Marcelo is the man, wish he was based on the west coast and I'd train with him every day....
This is still one of my favorite videos of all time and it comes from Marcelo breaking down how you should train ..this can be carried over to ones personal life as well.
This is still one of my favorite videos of all time and it comes from Marcelo breaking down how you should train ..this can be carried over to ones personal life as well.
M
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There's seriously not a more respectable person in the BJJ community than Marcelo. He's always been incredible as a competitor and extremely respectful as a person.
I know only a handful of people here train, so I'll explain the significance of this.... BJJ way more so than MMA is about loyalty, back in the 90's and early 2000's it was really hardcore with how loyal you were to your lineage. Back in those days there wasn't many American BJJ practitioners, so the Brazilians came and held everyone to that same (almost cult like) standard of loyalty they showed. Those were the good old days of gym storms and team rivalries, and unlike today, no one ever trained with anyone other than their teammates. As a practitioner, you were loyal to your coach, team, and lineage.
Marcelo came up in that environment, and has always been loyal to his team. He holds his guys to that same standard.... So when a coach, the guy who gave you a black belt says that he wants you to either leave the team, or in this case figure out what it is you want and are trying to do (while taking a forced sabbatical), that is a big thing. That means he's ready to kick them out and cut off all association.
Dillion Danis especially has started to gain a reputation of being overly confident (he hasn't won any major BJJ world championships, and has yet to fight in MMA but acts like he's the world's best).... His ego has gotten the best of him and apparently Marcelo doesn't feel like he represents him, his philosophy, or his team at this moment.
Anyway, that's my insight, and I haven't gotten the full story, but from what I've been told by one of Marcelo's students, he isn't thrilled with the.... Conor attitude.... That his black belts have been showing
I know only a handful of people here train, so I'll explain the significance of this.... BJJ way more so than MMA is about loyalty, back in the 90's and early 2000's it was really hardcore with how loyal you were to your lineage. Back in those days there wasn't many American BJJ practitioners, so the Brazilians came and held everyone to that same (almost cult like) standard of loyalty they showed. Those were the good old days of gym storms and team rivalries, and unlike today, no one ever trained with anyone other than their teammates. As a practitioner, you were loyal to your coach, team, and lineage.
Marcelo came up in that environment, and has always been loyal to his team. He holds his guys to that same standard.... So when a coach, the guy who gave you a black belt says that he wants you to either leave the team, or in this case figure out what it is you want and are trying to do (while taking a forced sabbatical), that is a big thing. That means he's ready to kick them out and cut off all association.
Dillion Danis especially has started to gain a reputation of being overly confident (he hasn't won any major BJJ world championships, and has yet to fight in MMA but acts like he's the world's best).... His ego has gotten the best of him and apparently Marcelo doesn't feel like he represents him, his philosophy, or his team at this moment.
Anyway, that's my insight, and I haven't gotten the full story, but from what I've been told by one of Marcelo's students, he isn't thrilled with the.... Conor attitude.... That his black belts have been showing
Marcelo is mad cool but he was a notorious poacher when his academy was getting established here in NYC so even he has done his dirt.
But I think striving to bring honor back to the academy is commendable, particularly in light of some of the much more important personal crises he's faced recently.
But I think striving to bring honor back to the academy is commendable, particularly in light of some of the much more important personal crises he's faced recently.
M
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*trane
He and Josh actively recruited dudes at tournaments from other gyms. All water under the bridge now, but grimy at the time for a lot of NY gyms. Marcelo was the biggest name back then so it was like Michael Jordan coming and asking you to play for the Wizards.
I think it's going to be hard for people who haven't been following the sport for a long time to understand this. Gym loyalty used to be a huge deal. Not so much now.
M
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Yeah a lot of cross training and open mats have changed this.... I wrote about the old school ways of BJJ in another Marcelo thread. I remember being told that getting your black belt back in the day was like 90% loyalty (and I know at the old Gracie Academy they hazed you worst than frat rushes). If you stuck it out and didn't quit, you earned it.... But if you quit and went elsewhere, you were a dead man walking.
Irony of it is Alliance more or less were the first team to really make an issue of this. Famously when Dede Pederneiras and others started up the BJJ World Cup to actually pay BJJ competitors to compete Fabio Gurgel booted Demian Maia for competing since he felt they should be united under IBJJF. Leo Vieira, Comprido and others basically said F you to Fabio and left to form Brasa which later splintered into a bunch of other teams (Checkmat, 9/9, TT, etc). They were pilloried as traitors but ended up being better than anyone at Alliance til Marcelo and Cobrinha came along (both originally having been part of TT).
Then when that generation came to the US suddenly everyone was invited to train in a spirit of supposed "openness," but it was a poaching scheme to build their academies and help rebuild Alliance's results on the medal stand in the IBJJF standings. Competitors at MG's were discouraged from competing in non-IBJJF events until these latest paying events came along. Honestly can't knock the hustle, but it was as much about BJJ politics as it was about being open and moral.
There's so many schools around! Lots of competition for new students. At the end of the day it's about keeping your doors open.
He actually stole duck eggs and tried to raise the chicks on his brand of BJJ. But they betrayed him, so see.