Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros Sweeps the Pro Jiu-Jitsu U.S. Qualifying Tournament

With the inaugural World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup just around the corner on May 1, 2009 in Abu Dhabi, the world qualifying tournaments are being held all over the globe. The U.S. qualifying tournament played host to some of North America’s most talented jiu-jitsu fighters. When the dust had settled on the Florida competition, Chicago-based Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros captured both his weight class and the Absolute to mark himself as the man to beat in the upcoming finals. Despite going into the tournament with several injuries, the seven-time world weight class and two-time world absolute champion proved himself to be the class of the field.

 Q: Did you prepare for this event at your U.S. school?

A: I did. My school is in the suburbs of Chicago. FloMMA.com is the website. It has a cage, boxing ring, judo mats, weights, machines and lot of good people. I have great partners in Osh and Gino, who have different skills that me. They are more stand-up fighters and so we mesh well together. Shonie Carter comes in a lot and so do other pros that I train with. Christian Ouflacker also helps me out a lot. I have great students who always try hard and listen to our coaching. I don’t care if they win or lose as long as they give 100 percent. I just want them to do in competition what they do on the mat in training. I want them to be happy with how they did.

Q: Do you teach in Brazil at all?

A: I’m still doing my BJJ camp in Brazil and it is doing well. It just sold out for August and so we might have to add another session. It has a fun balance between training and vacation. It’s held in Buzios, just outside of Rio, which is a very beautiful place. So people get to train hard, see Brazil, and have a lot of fun as well. Because of the people I’ve met at the camp I’ve been able to travel all over the U.S. giving seminars. So the camp has been a great experience. I have a race with my friend, Phillip Costa, to see who will be the first person to teach a seminar in all 50 states. So if anyone reading this lives in a state that doesn’t have a lot of jiu-jitsu, please contact me and have me come out so I can beat Phillip. Go to www.compridobjj.com for seminar information and also to find out about the Brazil jiu-jitsu camp.

Q: Why did you leave Brazil to come to the U.S.?

A: When I got my black belt and started teaching, I dedicated myself to being successful as an instructor and as a competitor. But it is very hard to become successful in Brazil. The opportunities are just not there. In Brazil you work all the time and never go anywhere. I love America. If you work hard here then you will get someplace. It is truly the land of opportunity. So I felt that I owed it to myself and to my family to come here and do the best that I could. The opportunity came when I got a call from a friend from the Buzios BJJ camp who said some people were opening a school in Chicago and wanted me to teach. I checked it out and met them, we really hit it off, and things just went from there. I’m so happy that I made the move.

Q: Are you excited about the new Pro Jiu-Jitsu League?

A: I think it is a great opportunity to compete in jiu-jitsu for good purses. Plus it will help the sport to grow. My whole life has been centered around competing in tournaments but there is just no money in it. So once again the guys from Abu Dhabi are supporting the sport and helping jiu-jitsu grow just like they did with the ADCC no-gi tournament. I hope more countries join in the Pro Jiu-Jitsu League and help them to support and grow the sport.

Q: Were you confident going in to the tournament?

A: My big problem in this competition was that I hurt my thumb and popped my arm a few weeks before the tournament. I was thinking about not competing but I had a sponsor, Subculture, and I didn’t want to let them down. So I just decided to go there and see how I did. I won my division but I didn’t think I would do the Absolute. I was afraid I might get hurt because I had gotten lucky in not getting injured in my division. But I felt good and just decided to go for it and see how I did. I have a lot of experience in tournaments and I know my body really well and what I can and can’t do. I felt my body would let me do what I wanted to do. I felt a little bit of pressure on my thumb a couple of times but nothing that stopped me.

Q: Was it harder to win your weight class or the Absolute?

A: The weight class was much harder. The Absolute was not that full but still you couldn’t make any big mistakes or your would be tapped. I think in the future that it will be a lot bigger when people hear about it and get used to competing in it. It was very far away from Los Angeles, which is the center of jiu-jitsu in the U.S, so a lot of guys didn’t want to make the trip for a first time event. But I did and I’m glad of it. I’m sure the popularity will grow the next time around.

Q: Most of the top jiu-jitsu players have gone to MMA. Why do you still compete?

A: I always loved to compete in jiu-jitsu. One time I had a really good chance to compete in MMA but I didn’t take it and instead went more towards teaching. So basically back then I stayed with what I loved. But in my school now in Chicago I train a lot of boxing, kickboxing and wrestling and I feel good about. I work out with Damian Maia and also Brock Lesner and it has changed my view of MMA. It made me look at it more from a technical perspective instead of just a wild fight. So I think finally my day in MMA will come. But I think I will compete forever in BJJ. I have a contest going on with Megaton Dias about who will fight in all the big BJJ tournaments and not quit first. Neither of us wants to give up and let the other win so maybe 30 years from now we’ll still be competing in BJJ.

Q: How are you going to prepare for the finals in Abu Dhabi?

A: I’m going to fight in the Pan Ams and train for that. Then I have a friend coming from Florida and he will train here with me. I also will train with Roberto Traven which will help me a lot as well. I also plan to train with Brock, which will give me a lot of experience grappling against a very big guy. After training with Brock everything else is easy. It helps me to have confidence and know that I can get out of a bad situation. If I can survive on the mat with him then I can survive with anyone.

Q: What does jiu-jitsu teach you about life?

A: Brazilian jiu-jitsu shows you that sometimes you’ll win and sometimes you’ll lose; just like in life. Even if you’re better sometimes things won’t work out and you’ll lose a match or not get the job you want or whatever. But it you dedicate yourself and apply yourself to your goals and keep trying then you will eventually get someplace in BJJ and in life. I’ve been a seven-time world and two-times Absolute champion and it just came from hard work and not giving up.

Q: Who has had the biggest influence on your jiu-jitsu style?

A: I don’t know. I have been training for a long time with the best fighters in the world, so it is hard to  pick one guy. All my teammates have been great like Roberto Traven, Andre Galvao and all the rest, but I also learn a lot from watching my students. Even the white belts sometimes surprise me and force me to put things together differently that what I might have thought. So I am constantly evolving my style and I never stop learning. This has helped me to always improve my jiu-jitsu.

Q: Do you see yourself as a points fighter or a submission fighter?

A: Neither. I see myself as a strategist. I believe jiu-jitsu is a mental game and I make a special strategy for each fight I have. I’ve never been a genius like Andre or Damien or Nino who can jump around and surprise and dazzle you with their athletic moves. I am a guy who knows his strengths and will figure out how to apply those strengths against my opponent’s weaknesses. That has been my edge over the years.

Q: What is the most important aspect of the jiu-jitsu game for high-level competition?

A: Technique is always the main thing in jiu-jitsu. Strength can let you down because you can get tired. Speed and quickness will then also leave you if your body fails you. But regardless if you are in shape or injured or not feeling good, if you know the technique then it will always bail you out and take care of you. If I have to spend one hour on a technique or one hour on physical training then I will always choose the technique.

For more information on seminars or training with Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros visit www.flomma.com or www.compridobjj.com. For information on the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup visit www.emiratesone.blogspot.com.

World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Qualifying Results

U.S. Black Belt Division (Florida)

Absolute: Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros DEF Marcos Oliveira

95KG+: Moacir Boca W/O Marcos Oliveira

95KG: Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros DEF Victor Masca

85KG: Marcelo Salazar DEF Tony Tipton

75KG: Jacob McKenzie DEF Jack McVicker

65KG: Caio Terra DEF Renato Tavares

Japan Black Belt Division (Tokyo)

95KG+: Naomichi Nagata DEF Wanderson Amakawa

95KG: Juan Caio DEF Akihisa

85KG: Max Fernandes DEF Fernando Walevein

75KG: Roberto Souza DEF Kouta Okazawa

65KG: Katsunori Kataniwa DEF Marcos Miyata

Australasia Black Belt Division (Sydney)

95KG+: Michael Wilson DEF Graham Wherea

95KG: Antoni Peroshi DEF Ben Paterson ( Gracie Sydney )

85KG: Paulo Guimaraes DEF Nathan Black ( Gracie Barra )

75KG: Talgat Ilyasov DEF Rodney Ellis

65KG: Gustavo Pinto DEF Owen Gee ( Gracie Sydney )