Juan Lopes is a black belt from Carlson Gracie Team. Foto: Marco Oliveira
From Canada, Pedro Lott helps form the new Carlson Gracie competition team. The group is already starting to reap the fruits of the planning done alongside Carlson Gracie Jr and Juan Lopes, the man in charge of leading the new generation in Brazil.
At the beginning of the season, more precisely at the European Championship, the Carlson Gracie school shone at black belt and had important highlights at blue and purple belt. The gold medal came to Juan Lopes, at the master 2 bantamweight black belt, Wesley Teixeira, at the bantamweight blue belt, and Yago Oliveira, at the heavyweight purple belt.
“The team is showing great evolution and we are happy with this long-term growth”, reflects Lott. “In addition to the names mentioned above, I also highlight my students Chayse and Huthayfah Penney. The former, in her first competition as a brown belt, won the first fight by submission and lost to the current world champion in the second fight by two points. Chayse almost dominated the bout, but she lost good positions when she tried to pass the guard and came close to reaching her opponent’s back. As for Huthayfah, he submitted two and fought with Paulo Miyao, ending the fight with a tight submission. They are increasingly used to competing at a high level”,
The team finished in eighth place overall, with 21 points, ahead of Gracie Barra and Art of Jiu-Jitsu, owned by the Mendes brothers. The strategy of valuing core athletes has generated significant numbers in the IBJJF tournaments.
“The important thing is that, in most big events, there’s always a black belt from the Carlson Gracie team arriving. The team is very strong. ‘Juanzinho’ is very strategic and his students are winning everything, just like him. Anyway, growth is constant! Alexandre Molinaro fought very well too, he kept calm when the fight wasn’t the best and gave his all, but ended up losing in the decision. The technical evolution of Molinaro is unreal! For those who know him and follow him”, comments Lott.
At the Rio de Janeiro competitions, specifically at FJJ Rio, the Carlson Team is very prominent under the leadership of Ari Galo and Vinicius Amaral.
