Pablo Mantovani, 24, is currently preparing for ADCC 2019. The world’s biggest grappling event is set to take place next month in Long Beach, Calif.
To win the title he wants, Mantovani, who is a black-belt under Guto Santos, is training with André Galvão at Atos in nearby San Diego.
“The mindset side of things is something important, and here we can armor ourselves more and more,” he says. “You have a hard training session where you look to one side and there’s a tough guy in your weight division, and you look to the other side and see the same thing. How could that not armor you? With each training session I feel that I get closer and my confidence increases. I feel privileged to have this whole group here at Atos, and I know that with each camp we’re ready to face any opponent in the world. It’s a smart type of training.”
Mantovani, who also mentions discipline in dieting as a factor in his success, will be competing in the under-66kg division. And he’s not betting on just repeating the stuff that got him this far. “I had to explore new techniques and develop a new mindset,” he says. “I found out it was not enough to just sit on the ground and try to play guard if I wanted to achieve success. So I left my comfort zone and worked on that which was missing on top and, especially, on takedowns. I seek to be a complete athlete and I don’t like being limited to just one style. I seek to always improve in order to be prepared.”
Here’s a look at his training:
[Source: PR.]
