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Strength&Honor:RafaelMendesVs.Cobrinha…

Mendes: “We have to know our worth, we can’t regress”

by Marcelo Dunlop — July 23, 2010.
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Mendes celebrates after winning his first IBJJF gold as a black belt, in 2010. Photo: Ivan Trindade.

What does it cost to make a dream come true? In July, a group of Jiu-Jitsu enthusiasts from Atlanta came up with a no-time limit Jiu-Jitsu match, to the finish, between Rafael Mendes and Rubens Cobrinha – the current world champion from Atos against Alliance’s four-time world champion. To make it happen, they offered 10 thousand dollars, winner takes all.

Is that a big enough purse? Cobrinha was down, thinking more about making history than the money. But Rafael Mendes responded to the promoters saying it wasn’t enough money for a match of such scale.

In the reader remarks section of GRACIEMAG.com, Rafa’s posture was equally praised and criticized in nearly a hundred comments. What not everyone may know is that a Mendes seminar now brings in around 2,500 dollars. Or in other words, four laid-back seminars would yield the featherweight champion the same sum as this war where the clock doesn’t count.

We asked Rafa how much he thinks it’s worth. Let readers decide for themselves whether the young Ramon Lemos black belt is right.

Why didn’t you accept the $10,000 purse for the time limitless match? Does it have anything to do with the fact you make around $2,500 per seminar?

Yes, seminars bring in about that. For that price, I feel I get more out of doing seminars, where I make friends, train with different people, get to know new places and have fun. Right now I have seminars scheduled for the end of the year in Europe, Guam and probably Japan. So, to do this match I’d have to reschedule and focus on training Jiu-Jitsu and physical conditioning, like I did the whole first half of the year. So for me the amount really isn’t worth it.

Has this whole controversy on GRACIEMAG.com bothered you in any way?

First I’d like to say I’m a fan of you guys, GRACIEMAG gets better every month, every issue. Man, what bothers me is not the controversy, what bothers me is people who don’t even know me criticizing me, using terms they shouldn’t use. I was always taught that to talk about someone, you have to know that person. ESPECIALLY if you’re going to criticize them. That’s what bothers me. People have to learn to respect one another, I feel they confuse things. Just because you root for Cobrinha doesn’t mean you have to drag my name through the dirt. If just because I’ve never lacked respect for him in any interview I’ve ever done.

But I find it hilarious to read that I’m “afraid” to fight. I can tell they really don’t know me at all, because I’m extremely confident. If I were afraid to fight or “lose,” I wouldn’t enter the absolute like I did in Abu Dhabi, where I’d face opponents much bigger and just as good as him (Cobrinha), like Bráulio, Rômulo Barral, Demente, Vella, Big Mac. If I were “afraid,” I’d go to a different sport. I started competing when I was 12 years old and I’m nowhere near close to stopping, so all I want to say is that the notion of “challenge” has been with me for a long time and it makes me want to fight a lot more still.

Do you feel these negotiations may raise the stock of professional fighters?

Yes, those who criticize only see the “fight for fighting’s sake” side, but they forget how while Jiu-Jitsu is fun for a lot of people, to me it is work, my livelihood. I’m an extremely dedicated person and I train A LOT, really A LOT, so I want to be valued for it. What I’m doing is not just for me, it’s for all Jiu-Jitsu fighters, since if they really valued themselves, they wouldn’t need to migrate to MMA due to financial hardships in Jiu-Jitsu.

Do you think the big names from our art head to MMA because they don’t love sport Jiu-Jitsu? I’m sure they love it, and a lot, but they have to think about the future. To be an athlete is not just to be “resilient” and “down for anything,” at certain times we have to make decisions for our future. If the athletes competing these days truly valued themselves, we would be receiving much better offers, including from sponsors. The thing that makes getting sponsorship so much harder is that the majority accepts the first offer. We have to know our worth, we can’t regress.

Did you make a counter-offer to the promoters? Would you say how much you asked?

As soon as I got the email from the promoters saying they were interested in putting on a match between me and Cobrinha, I told them I was happy to have received the invite, that, YES, I would like to fight, but for THIS format I would demand a bigger purse. The format they proposed is different, it’s controversial, it’s much more difficult, so it ends up costing more.

But I didn’t go so far as to mention a price, I told him I’d wait for his answer and he sent me an email to renegotiate. He said that he would put the match on pay-per-view, charge entrance to the gymnasium, etc… Or in other words, this match will bring in money. Everyone knows that, so I’m not going to fight for an amount that’s not going to make me happy, as this is my life, it’s not business or fun. So I want to make it clear: I don’t feel the organizers are in any way going about things wrong, but nor am I wrong to value myself. I have no problem facing Cobrinha, it would even be a pleasure and I value my wins over him A LOT because I know how good he is. But don’t tell me I have to prove my love for the sport or fight for honor. I have honor in the way I lead my life, and you can be sure my love for the sport is unquestionable.

How long do you think a fight to the finish with Cobrinha could take?

I don’t feel you can predict matches, but I do believe it would be a long fight. And it would be tough for both parties.

Do you feel this format can catch on? That you’d like to watch a time limitless match from the stands?

I don’t think so, since the likelihood of the matches lasting a REALLY long time is huge. And when two athletes of the same level face off, it’s not easy for a submission to crop up. I feel this format is cool for a match between “great rivals” in a category, as it’s interesting for the public, but an event with several of this type of match taking place on the same day would take a REALLY long time and would wear you out a lot.

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Interview with GRACIEMAG

Female Jiu-Jitsu just keeps growing in the United States and around the world. Proof of it is how the number of women competing increases with every World Championship, and promising new competitors pop up on the scene.

GRACIEMAG.com had a chat this week with one of these revelations: 2010’s purple belt absolute champion Tracy Goodell. In her weight group, Tracy submitted all her opponents until getting her hands on the gold. In the absolute, she kept the pace up and snagged her second gold medal. Quite a feat for a lightweight.

A fan of BJ Penn, the Lloyd Irvin Team rep commented on the gold medal she conquered with just two weeks under her purple belt, spoke of what it’s like to train with beasts like Jonathan Torres and Mike Fowler, and much more.

You got your purple belt just before the Worlds 2010, in June. How was the experience of winning right away like that?

It was an amazing experience for me! I was promoted to the rank of purple belt just two weeks before the Worlds, my first tournament as a purple belt, and my first Worlds. Our team trained very hard, and it paid off. You see, team Lloyd Irvin has been competing in the IBJJF World Championships for a while now. 2010 has shown that Team Lloyd Irvin has come a long way. Not only are there more gold Medals and medalists on the podium, there is a crowd for Team Lloyd Irvin! We have come from a few teammates in the stands or on the side, to having a cheering section!

When did you start training Jiu-Jitsu?

I started training Jiu-Jitsu in 2006 when I was living in Hawaii. Then for the next year and a half, from 2007 to about May 2008, I didn’t train at all. In the beginning of June is when I started up again.

How important is it for you to train in such a respected team as Lloyd Irvin’s, with champions like JT, Jonathan Torres ?

I think that your training environment and surroundings is very important. Putting yourself in the company of like-minded people greatly helps you achieve your goals. I am sure Lloyd Irvin Jiu-Jitsu system is very effective. It obviously shows in our team’s results.

What do you think about female Jiu-Jitsu today?

I think females involved in the sport is great! Women are getting more and more exposure and that’s why I am always looking for sponsors so that I can continue to travel around the world and compete, although I don’t think that females get enough recognition in Jiu-Jitsu. The amount of girls training and competing is growing more and more every year, and I hope it continues to stay that way.

What do you think is missing for female Jiu-Jitsu to grow and bring more women to practice?

Girls don’t like to get sweaty!!! (LOL) But I really think that it is hard to get women to come into the gym based on the fact that more males train than females. So bringing a girl in who is not intimidated by the males and getting her to stick with it can be hard. It’s hard to be the first girl in the gym and stick it out until more girls join… Unless you really end up loving the sport.

Who is your favorite fighter?

My favorite Jiu-Jitsu fighter would have to be BJ Penn.

Who do you look up to?

I look up to Master Lloyd, Mike Fowler, JT Torres and Jim Harbison and the team. We’re only getting stronger, and with a TEAM, anything is possible!

The list of medals is impressive this year. Each medal well earned and deserved. Among blue belts, Frank Camacho, Evan Gideon, Rachael Demara, and Sijara Eubanks, all took gold in their divisions. Frank Camacho and DJ Jackson battled their way to the finals where it was a clash of titans! With a great hip-toss, Frank was able to take home the gold. DJ also took 3rd in the open, where his opponent moved on to face Evan Gideon in the finals. Evan fought a great match and took home silver for the blue belt absolute.

For the purple belts, Andris Brunovskis won his divisions with all submissions. Big Willie Leonard also took gold winning his second consecutive Worlds title. Kim Rivers and Brad Pearson took home silvers. Kenneth Brown took bronze at his weight. Rachael Demara took home a bronze with her gold medal as well, taking 3rd in the absolute division. I see there are many big things to come for the future of Team Lloyd Irvin.

Please tell us about your training program.

My training program consisted of 3 practices a day, sparring, grip strengthening, and drills! Morning class at 11:30, drilling at 4:30 and then the advanced class at 8:30. On Saturdays we also had a class that started at 12noon and basically went until Master Lloyd said it was done. This is just my training schedule for a couple months leading up until the Worlds. It changes back after the Worlds to just the 10 am class, and an evening advanced class at 8:30 because I work all day, 6 days a week.

What are your plans for the future?

My ultimate goal for the future is to achieve my black belt and win the Mundials. I want to compete with the best and become the best.

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FokaiCombatUnit:RafaAdai!

Exclusive: Sponsors want to back Cobrinha versus Rafael Mendes to the finish

Due to the initiative of a group of American sponsors, fans of good Jiu-Jitsu are about to be treated to a dream match: a bout between featherweights Rafael Mendes and Rubens Charles “Cobrinha” with no time limit or points, ending when one of the two gets the finish.

According to the initial proposal by the sponsors, who are situated in Atlanta but are in no way linked to the Alliance academy where Cobrinha teaches in the state of Georgia, the rules are straightforward: it is to be a gi Jiu-Jitsu match where the one to get the submission wins. The winner takes home a 10-thousand-dollar purse.

The investors are still in the negotiating stage with Rafael, the current world champion, and Cobrinha, four-time world champion (2006/07/08/09) and runner-up in 2010. So as not to hinder the negotiations process, the sponsors requested GRACIEMAG.com keep them anonymous, for now.

“We’re really excited about this idea. Our group of investors is actually a small group of big Jiu-Jitsu enthusiasts,” says their spokesman, a brown belt linked to Renzo Gracie academy.

“Mendes vs Cobrinha is a stellar matchup set apart by one of the most interesting rivalries modern Jiu-Jitsu has ever seen, and we feel a match without a time limit or scoreboard could prompt them to have a more open, free-flowing and exciting bout than one on the clock and counting points – as well as it having great appeal for the fans. The idea is to in the future promote other matches of the same kind between major rivals. And what could be a better starting point to launch this concept than a matchup between two of the sport’s elite aces? Since Cobrinha is already contemplating retirement, we figured it could be our last and perhaps best chance to make this match,” explained the American sponsor.

So we asked him whether the 10-thousand-dollar purse going only to the winner is negotiable, as it would be a hard knock for the loser to come out empty-handed. After all, the honor of winning such a challenge would be enough for the fighters to go for the win at all costs.

“We realize a winner-takes-all purse is hard on the one who loses, but it’s another way we came by to accelerate the action, and keep the fighters aggressive the whole time. We believe this type of payout is further incentive, and it would be more lucrative for the champion,” opines the spokesman, who made it clear the challenge did not originate from either of the two fighters’ camps.

“I want to stress to both fighters that the idea is ours, it’s not a challenge issued by either of them, nor their academes. It’s for the good of Jiu-Jitsu, and I want to make that clear personally when I speak to the two athletes,” he says, believing in the success of the negotiations that, we repeat, are still in the early stages.

What about you, reader? Do you believe this is a valid initiative? Will a match in such a format work? And which other athletes do you dream of seeing in a time-limitless and pointless match? State your opinion below.

Check out Rafa and Cobrinha in Abu Dhabi in 2009:

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VocoVoco!

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Manolo Hernandez 100 VICTORIES SINCE 10/08 IS A GROUP EFFORT. WE HAVE THE BEST COACHES. AT THE END OF THE DAY THOUGH ITS ALL ON YOU… THE TEAM, THE FIGHTERS. YOU ARE THE ONE’S STEPPING IN THERE AND KILLING IT. WE ARE ALL PROUD OF YOU.

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