AOJ professors: Bruno Frazatto, Guilherme Mendes, Rafael Mendes. Photo: Nick the Tooth
As if the staff at GMA Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, CA wasn’t grand enough, they have added another top competitor to be a professor: Bruno Frazatto.
The Mendes brothers, Gui and Rafa, have trained with Bruno for years who is one of the top featherweight black belts in the world having won the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Brazilian Nationals, Europeans and placed second at the Worlds. His absence in the Jiu-Jitsu competition scene can be solved by diving into his MMA record of 6-1. Even though his goals are still focused towards MMA, he is looking forward to helping the students of AOJ and their professors back in his roots of Jiu-Jitsu.
We spoke with the Mendes brothers about their decision to invite him to teach and what can be expected of his role there:
GRACIEMAG: What made you decide to invite Bruno Frazatto to teach?
MENDES BROS: We have been talking about this with him for a long time because he has the profile that fits what we expect for an AOJ professor/coach. The classes are growing fast and we decided to expand our hours and add more classes. Starting on Nov. 3 we will have 14 classes a day and 10 more on the weekends.
What are his responsibilities?
He is going to be teaching gi classes at 6 a.m. and no-gi classes in the afternoon.
How far back does your relationship with him go?
When we started training together he was a black belt and we were purple belts. He was always a great training partner and always taught us a lot. He was an important part of our beginning, and the friendship that we built is something that will stay forever. He is like a brother to us and an amazing person to be around. This is the main reason we wanted him with us at AOJ.
Will he still train MMA?
Yes, he really wants to be in the UFC and he is working every day for it. I believe that we will be able to help him a lot with his training and of course he will be helping us a lot for all the competitions in Jiu-Jitsu.
What do you think he has to offer to the students of AOJ?
He is a champion in the sport, and has competition experience at the highest level. He has a lot of experience in Jiu-Jitsu as a black belt. Besides his amazing skill level he is a really friendly person and loves to teach.
We are really happy with our group of coaches/staff as they work hard for their dreams and are amazing people, and in our opinion this is the best kind of people to around yourself with.
Stay up-to-date with the Mendes brothers, Bruno Frazatto and the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy at www.artofjiujitsu.com
