MOUNT VERNON — The road from Brazil to Mount Vernon is a long one, but three Brazilian jiu jitsu black belts managed to find their way on Thursday. Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga and Team Link fighters Marco Alvan and Gabriel Santos were at Body Basics Health and Fitness Club as a guest of David Lashley and Lashley’s Jiu Jitsu Academy.
The trio was in Columbus preparing for this weekend’s Arnold Grappling Championships, held as part of the Arnold Sports Festival. On Thursday, they were in Mount Vernon to help teach advance techniques to Lashley’s academy, and to explore the possibilities of operating an extension of Team Link here. Team Link operates 12 schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“We came here because we had an invitation from David,” said Alvan. “He invited Team Link to come and do a seminar. We love to be here. We want to share a little bit of what we’ve been doing for years, and maybe start a Team Link in this town.
“Mixed martial arts is a combination of wrestling, boxing and muay thai,” added Alvan. “It is the fastest growing sport in the United States. Mixed martial arts is an infusion.”
“We wanted them to come for their advanced teaching,” said Lashley. “They are so advanced and technical. We hope to have them here more often. I’m pretty sure they are going to be making some frequent trips here.
“They want to help build programs. They love the sport, and they’re doing everything they can to build it.”
Gonzaga is no newcomer to mixed martial arts. He has an 8-3 overall record, including a 4-2 mark in the UFC. He has also registered three knockouts.
“I started fighting when I was 14 years old,” said Gonzaga. “I came to the United States to fight in the UFC. ... The UFC is big around the world. Every single fighter would like to fight UFC. I just go out and try to be the next champion.
“In Brazil, (mixed martial arts) is very popular. There is an event every weekend, and a lot of talent is there. There are a lot of guys coming to fight here.”
Santos, who stands 5-foot-6, has a career record of 5-5 with two knockouts in less than five years of competition. His first fight was on July 23, 2003.
“I’ve always watched it,” said Santos through Alvan, who translated from Portuguese to English. “I started training in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and earned my black belt. Then I started to fight.”
Gonzaga’s last fight was on Jan. 18 in UFC 80: Rapid Fire. He lost to Fabricio Werdum by a technical knockout. He made his UFC debut on Nov. 19, 2005.
“The biggest challenge, for me, is the preparation,” Gonzaga said. “In mixed martial arts, it takes a lot of good preparation to put everything together. You need to be in great condition to fight, and it takes a lot to be ready.”
Alvan, who is Team Link’s head coach, said, “Definitely the most important time is the preparation before the fight. The day after the fight, the job is done already. The hardest time is 45 days to two months before because that is when you train very hard.”
Gonzaga averages about two fights a year. His training schedule is a full-time job.
“To be a top-level fighter like Gonzaga, you have to be dedicated,” said Alvan. “Most people just see the day of the fight, and think anybody could do it, but it involves a lot of things. Everybody has families and kids. These fighters train six to eight hours a day, and then they go home to their families. It is very hard to be at the top level. You have to put in a lot of time to get to this point.”
“You really have to train hard to compete,” said Gonzaga. “I usually spend six hours lifting weights, training on all different kinds of martial arts. It takes a lot of focus.”
All three fighters have one goal in mind — to be the best they can be. For Gonzaga and Santos, that means winning a title.
“My goal is to win the belt and be the UFC champion,” said Gonzaga. “I want the title shot.”
“I want to get to a big event like WFC or UFC. I’m training for that,” said Santos through Alvan. “I want to bring the belts to my team to say thanks for supporting me.”
While making an appearance in Mount Vernon might appear to be far from beneficial for Team Link, they are hoping they can make an impact.
“We want people to know a little bit more about us and about Brazilian jiu jitsu,” Alvan said. “People think it is a violent sport and we just want to fight, but it isn’t about that. We are professional fighters and we want to educate people. We don’t want people to go out in a bar and start trouble. That’s not what the idea of this. The guys that do that are not professionals. The professionals train hard and work to be the best.”
Lashley sees it as a great learning opportunity for the many participants in his own academy.
“Some of their teachings are new, but they fine tune it so well even the basic technique is an improvement,” Lashley said. “Gabriel (Gonzaga) is a three- or four-time world jiu jitsu champion. To have someone like that teach you technique, you know you are getting the best, and Marco is his trainer. Gabriel Santos has won so many things.
“I hope this help us grow, and educates others about the sport. We do mixed martial arts, but we have a jiu jitsu base. To have a UFC heavyweight contender in there showing basic jiu jitsu, that’s a great learning experience.”
