Pedro Marinho has already scheduled a fight to defend his light-heavyweight belt at Who’s Number One. The Gracie Barra black-belt will face Izaak Michell on December 4th, in Texas. Piano Malachias, Pedro’s professor, is a reference in the state of Texas, in charge of two academies in the region. It is there that Pedro Marinho will fight to continue his reign at the WNO.
“Today, Texas is experiencing a very favorable moment, but I have been here for 16 years, all this time working to make Jiu-Jitsu more popular, focusing not only on competition, but also defending the idea that Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone. The basis of Jiu-Jitsu is actually self-defense. This is the first step for people to become interested in the competitive nature of Jiu-Jitsu”.
Braulio Estima was welcomed at one of the academies managed by Piano in Texas
Braulio Estima recently stopped by the River Oaks academy of Gracie Barra for a seminar. Piano, who counts Braulio as one of his close friends, spoke about how motivated the students are to receive such a special visit.
“Braulio came to Texas for a tour and spent a few days with me. He is a personal friend, a guy with fantastic energy and extraordinary knowledge. Having a presence like Braulio’s at the academy is an inspiration for students who want to be champions not only on the mat, but in life.”.
Team Kazai, qualified for the AIGA main event, is one of the prides of the season
A key player on the Kazai team, which has qualified for the AIGA main event early next year, Piano Malachias and company could be rewarded with the trend of million-dollar prize money in grappling. Athletes such as Pedro Marinho, Andrew Tackett, Roberto Jimenez and Fabricio Andrey make up Kazai.
“Kazai is qualified and now the organization is looking for a team to challenge us. That way we could have some fights before the main event. I have never seen anything with the same energy as the Kazai team, everyone cheering for their teammates. We are going to prepare a camp to go to Kazakhstan to get the million dollars.”.
According to the black-belt, Mica Galvão and Tainan Dalpra are good examples for the next generations
With the experience gained over the years, training champions and new athletes, the black-belt and one of the leaders of Gracie Barra in the United States has the authority to speak about the improvement of the sport as a whole. When analyzing this, Piano mentioned the need to have good examples for the next generations.
“I don’t think we can take it the wrong way, towards the trash talk that is more common in MMA, it’s not a good culture. Jiu-Jitsu is discipline. We need more athletes like Mica Galvão and Tainan Dalpra than like Gordon Ryan.”.
