Antônio Braga Neto

Antônio Braga Neto showed, once again, that the super-heavyweight division has a champion. In the Brazilian of Jiu-Jitsu, which happened last weekend in Rio de Janeiro, the black belt of Gordo JJ didn’t give chance to his opponents and submitted one by one, until he win the gold medal. After the conquest, the current World Champion spoke with TATAME.com about the submissions, his expectations for the second World Championship in 2009 and much more.

 

How do you felt winning your second Brazilian championship in the black belt?

 

This was my second consecutive title submitting all fights. It was very nice to win another important title in my career, but I'll wake up tomorrow as if it was nothing and searching to get better each day and get new achievements, such as next year Brazilian. If I have the opportunity, I’ll fight to get one more.

 

You fought at the openweight and you was going well, but lost to Tiago Gaia. What happened?

 

Talk about it after the fight is difficult. We already know each other, I know his game and I knew he would do that, but, unfortunately, in the middle of the fight, I was tired... It is difficult to talk, give explanation. I'm sick, I’ve got dehydration in recent days, but that doesn’t matter, he won, congratulations to him. I’m just a little sad because I’m working very hard, dedicating myself, and comes in the week of the championship and I’m sick again, but I’ll see if I make a medical monitoring to the World Championship and, if all goes right, I’ll get there 100%. Today wasn’t my day, congratulations to Tiago and everyone. When I got here I wasn’t feeling so good, my friends from the academy wanted me to go home, but I'm there, I’m a warrior. I prefer to enter and lose than put my kimono under my arm and go home. This is no excuse, but, today, unfortunately, didn’t work for me, but I’ll try in the next for sure.

 

What’s your expectation to the World Championship, since you’re the current Champion and everyone is after you?

 

I try not to think of this very much, to who is after me or not. I do my job and, thanks God, is going well. I will go after the World Championship as if it were the first. I’ll go for my eighth gold medal at World Cups and I’ll the openweight too. I respect everyone that will be there, but I’m going to be champion. The expectation is the best possible, I hope that all the tough guys that exist are fighting and that everyone is there to be champion. The expectation is that, I will be there well prepared and in search of the title too.

 

Are you training in Rio again?

 

Yeah, I'm back and I’m with a social project, I’m work and, for now, my future will be here in Rio.

 

Rodolfo Vieira, who was brown belt when he won the World Professional selective, was graduated black belt now.  Do you expect a rematch against him at the World Cup?

 

I would like to fight against him again and with any other fighter that is good. He has a very good technical quality, is a tough guy, but I try not to think in opponent. He arrived there now, won the championship and congratulations to him. In the World Championship, if he’s really there, it will be a pleasure to fight with him and with everyone.

 

Have you already fought with Marcel Fortuna (Gracie Floripa) before?

 

It was the fifth or sixth time that we fought and thanks God I was the champion. I will defend my world title there, for sure, and get the title that is what every fighter wants, the world openweight title in the black belt, to contemplate a career of victories. I, thank God, was openweight champion in all belts and, at the black, is a title that I still don’t have, and that I will try to get to the end of my life.