Pedro Marinho. Photo: Maggie Left for IBJJF.
A classic fighter with a game focused on neck finishes, Pedro Marinho is in the process of writing his name in the brown belt division. At this year’s No-Gi Worlds, in California, the Gracie Barra Westchase athlete won a title with four wins — two by submission.
“I was loyal to my choices. I left home early to conquer gold medals and a space for myself,” says Pedro, reflecting on his second world title with the IBJJF seal.
The new GB breakout wants more, but isn’t yet thinking of the black belt. “I have titles in the Pan and No-Gi Worlds — that with just six months of being a brown-belt. I want to mature and train a lot more to repeat these feats in the gi in 2020. The black belt is a natural process of evolution. I continue to work to go up in level, whether on or off the mats.”
Marinho goes on to analyze his middleweight final. Faced with Ecuador’s Roberto Jimenez — another star of the new generation — he dominated the action and scored two points and five advantages to prevail. The points and advantages came from a guillotine. “I went into this final just to win. This is what mattered to me,” he says. “I was watching out for the berimbolos, takedown attempts, and let my game flow. Every time he came for my legs, I’d lasso his neck to try to adjust the guillotine, and thus went a good part of the fight.”
Marinho adds: “Fighting Roberto is always very hard. He’s one of the best. But I always heard that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I love these fights, and I can barely wait for us to meet in the black belt — given that he was promoted at the end of the championship — and wage some good wars.”
