Emmanuela Oliveira 
Black belt at the forefront of the sport, Guybson Sá, at 35 years old and a strong athlete in the masters division, has important glories in the sport. He is a collector of medals from IBJJF tournaments, Gi and No Gi, including a good result in the ADCC. In his adult days, Sá accumulated victories over exponents such as Rodolfo Vieira and Marcus Almeida, achievements that boosted his status as a fighter.
In the United States since 2009, the 4th degree black belt, born in Fortaleza, Ceará, is now head coach at Spartan Academy, in South Carolina. At the gym, Jiu-Jitsu classes are taught, with space also dedicated to training of MMA athletes.
In an interview with VF Comunica, Guybson gave his perspective on several topics. One of them, currently highlighted, is the biggest growth of grappling in the competitive world. According to him, the dynamism of the fights and the technical level of the athletes are the main difference. “Nowadays I think grappling fights are more dynamic and with high level athletes coming from MMA, Jiu-Jitsu with gi, Wrestling, Sambo, among others, creating a good mix of all these arts in grappling. This high level makes the fights more attractive and consequently causes more curiosity among fans.”, he says.
As a professor, Guybson sees no distinction between athletes and practitioners
Nowadays, there is a tendency for gyms to be more focused on competitive training and others with a more commercial approach. In Guybson’s methodology, there is no distinction between the athlete who competes and the one who only trains. After all, a regular practitioner in training can very well help a competition participant in training.
“I actually care more about the gym as a whole. We have competitors at national and international levels, but I always worry about all students, regardless of whether they are competitors or not.”, explains the black-belt, making it clear that he prioritizes values such as resilience and respect in his teaching method, in addition to paying attention to the technical side of your students.
Speaking of the practice of Jiu-Jitsu in general, whether among competitors or not, Guybson believes that the sport has the potential to become the most practiced around the world. Anyone who trains knows how much they miss getting on the mat and expending their energy after a demanding day of obligations. “Many already understand the benefits and cannot live without it. Only people who train know how bad it is to spend 2 or 3 days away from the mats. Schools, companies and condominiums have seen this too and are implementing training for everyone in their locations.”, she states.
When asked which athletes he most likes to follow, Tainan Dalpra, Gordon Ryan, Victor Hugo and the Miyao brothers appeared in the answer. Since we saw Gordon on the list, trash talk became a topic.
“I think it’s really cool and brings extra entertainment to the events, attracting a new audience. I just think that even with trash talk, a line of respect should be maintained, leaving out other people like family members.”, he says.
Masters GP is a very likely reality for Guybson Sá
For 2024, Guybson Sá, in his fifth year as a master competitor, intends to fight more to obtain good results and a favorable position in the IBJJF ranking. With impressive performances from athletes over 30 years old, it is not unlikely that the international federation will invest in a GP for this division of fighters. If that happens, Guybson hopes to have his name in the brackets.
