Marcus and his gold medal. Photo: Personal Archive
Marcus Salerno, a Gracie Barra black belt, has the goal of winning the 2022 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Master, scheduled for September, in Las Vegas, United States.
The athlete has made a luxury preparation by fighting in Federation tournaments between the adult and master division. He recently won a gold medal at the Atlanta Open, a bronze medal at the IBJJF Los Angeles Open and San Diego Open, as well as another gold medal at the hotly contested GB Compnet tournament.
“I’ve been preparing well for the World Masters. I’m more confident now than I was for the 2021 World Masters. I ended up losing in the quarterfinals to the champion by an advantage, but now I’m very well prepared and with a much heavier training schedule. I’m getting help from great athletes on my team and want to be on the podium once again”, says Salerno.
A black belt since 2016, Marcus highlights the main difference between competing against the youngest and the most experienced.
“Without a doubt, the fighting mileage is the key difference between the Adult and Master category. The level of the athletes is practically the same, but the strategy changes a lot. When you fight for 10 minutes in the Adult category, you still have a good amount of time to correct a mistake or point, while in the master the fight is more heated and one mistake is enough to lose the fight”, explains the athlete.
Recently, Marcus experienced fighting in the famous Pyramid of Long Beach, California. For the IBJJF International Master, he secured the bronze medal. Next, the assiduous competitor talks about the experience.
“Fighting in the Pyramid is a unique feeling! This was my third time competing there. In 2011, I got third place and second place in 2016. This last time, I ended up in third again. I fought well, but made a mistake in my last fight and my opponent took the win by points. I’ll correct my mistakes so I can bring home the gold next time”
