Marcio Pé de Pano, 2002. Photo by Gustavo Aragão
For two years in the beginning of the century, Marcio “Pe de Pano” Cruz was the best Jiu-Jitsu competitor in the world when he conquered the male adult black belt open class gold medal.
In 2002, he defeated Saulo Ribeiro and in 2003 he had to fight his teammate and training partner Roger Gracie.
Years later, he talked about it with GRACIEMAG:
“Both were really important to me. When you win the absolute at the Worlds you gain a lot of acclaim. The first, in 2002, stood out because it was my first world title as a black belt. In 2003 what stood out was the match with Roger Gracie. We trained together and that final was a watershed. If these days there are still a lot of guys close out their divisions, two training partners facing off became normal after we faced off in the absolute black belt final.”
Here’s a documentary on the 2003 Worlds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rw9G8LirP4
Don’t forget to register for the 2014 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
The second deadline for registration with discount is approaching.
Do it until May 6 and pay $115 ($120 if you don’t have an IBJJF membership).
The final deadline is May 19.
The 2014 Worlds take place in Long Beach, CA, from May 28 to June 1.
For more info and to register, go to ibjjf.com
