Alvaro Romano teaching Ginástica Natural in New York / Photo: Cristian Buitron
A physical conditioning coach to the MMA stars, Jiu-Jitsu black belt and Ginástica Natural expert, Alvaro Romano has dropped out of Vitor Belfort’s team and will not be training him for his showdown with Wanderlei Silva next June at UFC Brazil.
“I won’t be coaching Vitor anymore. I’m off his team, after having worked with him for his last two fights, two victories. Now I have some offers to work on producing new athletes,” Romano told GRACIEMAG.com. “My idea is to set up and execute a plan alongside professionals from all the areas of training. That’s the right way to do things. That’s how I always did it, and the results have been 100% victorious in the UFC so far. I want to spearhead the evolution of conditioning for MMA.”
“I LEAVE THE TEAM WITH HIM VICTORIOUS”
A GRACIEMAG columnist, Romano denies any falling out with Belfort, but he does say he is open to work with other MMA stars.
“I want to deal more with the planning, while my son Raphael would work more directly with the UFC and MMA stars in their training camps,” he elucidates.
The Rolls Gracie student remembers how he took up Belfort’s training at a difficult moment, when the two first struck up their partnership.
“Fifteen years ago, I started training him after he lost to Randy Couture at UFC 15, in 1997. After another unfortunate incident, his loss to Anderson Silva in 2011, we started working together again. Now I leave the team with him victorious and at a good point in his career. I have other offers, and I want to devote myself to new plans for Ginástica Natural and training athletes,” Alvaro added.
Check out a bit of what Ginástica Natural is all about, in the following video produced by Alvaro and his son Raphael.
