Celso Venícius unleashes a spot-on kick at Max Fight 13. Photo: Personal archive/Publicity.
Three-time Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Celso Venícius took to the cage for a bout of MMA last Saturday, May 19 at Max Fight 13, where the Roberto Gordo black belt went three rounds with CheckMat’s Emerson Peixoto before getting the unanimous nod from the judges.
“Fighting three rounds was a new experience for me. Although I totally dominated, my opponent was a warrior; he withstood a lot of submissions and took a lot of punishment,” Celso told GRACIEMAG.com
The teacher at Ryan Gracie academy in São Paulo went on to address the lessons he derived from the fight.
“I had to keep my head on straight to not overexert myself and lose pace. I let some positions get away from me, and I’m going to work on that for my next fight. I can’t afford to let the Jiu-Jitsu positions I had slip. I was called up kind of late and didn’t get to train the way I’d have liked. I promise, next time I’ll do a lot better,” he said.
“Now my striking was kind of bottled up, mainly my hands. In training it flowed a lot better. I thnk that part I’ll manage to iron out as I get more fight experience,” said Venícius, who proffered a pointer for anyone looking to compete in MMA:
“The tip for anyone migrating from Jiu-Jitsu to MMA is to dedicate yourself wholeheartedly and love what you’re doing. Don’t do it because it’s the thing to do or because of the money, because you’ll surely take a big fall.
Watch the final round between Celsinho Venícius and Emerson Peixoto:
