Redação VF Comunica 
Felipinho Machado is a rare talent emerging from the Brazilian grappling scene in recent years. He is hailed as a future star, known for his finishing style and captivating personality. The Pirâmide Grappling athlete is one of those competitors who seizes every opportunity to provoke opponents and thrives in decisive moments. His game, attractive to ADCC enthusiasts, often brings chaos to tournaments, adding to the anticipation whenever he steps onto the mat.
Last Sunday, Felipe was crowned with a coveted title to mark his moment in Jiu-Jitsu. Felipinho became the Brazilian featherweight champion after winning two fights. He narrowly missed out on the gold last year, settling for silver, but he wrote a different story in this edition of the CBJJ event.
In the final, the Rio de Janeiro native secured an 8-2 victory over Welerson Gonçalves and claimed the gold after “Destemido” was disqualified for accumulating four penalties in the final moments of the match.
In an interview with VF Comunica, Felipinho Machado described what this achievement means for his career.
“I’ve been training for a year and a half to compete, and this year I’ve been striving to win as many competitions as possible. This gold is just a representation of my hard work. No one works harder than me; I dedicate myself body and soul; I live Jiu-Jitsu. The result was just a matter of time. I narrowly missed out last year, and I knew this title was mine. I had excellent preparation and fulfilled a dream, the first of many to come,” rejoiced the black belt.
Lipe emphasized that the pressure and the opposition’s cheers only motivate him further, making him hungrier for victory. He reiterated that, despite being a natural finisher, his strongest point is his defense.
“I like this atmosphere, the commotion, friends cheering, and people cheering against me too. I like the pressure of the final, so I enjoy myself. Let me tell you right away, if anyone thinks I’m bothered, I say you only help me. It was really cool; I want to fight again. People always see me attacking and moving forward, but many don’t know how I train. I think I’m the most submitted guy in the academy, that’s why I have more confidence in competitions and don’t get submitted in tournaments. My differentiator is my defense. One word that defines my Jiu-Jitsu is invincible,” Felipinho declared.
Felipinho will have the opportunity to showcase the danger of his Jiu-Jitsu on one of grappling’s biggest stages. He was called up by Mo Jassim to represent Team Modolfo at Aiga in December. The Pirâmide fighter discussed preparations for the tournament and emphasized his excitement to put on a show.
“I gave up competing at the Nogi World because all eyes will be on Aiga. It’s going to be an amazing experience because we won’t just be fighting Jiu-Jitsu; it’s a grappling championship. There are various styles coming together at the event, but I have the right strategy. I will have two fights, and I’m sure I will win both. I’m the best in the world in my category. I already invite the next featherweight world champion to face me to prove who the best is,” challenged Lipe.
Felipe also mentioned two opponents he would like to face in possible super fights under ADCC rules.
“My only loss this year was to Diogo Reis. I felt I didn’t unleash myself much, and he also couldn’t do much; he won on points. The world of Jiu-Jitsu deserves this fight because of our styles. Lucas Pinheiro retired but said he still needs to have one more fight. It was my final at the 2022 No-Gi Brazilian Nationals; I felt I could win, I lost on a detail,” concluded Felipinho.
