From your point of view, second from the right in kimono on a knee, that’s me. The above pic was taken at Clube Carlson Gracie in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil ’99. I became known as “Clean, king of the triangle,” because I had great triangles from all angles. Check me out, a Champion surrounded by many great champions!
The first training session at headquarter was a classic. I remember walking around the room and knowing that I had arrived at a champions factory. The crew was uncut and totally raw, championship BJJ team for decades in Brazil. The team was built on hard work and determination to win, backed by a drive to get after it and crush the competition.
The group was technical, but more than anything, the group was tough to the max. The entire group was battle-tested, so techniques were most efficient but far from flashy. In fact, most everything I learned at the Club Carlson Gracie was not pretty, but it would get you a gold medal.
We trained lots of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (kimono) and grappling. There was always someone fighting in vale tudo (mma), so training without the kimono was a mandatory. The training system was complete because no-gi strengthened our basics and the faster-pace was great for our conditioning.
Carlson Gracie was a true inspiration to all that knew him. He was a great warrior himself, and it rubbed off on everyone in the training room. If a student wasn’t born for war, they would be reborn in short time, a warrior. Carlson was a master at making champions!
Hard training was a daily operation at the Club Carlson Gracie. There were always great guys to train with and learn from. There was a learning curve in the room, and he who trained hard and hung tough was sure to become a champion.
1999 left-right: Suyan Queiroz, Dustin “Clean” Denes, Ze Mario Sperry, Murilo Bustamante, Carlos “XuXu” Shermont, Vauvenargues Marinho, Marcel Ferreira
continued…….LINK HERE BRAZILIAN TOP TEAM via Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
JIU-JITSU FIGHTING in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
