Gabriel Almada 
Cássio Silva made a name for himself in Abu Dhabi by becoming a two-time World Pro champion last week. The French-based Brazilian shone in the Master 1 -56kg division and successfully defended his title.
In all, the School of Champs black belt scored three wins in a row to capture the gold medal. In the final, Cássio scored a 6-1 victory over Japan’s Masaaki Todokoro.
Cássio Silva applied his refined Jiu-Jitsu and won with authority. He finished the first fight and dominated the next two. However, the professor overcame his own limits to triumph again in Abu Dhabi. He suffered a knee injury just over a month before the World Pro, but he didn’t give up on coming home with the gold.
“This title represents overcoming because I didn’t train for over a month. During that time, I took part in a competition and got injured. This injury left me totally unable to prepare, so I went to fight the World Pro injured. However, that didn’t stop me from coming back with the title,” said Cássio, in an interview with VF Comunica.
Cássio Silva details his World Pro win
Cássio described what he felt as soon as he had won his second title and mentioned the aspects he liked most about his performance.
“The first thing that went through my head was that I had done the improbable once again. What I liked most was my technical intelligence in being able to manage my fights without aggravating my injury,” said the black belt.
Before reaching the top of Abu Dhabi, Cássio overcame a tough battle: cutting weight. The professor said that he used the difficulty of this process as motivation during his fights.
“The weight cut is my toughest fight mentally. So I always say that if I can win this fight with myself, I can beat any opponent,” assured Cássio.
Enlightened moment
Cássio Silva is going through a great phase in Jiu-Jitsu and is having an intense season. The representative of the School of Champs, in Paris, explained how the two-time World Pro title will be important for his development as a professor and athlete.
“This title confirmed that my level is high for this category. I need difficulty to evolve, so I’m going to start competing at adult level in IBJJF competitions. As a professor, I can say that I’m gaining more authority in what I teach mentally and technically,” concluded Cássio.
