Clube Carlson Gracie '99
Suyan, Clean, Zé Mario, Bustamante, Xuxu, Marinho, MF
Rua Figueiredo de Magalhães, 414 - 3° andar - Copacabana
Suyan, Clean, Zé Mario, Bustamante, Xuxu, Marinho, MF
Rua Figueiredo de Magalhães, 414 - 3° andar - Copacabana
The Split occured in the year 2000. Carlson Gracie's best Jiu-Jitsu fighters decided to leave Club Carlson Gracie and form a new team called Brazilian Top Team. This caused major turmoil between Grandmaster Carlson Gracie and the newly formed BTT. My brother Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, with his twin and I under his wings, joined Brazilian Top Team. Also my main instructor Marcus "Conan" Silveira endorsed that I split and join BTT. That's exactly what we did!
Zé Mario Sperry, Ricardo Arona, e Dustin Denes
ano 2000
Nobody anticipated the split from the Club Carlson Gracie, so when it happened we needed immediate infrastructure - Murilo's academy in Leblon would be one location, in addition to the Associação Atlética Banco do Brasil -where we eventually transitioned to training full-time, then training only Saturdays at Murilo. Bustamante Jiu-Jitsu academy was a small gym with a unique shape, but we did serious work there. Intelligent studies and hard fought battles.
ano 2000
Nobody anticipated the split from the Club Carlson Gracie, so when it happened we needed immediate infrastructure - Murilo's academy in Leblon would be one location, in addition to the Associação Atlética Banco do Brasil -where we eventually transitioned to training full-time, then training only Saturdays at Murilo. Bustamante Jiu-Jitsu academy was a small gym with a unique shape, but we did serious work there. Intelligent studies and hard fought battles.
DAILY OPERATION
PRO Training started 11:30Am and went until 1:30/2Pm. Pro training was after the earlier 10Am quimono class. I trained all, and still went to Luiz Alves Muay Thai or Ricardo de la Riva gym for classes in the late day/evening. Then night exercises with Fernando Margarida at Barra Beach, drink coconut water, pull-ups, push-ups, and parallel bars.
Rodrigo would always show up at 2Pm because he was on his own time North Brasil time. I'd stay with one or two others, and train more. Minotauro was well rested and fresh for training. Just like that, own up and BRING IT! That was the protocol. Don't veer. Champion needs to be Focused. Like sand falling from the hourglass, all energy focused and feeding one task at a time.
Rodrigo would always show up at 2Pm because he was on his own time North Brasil time. I'd stay with one or two others, and train more. Minotauro was well rested and fresh for training. Just like that, own up and BRING IT! That was the protocol. Don't veer. Champion needs to be Focused. Like sand falling from the hourglass, all energy focused and feeding one task at a time.
Minotauro, Pequeno, Minotouro, Clean, Boca, e Hudson
Brazilian Top Team 2000/01 - AABB Lagoa, Rio de janeiro
Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira was leading the way as BTT Heavyweight Jiu-Jitsu Fighter, and he was on the rise w/ MMA in Japan. He was a real mentor to me, and someone to emulate. He was kicking ass, and we were all on the train. Talk about Discipline and Sacrifice Rodrigo kept to a diligent regimen of hard training, and always focused on the Task at Hand WINNING.
Rodrigo took Action to catapult himself closer and closer to achieiving his goals. He didn't shy from opportunity, no matter what or how big the challenge. PREPARATION was always a Priority. He did the Homework and it paid off! No Excuses
FIRST BLOOD
In-house regulators on a daily, very few visitors. When visitors showed up They Got Served // Beat up so Never come back WE MADE SURE OF IT I can recall arguments countless times with teammates over who would get first dibs when visitors walked through the door. Who wants left-overs? Not me. Nothing like First Blood!
Brazilian Top Team 2000/01 - AABB Lagoa, Rio de janeiro
Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira was leading the way as BTT Heavyweight Jiu-Jitsu Fighter, and he was on the rise w/ MMA in Japan. He was a real mentor to me, and someone to emulate. He was kicking ass, and we were all on the train. Talk about Discipline and Sacrifice Rodrigo kept to a diligent regimen of hard training, and always focused on the Task at Hand WINNING.
Rodrigo took Action to catapult himself closer and closer to achieiving his goals. He didn't shy from opportunity, no matter what or how big the challenge. PREPARATION was always a Priority. He did the Homework and it paid off! No Excuses
FIRST BLOOD
In-house regulators on a daily, very few visitors. When visitors showed up They Got Served // Beat up so Never come back WE MADE SURE OF IT I can recall arguments countless times with teammates over who would get first dibs when visitors walked through the door. Who wants left-overs? Not me. Nothing like First Blood!
BRAZILIAN TOP TEAM
JIU-JITSU FIGHTER Daily Training with Murilo Bustamante, Zé Mario Sperry, Alan Góes, Ricardo Libório, Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Paulo Filho, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, and more. Add to this list a few more really tough purple, brown, and black belts, as well as fighters such as Alexandre Pequeno Nogueira and Vitor Belfort who also trained with us. Also one of Ricardo de la Riva's best students eventually joined BTT, Moacir "Boca" Omena de Oliveira.
Old school training shorts, MMA gloves, cup and mouthpiece. The training was Tough every single day. Plenty of groundwork, but we also practiced takedowns and did lots of BLOQUEIO A Necessary Nightmare that offered minor spurts of Glory. Bloqueio translates to "Block" in Portuguese, a defensive mechanism. Basically, one fighter puts small gloves and shinguards (if you are lucky) and comes after the other with an offensive onslaught of strikes (usually no head-gear). Fighters in training had to achieve the takedowns. The process over and over again, until coach was satisfied with the work, or the beatings were so bad that it brought the training to a halt. Tough sessions, day in day out..
I witnessed and experienced savage training! It's not for everybody you know, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the level and with the objectives we were chasing in the arena of mixed martial arts. I can tell you this, I was ALL IN! And my Actions did the speaking. My DISCIPLINE was appreciated and I was Honored when the coaches would choose me, eventually most of the time, to lead the way in the warm-ups. This is where my decade of wrestling paid off..
NO SHORT CUTS (whatever it is you choose to do in life) It's a choice! Champion SACRIFICE isn't for everyone.
The coaches knew I would push the boundaries by leading an intense and rigorous warm-up. Reality is, most people are slow to get things going. There's something to be said for the one's who are willing to ATTACK The Task At Hand.
Lesson to be learned for the reader, ACTION Makes things happen. Nothing to be earned falls from the sky. Most parents tell their kids to chase their dreams. Well, that's a nice thought, but from my experience, strongly consider CHASING YOUR EFFORTS
JIU-JITSU FIGHTER Daily Training with Murilo Bustamante, Zé Mario Sperry, Alan Góes, Ricardo Libório, Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Paulo Filho, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, and more. Add to this list a few more really tough purple, brown, and black belts, as well as fighters such as Alexandre Pequeno Nogueira and Vitor Belfort who also trained with us. Also one of Ricardo de la Riva's best students eventually joined BTT, Moacir "Boca" Omena de Oliveira.
Old school training shorts, MMA gloves, cup and mouthpiece. The training was Tough every single day. Plenty of groundwork, but we also practiced takedowns and did lots of BLOQUEIO A Necessary Nightmare that offered minor spurts of Glory. Bloqueio translates to "Block" in Portuguese, a defensive mechanism. Basically, one fighter puts small gloves and shinguards (if you are lucky) and comes after the other with an offensive onslaught of strikes (usually no head-gear). Fighters in training had to achieve the takedowns. The process over and over again, until coach was satisfied with the work, or the beatings were so bad that it brought the training to a halt. Tough sessions, day in day out..
I witnessed and experienced savage training! It's not for everybody you know, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the level and with the objectives we were chasing in the arena of mixed martial arts. I can tell you this, I was ALL IN! And my Actions did the speaking. My DISCIPLINE was appreciated and I was Honored when the coaches would choose me, eventually most of the time, to lead the way in the warm-ups. This is where my decade of wrestling paid off..
NO SHORT CUTS (whatever it is you choose to do in life) It's a choice! Champion SACRIFICE isn't for everyone.
The coaches knew I would push the boundaries by leading an intense and rigorous warm-up. Reality is, most people are slow to get things going. There's something to be said for the one's who are willing to ATTACK The Task At Hand.
Lesson to be learned for the reader, ACTION Makes things happen. Nothing to be earned falls from the sky. Most parents tell their kids to chase their dreams. Well, that's a nice thought, but from my experience, strongly consider CHASING YOUR EFFORTS
Clean e Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogeuira
King of the Triangle and King of the Guillotine
My decade of wrestling experience paid high-yield dividends in the room at Brazilian Top Team. My wrestling experience Earned RESPECT because I knew how to wrestle and get the takedowns. I could take most of the room down, except for a few next level contenders. In particular, Paulo Filho armed with Judo and Ricardo Arona who was like a Tiger. Also routine training with Vitor Belfort -Fast, strong, and agile on the feet.
Honorable mention to Alexandre Pequeno because he'd "Dial me in." I could consistently take him down a few times at the beginning of training sessions, but eventually he'd mark the timing and placement to lock me into his guillotines.
Pequeno was a very successful luta-livre freestyle fighter, longtime Shooto Champion in Japan. He came to us when he suffered a loss, and needed to redeem himself against the same fighter in Japan --to defend his Shooto belt. Murilo Bustamante shared with him higher education from the guard position, and Pequeno went on to win the rematch.
Pequeno shared with us many unique and very-powerful submission techniques. I recall there was day when he was showing his Anaconda/Inverted Anaconda series to the circle at BTT. There had to be thirty black belts on the mat that day, eyes opened with amazement for what was new to us, but would become foundation technique.
Humble person and a Great champion man of few words, someone to emulate in Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira.
King of the Triangle and King of the Guillotine
My decade of wrestling experience paid high-yield dividends in the room at Brazilian Top Team. My wrestling experience Earned RESPECT because I knew how to wrestle and get the takedowns. I could take most of the room down, except for a few next level contenders. In particular, Paulo Filho armed with Judo and Ricardo Arona who was like a Tiger. Also routine training with Vitor Belfort -Fast, strong, and agile on the feet.
Honorable mention to Alexandre Pequeno because he'd "Dial me in." I could consistently take him down a few times at the beginning of training sessions, but eventually he'd mark the timing and placement to lock me into his guillotines.
Pequeno was a very successful luta-livre freestyle fighter, longtime Shooto Champion in Japan. He came to us when he suffered a loss, and needed to redeem himself against the same fighter in Japan --to defend his Shooto belt. Murilo Bustamante shared with him higher education from the guard position, and Pequeno went on to win the rematch.
Pequeno shared with us many unique and very-powerful submission techniques. I recall there was day when he was showing his Anaconda/Inverted Anaconda series to the circle at BTT. There had to be thirty black belts on the mat that day, eyes opened with amazement for what was new to us, but would become foundation technique.
Humble person and a Great champion man of few words, someone to emulate in Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira.
BTT Fighter profile: Dustin Denes
Japanese Fight magazine
Kakutougi Tsushin 2001
I, Dustin Denes, am Honored to have shed blood, sweat, and tears day in and day out at Brazilian Top Team during the era of 2000-02. Most of my time was spent living and training in Rio de janeiro, and when I was there, I was at the academy all the time. Monday through Saturday, diligently first to arrive and last to leave. It was an exercise in Discipline day after day, week after week, year after year. Good days and bad, plenty of days hurt, injured, or not feeling up to it, I still showed Determined and Committed to do the work.
I remember one day I was very sick with a stomach virus. Minotouro saw the horrible shape I in and insisted that I stay home in Barra and rest from training that day. What my brother prescribed for me was not in my vocabulary. DETERMINATION had a destination Speed to Momentum // Doing the work consistently I went for the academy in Lagoa, but had a minor detour on the way w/ intense pain while making way for the academy. I had to lie down on the sidewalk outside of a bank in Leblon. I looked like a homeless person lying down, but could care less at the time. The stomach pain was horrific but after a short while I managed to own up, push through and make it to the academy.
In serious Pain, but COMMITTED To The Task At Hand And Ready to Train, Minotouro looked to Libório and mentioned my condition. Libório looked to me and said "Clean, você não vai treinar hoje!" Translated "Clean, you will not train today!" Hey, it was outta my control, I didn't train that day, but the principal stands --I showed up to do the work.
Necessary to become a Champion DISCIPLINE Good days and Bad -Get it done.
However, I was HONORED knowing that Libo was looking after my well being.
Otherwise, I'd Honor my service to my Team/Training even if it meant death.
Japanese Fight magazine
Kakutougi Tsushin 2001
I, Dustin Denes, am Honored to have shed blood, sweat, and tears day in and day out at Brazilian Top Team during the era of 2000-02. Most of my time was spent living and training in Rio de janeiro, and when I was there, I was at the academy all the time. Monday through Saturday, diligently first to arrive and last to leave. It was an exercise in Discipline day after day, week after week, year after year. Good days and bad, plenty of days hurt, injured, or not feeling up to it, I still showed Determined and Committed to do the work.
I remember one day I was very sick with a stomach virus. Minotouro saw the horrible shape I in and insisted that I stay home in Barra and rest from training that day. What my brother prescribed for me was not in my vocabulary. DETERMINATION had a destination Speed to Momentum // Doing the work consistently I went for the academy in Lagoa, but had a minor detour on the way w/ intense pain while making way for the academy. I had to lie down on the sidewalk outside of a bank in Leblon. I looked like a homeless person lying down, but could care less at the time. The stomach pain was horrific but after a short while I managed to own up, push through and make it to the academy.
In serious Pain, but COMMITTED To The Task At Hand And Ready to Train, Minotouro looked to Libório and mentioned my condition. Libório looked to me and said "Clean, você não vai treinar hoje!" Translated "Clean, you will not train today!" Hey, it was outta my control, I didn't train that day, but the principal stands --I showed up to do the work.
Necessary to become a Champion DISCIPLINE Good days and Bad -Get it done.
However, I was HONORED knowing that Libo was looking after my well being.
Otherwise, I'd Honor my service to my Team/Training even if it meant death.
Above vid Brazilian Top Team / ATT Fighter Dustin Denes v Eric "Red" Schaffer
My corner Rodrigo Minotauro, Wade Rome, and Luiz Alves Muay Thai R.I.P
My corner Rodrigo Minotauro, Wade Rome, and Luiz Alves Muay Thai R.I.P
Brazilian Top Team 2001
Japanese Fight magazine
Kakutougi Tsushin
You wanna show up? Quite frankly, just take a walk.. save yourself the PAIN and SACRIFICE involved, because it's Blood In Blood Out .. Trained To show No compassion on the battlefield .. Reserved For the one's willing to Push Thro is the other side of Pain.. Glory.
CHAMPION STORY link here
Japanese Fight magazine
Kakutougi Tsushin
You wanna show up? Quite frankly, just take a walk.. save yourself the PAIN and SACRIFICE involved, because it's Blood In Blood Out .. Trained To show No compassion on the battlefield .. Reserved For the one's willing to Push Thro is the other side of Pain.. Glory.
CHAMPION STORY link here