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When did you first start training in BJJ?
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Probably when I was 12 or 13. I'm 26 now.
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Why did you stay with BJJ instead of another martial art?
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I [had] done Judo when I was younger then that (12 or 13 years old).
I didn't [take] it too seriously. The reason why I started [to do]
Jiu-Jitsu [was] because [of] my dad. My dad took me to the [BJJ] gym. I
joined and I'm still doing it.
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Who was your instructor in BJJ?
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Today my instructor is Roberto Traven from [the] Alliance team
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Who are some of the BJJ black belts that you have trained with?
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Romero Cavalcanti "Jacare", Fabio Gurgel, Roberto Traven, Leonardo
Costello Branco, Paiva, "Comprido" Medeiros. A lot of good fighters
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Why did you come to Canada to teach?
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I had this opportunity to come and try to teach at [a] different
place. The main reason was to try something different. To learn a
different culture.
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What do you think of Canada?
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Canada is pretty good except for the winter time (laughs)
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Do you think the Canadian BJJ fighters are catching up to the rest of
the world?
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They are doing well. Jeff Joslin was the first [Canadian] to win
[the] Pan-American Championships. Little by little they are doing pretty
good.
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What is the main difference between learning BJJ in Canada and
learning BJJ in Brazil?
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The big difference is [in Brazil] they have so many more fighters to
spar with. So here [in Canada] you can always learn, you can always come
here and train but its not the same. There in [Brazil] you can go to one
neighborhood [and] find 5 or 6 gyms in the [same] block. [There is] just
more people there.
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Do you believe that competing in tournaments/competitions are
important for someone that is learning BJJ?
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Definitely because if you don't want to compete thats fine but when
you compete you are [training] for something. When [you are] just training
[for yourself its] nice, you train for a hobby. When you do [it] for a
reason thats when you test yourself so you are always progressing more so
you can go to [the] next tournament and win. I believe its really
important.
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What about Vale Tudo?
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I think Vale Tudo..a lot of people watch [the] UFC or Pride and they
sometimes get the wrong idea. Some kids come here [to the gym] and first
want to learn Vale Tudo. I don't think it should be like this. A lot of
Brazilian fighters [have] been training [for] 15 years and they go for Vale
Tudo and the fight and they do well and then that kid watch[es] that guy
fight and they think they [can] go and in one week learn [how] to punch and
kick. So I think [Vale Tudo] is pretty good but I think they have to learn
the basics first and then start Vale Tudo later if they want to be a Vale
Tudo fighter.
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Do you feel it is important to learn no-gi as well as gi?
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Yes. For sure its important to learn no-gi if you want to be a
complete fighter. You have got to do no-gi, you got to learn some
strik[ing] and some wrestling if you wanna [be] complete but for sure you
got to learn [with the] gi. Some guys just wanna learn no-gi and you don't
get the right....the main thing is [learning with] the gi.
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How do you train to get in shape for a tournament/competition?
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I work out in the gym. I do my cardio. I train here (at the BJJ gym)
and I do wrestling. If I can, I do a little bit of Judo too.
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You competed in Abu Dhabi 2000. Can you tell us about your experience
and how you did?
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My experience was pretty good. I was maybe a little bit nervous
because it was [my] really big, first international tournament. I didn't do
well, I lost my fight against Rigan Machado [but] I [did] beat him in the
Worlds (biggest BJJ tournament both Brazil and the world) with [the] gi. I
believe I could've done better but I [was] training too much [and] I was
training too hard. I thought my friends, my teammates were pushing too much
[and] putting too much pressure [on me] so if I was more relaxed.....like
today, [when] I go and compete, I try to relax as much as possible [to]
fight well. I should have [relaxed] that time.
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You won 3rd place at the 2000 International Pro-Ams in North Carolina.
Can you tell us about that experience?
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I had a good experience there. I fought [some] good guys. I fought
Jeff Monson. I did well with him. I just did a mistake [when] he took me
down and thats about it. It was a real good experience. I fought Wade Rome
there and then Garth Taylor. He's a really good fighter. I went down [ to
the tournament] with my friends from Alliance so I had a lot of fun.
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What happened with your no-gi rematch with Wade Rome at the Grappler's
Quest U.S. Nationals in New Jersey last April?
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What happened was that referee shouldn't have been there. He was
..... I don't believe he did it on purpose (the referee awarded the match to
Rome when the match ended in a 2-2 tie) but he [wasn't] able to ref like it
should be. He totally screwed me because everybody saw the fight.
Everybody knows I won like even Wade's coach and 2 Brazilian guys, Liborio
and Marcel Silveira, they agreed with me [and said] "You won!" Even the
ref after the fight said he made a mistake. Just Wade [thinks] he won. The
referee made me [have] a really bad time there.
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What are your future plans in BJJ?
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I wish I could go this July to fight [in] the Worlds but I'm not able
to go because of my situation here. I'm trying to get more established here
[in Canada] first and then I can go. For sure my wish is to fight [in] the
biggest tournaments in Brazil.
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How did you get your nickname "Esfiha"?
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That was from a friend of mine. Esfiha is [an] Arabic food [that]
looks like a triangle. Its a food that [has] a little bit of meat or cheese
inside. Then my friend, he [came] to my house one night. I opened the door
[while] I was eating the esfiha. He asked me if I was going to train or not?
I said "Nah, I'm too tired, I'm just eating." Then he went to the gym and
said "Oh, Ze Mario was eating like 5 esfihas at the same time. His mouth
was full of esfihas!" Then I went there [to the gym] the next time and all
my friends started to make jokes with me. That was it, that was my name.
That was like almost 10 years ago! Some of my friends [now] don't [even]
know my real name! (laughs)
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