her head and saw it out till the end. During a three-week tropical adventure in Brazil, the valiant gringa toured through nearly every gym in the city. She learned a lot, had her share of setbacks, questioned what she thought she knew, but also had a heck of a good time. When she left, she realized she is living proof of Jiu-Jitsu’s strength in the lives of those who embrace it. At home, she put it all on paper and sent it in to GRACIEMAG. Read it and get inspired.
In the monthly column, Martin Rooney talks of the dead weight we carry around with us. The physical conditioning coach to some of Jiu-Jitsu and MMA’s biggest stars shows how there’s a good deal more stuff holding your development back than you’d imagine. And he points out how get rid of it.
In the section dedicated to the GRACIE MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION members, check out the report from a student who through Jiu-Jitsu overcame great hardship and even helped his master face down his own challenges. Learn a sweep from Braulio Estima. Find out about Abu Dhabi’s tiny warriors. Hear about an associate who was caught off guard by Renzo Gracie. And check out our associates shining at the NY Open.
And there’s even Xande Ribeiro winning in MMA in the Intro and GRACIEMAG recalling in Anthology the early days of Jiu-Jitsu in the Emirates through the trajectory of Sheikh Tahnoon’s adoptive sons, who turned champions at the World Cup JJ Pro.
Enjoy your reading till next month’s issue with complete coverage of the Worlds 2009.
.jpg)
