Lo and Copa Pódio: “There’ll be no way to stall, the one with the best game and gas tank wins”

A black belt of less than two years, Leandro won the WPJJ in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Luca Atalla.

São Paulo State native Leandro Lo (Cícero Costha) is Jiu-Jitsu’s big revelation of the season. In 2011, the lightweight from Cícero’s outreach project won the World Professional JJ Championship in Abu Dhabi (WPJJ), the Brazilian Nationals, the Rio Open, and even triumphed at weight and open weight at the WPJJ tryouts in Natal, Brazil, just to mention a few of the titles he’s earned over the course of the year.

Now, the black belt is readying his guns for the December 17 Copa Pódio in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. “My preparations are coming along fine, I’m training just like I have throughout the year, and I hope everything works out alright,” he told GRACIEMAG.com.

Some bold rules were adopted for the competition, like the six-minute match duration. “I feel it’s great; it makes competitors attack more, without even thinking about stalling. Another cool idea is having the folks compete among each other. After the five on one side of the bracket face the other five, the one with the best game and gas goes through to the final. I’m really for it,” remarked Lo, who has just one strategy for coming out on top at tournaments. “To win, I feel the only formula is to train a lot and keep your head on straight.”

As for the stalwart submission aces ahead of him, Lo doesn’t point out any one as being the most sinister. “That’s a hard question to answer, because the new lightweights coming up the ranks are top tier, so every match will be like a final – there isn’t one main opponent,” said Lo, who is also the No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu champion of Brazil, in closing. (Check out Lo in action in Abu Dhabi in the following video.)

Confira quem enfrenta quem na Copa Pódio, a seguir.