Dean Lister makes a scared face while Rodolfo makes the most of his gift.
The absolute Jiu-Jitsu champion of the world, Rodolfo Vieira was hoping to celebrate turning 22 last Sunday with an ADCC medal hanging from his neck. He didn’t make it, getting submitted by eventual winner of the under-99kg division Dean Lister in the semifinals, during which he injured a rib and was unable to dispute third place in the absolute division as the event drew to a close.
But that wasn’t the greatest of Rodolfo’s concerns, as he made plain in the bar of the hotel in England, surrounded by Jiu-Jitsu friends like Ronaldo Jacaré, Renzo Gracie, Fabricio Werdum, Augusto Tanquinho & Mackenzie Dern, Bráulio Estima, Chico Mendes, Léo Vieira, João Assis (Lister’s runner-up), Bruno and Ricardo Bastos, Marcelinho Garcia and absolute winner André Galvão, among others.
“To hell with the ADCC title this year. Lister nearly pulled my foot off, my rib’s hurting like crazy, but I’ll be back in 2013. What matters now is this band of bums here,” he said, after verbal authorization from Antonio Peinado gave him the go-ahead and before the lady from the bar (“Chill out there, Lady Gaga”) ordered him to get down off the table.
The party was such a riot that the GRACIEMAG.com team had to stick around. It was worth it. Arriving on the scene a bit later, Dean Lister decided he’d give the young man a present when he found out it was his birthday. After a friendly embrace from Rodolfo, Lister granted Rodolfo his “revenge”, and Rodolfo promptly made a meal of it. Tangled up on the ground, Rodolfo took the gentleman’s back right in the middle of the hotel lobby, to laughter from all around. A worthy consolation prize: with the odd “draw”, Rodolfo won’t need to grumble about the result until 2013.
ADCC 2011 coverage like no one’s ever seen is coming up in the next issue of GRACIEMAG!
