Caio Almeida has been confirmed for BJJ Stars 11 and promises to put on a great performance at the event. He’ll be going head-to-head with Piter Frank in one of the super fights on the card, which will take place on September 9 in São Paulo.
Caio is one of the rare unanimities in the Jiu-Jitsu community. The black belt is a professional athlete with several titles under his belt, including a two-time World Pro title, but he has also established himself as one of the sport’s most respected teachers. Along with his brothers, Caio leads Almeida Jiu-Jitsu, in Itaquera, São Paulo, and has trained countless champions, such as Bia Basilio, Léo Lara, Cleber Clandestino, among many others.
Caio is excited for the fight and intends to use the pressure of fighting in his hometown to his advantage to come out of the event with a victory.
“You can look at it in two ways. There’s the pressure side, because the gym will be in my favor, or you can take advantage of the positive energy and go out happy. Over time, I’ve learned to give it a new meaning. No pressure. I want to fight happy and grateful for the opportunity God is giving me. I want the fact that I’m at home to boost me,” said Caio, in an interview with VF Comunica.
The fight against Piter Frank will be a rematch of the 2023 Pan American Games. They were evenly matched and Piter came out on top in the referees’ decision. This time, Caio believes he has improved on his performance in the IBJJF championship and hopes to surprise his opponent.
“I want to surprise him. I practiced fundamentals that aren’t common in my game. I’ve evolved and that’s wonderful in Jiu-Jitsu. We can always improve. The fight was a war. We received a lot of compliments. That gives you a boost. The fight was tied on points and I lost on advantages. Piter is a great athlete and that’s undeniable. He’s an IBJJF world master champion. I hope that charge stays with him (laughs). I also have my history and my titles, my life is dedicated to Jiu-Jitsu,” said the leader of Almeida Jiu-Jitsu.
The main attraction of the 11th edition of BJJ Stars will be the Women’s Heavyweight Grand Prix, which features the best female BJJ fighters today. Caio also analyzed the Grand Prix and pointed out that Carina Santi is coming out strong to make the competition fierce.
“I’m rooting for my sister-in-law Carina Santi. She was training hard for the ADCC last year, but got injured. She had surgery and is coming back as planned. Carina deserves to be in there, she eats well and trains every day. The favorite is Gabi Pessanha and you can’t argue with that. She’s the reigning world champion and carries with her the values of a champion,” said Caio.