Bráulio Estima in his guard against Xande Ribeiro. Photo: Gustavo Aragão/ GRACIEMAG
Sunday night at Hebraica club in Rio was not only about the Copa Podio Lightweight GP, but also the superfights that entertained the crowd.
In the City Duel, one of the highlights of Jeferson Maycá’s event, Xande Ribeiro (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu/Manaus) was better than Braulio Estima (Gracie Barra/Recife) and won by a 5-2 score.
Quite reflective after the fight, Braulio got his head together the next day and told GRACIEMAG what he learned from the defeat. He got encouraged to shake off the dust during the biggest championship of the year at the end of the month. Check it out:
GRACIEMAG: How did you feel with the grips on the gi again? Are you encouraged to try for another world title in Long Beach at the end of May?
BRÁULIO ESTIMA: It was very nice to come back to the gi after all these years. I am now very motivated to fight again with the big names of Jiu-Jitsu. Everything is possible. I trained on Monday and I’m anxious to get my rhythm back.
Where did you go wrong in the fight with Xande?
It was an interesting fight, since the rule for this superfight didn’t count the advantages. I think I hesitated a lot in situations where I usually go for it. That was my mistake. I waited too much in different situations, while Xande readjusted his positions, and I got behind in the match. But that was what I needed, a slap on the wrist. Nothing happens by chance. Xande fought better on Sunday and that’s how a fight at this level is like. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I want to compete a lot to get the rhythm, control my nervousness more, adrenaline and such. That makes a big difference, too.
After he swept, you swept and then got swept again. Can you tell in detail what happened there?
My biggest mistake in the fight was relaxing at the time Xande was getting ready to pass my guard — a bad habit that I got by being out of championships. In my opinion, it cost me the fight because I spent a lot of energy by redoing my guard and he fit well in the last attempt to pass, when he was able to pass my guard again. My sweep came from an attack on his right knee, he defended well and then I went for it. Since the score was 3-2 for Xande and we were 1:30 from the end of the fight, I lost my focus a bit and exposed myself too much when trying to pass his guard, no matter what. Then Xande got me and I fell to the bottom. But these things come from a long time without competing. I am satisfied with everything. I saw the adjustments that need to be made. It is important to always fight.
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