Emmanuela Oliveira 
Born in Macapá, Brazil, Bruno Sena started Jiu-Jitsu without many pretensions in a social project that worked in the garage of his former and first professor. A recent black-belt, graduated after taking third place in the IBJJF Worlds last year, Sena already has his name stamped on the list of black-belt promises in action this season. In an interview with VF Comunica, the athlete revealed that it was in the process of discovering competitions that Jiu-Jitsu showed itself as something more.
“I started Jiu-Jitsu around 12, 13 years old. I started doing it as a hobby, but when I competed for the first time, it was a moment when Jiu-Jitsu really touched my life, when I realized that I could overcome my frustrations and perfect my techniques,” he says.
Brazilian Nationals Champion, Bruno Sena improved his Jiu-Jitsu in the UCLA project
Currently, Bruno Sena has expanded his Jiu-Jitsu beyond any limitation and has become a black-belt guided by Marcos Cunha, creator of the UCLA project, which prepares promising young people for reality on and off the mat. In the last IBJJF Brazilian Nationals, Bruno delivered an overwhelming performance, achieving gold after five fights and five submissions, as a brown-belt.
“It was in 2019 that I took my first trip to fight outside the state and realized that Jiu-Jitsu went far beyond what I experienced in my city. In search of more opportunities to train and compete, I met Marcos Cunha and he gave me the chance to be part of UCLA. It was within the project that I won my biggest titles, like the Brasileiro. I am very grateful to my professors and friends for contributing to my evolution.”, highlights the black-belt.
An expert in lapel guard, a condition that gave him the opportunity to pass on this knowledge on the digital platform, BJJ Protech, Bruno Sena wants to continue surprising technically.
“On the colored belts I was already working a little on the game I use nowadays, the lapel guard, during this period I was improving the positions and creating different situations to match my guard game. I’ve improved a lot technically and I can impose my rhythm in almost every fight, trying to expand beyond that as well. So, I want to be able to stand out in all uncomfortable situations.”, he explains in detail, already driven to do his best at the IBJJF Pans and Worlds, now as a black-belt.
