Welcome to Draculino Team — a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in beautiful Marbella, Spain. We'd love to have you come train with us.
25
Aug 07
Traveling Grappler Lee Doski
We have had the enormous pleasure this August to have UK-based MMA fighter Lee “The Guitar Player” Doski down here training with us in Marbella. Lee’s one of nicest and funniest guys we’ve had in the dojo, and we’ve had a month of laughs and tough rolls together.
Lee’s got a fight at the upcoming Cage Rage 22, and so he’ll be heading back home next week. Were all hoping he’ll have a chance to apply the north-south choke we showed him; although it might be tricky in his upcoming K1 rules fight. (But if anybody can figure out how to pull it off, we’re sure Lee can!) Given how hard he’s been training here (oh, about 14 or 15 times per day?!?), we feel pretty sorry for his upcoming opponent.
Be sure to check out Lee’s profile at Sherdog.
Have a safe trip back, Lee. We’re gonna miss having you around, and look forward to your next trip down!
24
Aug 07
New Academy, New Instructor, New Name!
We’ve got some big news to announce folks. Edson announced Wednesday night that his long-time friend Marcelo “Uirapuru” Azevedo has returned from Brazil to help with the growth of the Gracie-Barra Marbella academy, and will be taking up the post of head instructor of the new academy in Malaga.
Marcelo is also a black-belt under Draculino, and is an accomplished BJJ competitor, and MMA fighter, having fought in the UK’s leading MMA event, Cage Rage, and most recently in the United States in the IFL as part of Renzo Gracie’s Pitbulls team.
This is huge step for the academy, making it one of the highest-profiles Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu organizations in Europe.
As part of this expansion, the academy is changing its name, appropriately to Gracie-Barra Andalucia.
15
Aug 07
Seminar with Draculino, 1 September 2007
In September, 2007, Gracie-Barra black belt and Cage Rage veteran Marcelo “Uirapuru” Azevedo returns to Spain to assist Edson “Sururu” Jorge with the growth of his academy, Gracie-Barra Marbella. Azevedo will assume the position of head instructor of BJJ, grappling and MMA in the new affiliate academy in Málaga.
To inaugurate this event, Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães will give a one-day seminar in the new academy, on 1 September 2007. It will be the second seminar from Draculino; the first taking place last year in Marbella, and was a big success. The seminar will also include the presence and instruction of Edson Jorge and Marcelo Azevedo; in total three BJJ black belts together for a day of intense instruction. Don’t miss it!
- Event: Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães Seminar
- Place: Gracie-Barra Marbella affiliate academy in Málaga
- Date: 1 September 2007
- Time: 11:00 to 13:00 and 17:00 to 19:00 hours
- Price: 50 Euros
- Format: BJJ (with gi) and grappling (no-gi)
The focus of the seminar will include an indepth study of arm-drag techniques and variations with gi, and new guard passes and back-mount attacks from the guard.
Although you are free to register on the day of the event, it would help us a lot if those interested in coming could leave a comment on this article, so that we have can have a rough idea in advance of the number of participants. Thanks!
En Septiembre, 2007, Gracie-Barra cinturon negro y Cage Rage veterano Marcelo “Uirapuru” Azevedo vuelve a España para juntarse con Edson “Sururu” Jorge para ayudar con el crecimiento de la academia Gracie-Barra Marbella. Azevedo tomará la posición de instructor de BJJ, grappling y MMA en la nueva academia en Málaga.
Para inaugurar este evento, vendrá el maestro Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães para dar un seminario en la academia de Málaga. Será el segundo seminario de Draculino aqui; el primero el año pasado que fue un exito. El seminario cuenta tambien con la presencia y ayuda de Edson Jorge y Marcelo Azevedo — en total tres cinturones negros de los mejores del mundo juntos para un dia de instruccion intenso.
- Evento: Seminario de Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhães
- Lugar: Gracie-Barra Marbella filiale de Málaga
- Fecha: 1 Septiembre, 2007
- Horario: 11:00 a 13:00 y 17:00 a 19:00 horas
- Precio: 50 Euros
- Formato: BJJ (con kimono) y grappling (sin kimono)
El seminario enfocará en el arm-drag (y variaciones) con kimono, y nuevas technicas para pasar la guardia y ataques de la espada sin kimono.
Aunque se puede hacer la inscripcion el mismo dia del evento, nos ayudaria mucho si los interesados pueden dejar su nombre en un comentario a este articulo (para mas or menos tener un idea cuantos personas van a asistir.) Gracias!
13
Aug 07
Open Grappling Results
On Saturday, August 11, 2007, the first annual Marbella Open Grappling tournament was held at the beautiful Soul Beach, in Puerto Banús (Marbella), Spain. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and the turnout was fantastic. In total, more than 70 competitors from all over Spain came to put their grappling skills to the test in this competition.
Para una versión en Español de este articulo, pica aqui.
Summary of the Event
During the first half of the day, the event worked its way through the weight categories (divided into beginner and advanced division). As the competition evolved down to the finals, it was clear that a lot of hard training had taken place prior to the event, as an incredible level of technical ability and physical conditioning was demonstrated by every team that participated.
Particularly impressive on the day were Fran Alcalde (Sur Union) and Oriol Gaset (Alianza-MMA). Oriol won both his weight category (Advanced 77kg) and the Advanced Absolute division, especially impressive taking into account that by luck of the draw, he did not get a by in the 77 kg first round (meaning he fought an additional fight with respect to the additional competitors.) Fran Alcalde won both his weight category (Advanced 66 kg) and the Elite Absolute division, especially impressive taking into account that he was competing against a black belt!
The first superfight between Aida (GBM) and Christina (ASES) showed the crowd that grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are not just mens sports, as these talented women demonstrated an equal fighting spirit and technical expertise. At the beginning of the fight Aida locked in a tight triangle, but Christina calmly worked the escape and later scored the side control. The two battled to the end, and Christina took the superfight with a points advantage. Congratulations to both!
In the main event, Gracie-Barra Marbella’s Edson “Sururu” Jorge took on ASES Valencia’s Tito Beltran. This fight was anticipated and talked about for weeks leading up the event, as one of Brazil’s most talented fighters (Edson Jorge) faced off with Spain’s most celebrated grappler (Tito Beltran). There was almost an electric tension in the air as the two fighters stared each other down in front of the dead-silent crowd prior to the bout.
When the clock started the fighter circled in the stand-up, each looking for a takedown. Tito’s first shot was answered with a quick sprawl from Edson, but Tito responded by securing what appeared to be a guillotine attempt. Edson backed out, and the fighter again stood up. Edson dropped to butterfly guard and secured a back grip, and transitioned to secure Tito’s leg. Tito rolled to counter attack Edson’s leg, but Edson rolled back to secure a heel-hook, leaving Tito no option but to tap out.
Congratulations Sururu, and congratulations to Tito for a great fight! For sure, you can expect to see a rematch between the competitors in the future!
Our academy, Gracie-Barra Marbella, had a great turn-out of competitors, and although finishing second, demonstrated a great performance. Leo and Agusto especially showed that they have progressed tremendously over the past year. Those guys were unbelievable. Juan from La Linea was also incredible, making it to the finals! Jacobo did great in his first competition, making it all the way to the semi-finals. And Aida showed great composure and fighting spirit, competing in a superfight in her very first competition. Pablo had two very tough fights. Jose Antonio won his division. Recently arrived Leandro had a great fight. Martin Pitbull demonstrated his amazing strength! Dani had fight against Oriol in the first round of his division. New arrival Alessandro had a tough fight with the eventual winner of his division. Hans had a tough fight in his first event. And, then of course was Guara, who became animated the crowd with his amazing win over a guy twice his size in the absolute category. Leandro fought a very technical fight in the elite division. There were several other GBM fighters as well, e.g. Paulon, Tomaz, Roberto, Jose Manuel, etc. all of whom competed very well. And, of course, Edson prevailed as we all knew he would in the event everybody came for, the superfight with Tito!
Individual Results
The following are the results of the individual competition finals (Gold and Silver medalist):
- Beginner 66 kg Magnus Johnson (Team Choco) def. Ignacio Barrachina (ASES)
- Beginner 77 kg David Allen (Team Choco) def. Juan Felgueroso (GBM)
- Beginner 88 kg Saul Burillo (ASES) def. Pipo (Sur Union)
- Beginner 99 kg David Jacare (Sur Union) def. Kevin Mohr (Team Choco)
- Beginner 99+ kg Gran Eu (Sur Union) def. Miguel Kama (Zarate Team)
- Advanced 66 kg Fran Alcalde (Sur Union) def. Luis Quiñones (Sur Union)
- Advanced 77 kg Oriol Gaset (Alianza-MMA) def. Agusto Aloisio (Gracie-Barra Marbella)
- Advanced 88 kg Fredson (ASES) def. Leandro Galati (Gracie-Barra Marbella)
- Advanced 99 kg Jose Antonio Merida (Gracie-Barra Marbella) def. Pedro Carvalho (Werdum Zaragoza)
- Absolute Beginner Guara (Gracie-Barra Marbella) def. Nicolae Bogdan (Werdum Zaragoza)
- Absolute Advanced Oriol Gaset (Alianza-MMA) def. Pedro Carvalho (Werdum Zaragoza)
- Absolute Elite Fran Alcalde (Sur Union) def. Leandro (Gracie-Barra Marbella)
Team Results
The winner of the team competition was Sur Union, who clearly trained hard for this event, and brought a team of focused and prepared competitors. In second place was the home team of Gracie-Barra Marbella, and tied for third place were ASES and Team Choco. The full team results follow:
- Sur Union (38 points)
- Gracie-Barra Marbella (22 points)
- ASES Valencia (19 points)
- Team Choco (19 points)
- Alianza-MMA (18 points)
- Werdum Zaragoza (3 points)
- Zarate Team (1 point)
Superfight Results
- Edson Jorge (GBM) def. Tito Beltran (ASES)
- Cristina (ASES) def. Aida (GBM)
Videos
Edson Jorge (GBM) vs Tito Beltran (ASES)
Fran Alcalde (Sur Union) vs Leandro (GBM)
Thanks!
First, we want to thank all the teams, competitors and fans that came from all over Spain to participate in and watch the event. Through your support and participation, it’s clear that our sports of BJJ and grappling are alive and growing in Spain! We hope you all enjoyed the event, and look forward to next year.
We also want to thank our sponsors:
- MakaluMedia
- Ronin Wear
- Platinum Gym (Puerto Banus)
- Soul Beach
- Pink (Puerto Banus)
- Tango Restaurante (Puerto Banus)
- Lyndon
And, last but not least, a big big thanks to Roger Gracie black-belt Jude Samuel for coming to the event, and graciously volunteering to help with the refereeing. Thanks Jude!
Links
09
Aug 07
Open Grappling Notas Finales
Este documento contiene algunas notas finales, plan de actividades, reglas y lista de participantes relacionado con el Torneo Open Grappling, este fin de semana, 11 de Agosto. Es muy importante leer esta información! (This document contains final notes, rules, schedule and participant list for the Open Grapping Tournament this coming weekend, 11 August. It is very important to read this information!) Continue reading →
10
Jul 07
Beginner’s Guide to Brazilian
Many new students to the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, who happen to be lucky enough to have a real Brazilian instructor, are often caught a little off guard with the language. So here, our dear reader, is your Gracie-Barra Brief Introduction to Brazilian. (Yeah, I know, it’s “Portuguese”, but the version of the language we know and love could just as well be called, “Brazilian”.)
e ai (eh-ay-ee) What’s up?
ta? (tah?) Did you see that? Example: “You trap his arm, ta? You shift your base, ta? You pass your leg over his head, ta? You subymit him with a triangle! Ta?”
Subimit (Su-bee-mit) Submit.
Cara (Ca-dah) No, it’s not Spanish for “face”, it means “dude”.
Fica (Fee-ka) Stay or stand. Combining with the above: “Si cada fica em pe…”, meaning “If the dude stands up…”
Chão (Shaum) Ground.
Po (Poh) Butt.
Cudo (Koo-do) Elbow.
Pé (Pay) Foot.
Nuca (Noo-ka) Neck.
Mão (Mohn) Hand.
Pow (like “wow”) The sound you make when you apply an armbar or other finish holds. Example: “So, you climb your legs up, pull his arm across, and POW, slap on the armbar!”
Porra (Po-ha) The most apparently versatile word in the Brazilian language. It can mean anything from surprise (“You met THREE girls Friday night? PORRA!”) to an exclamation of emotion (“PORRA! I just broke your left foot, now I’m gonna break the right! PORRA!”)
So, there are you students, all you need to know for successful participation in a real BJJ class. Until next time…
10
Jul 07
Follow-up: Seminar with Roberto Atalla
It’s great being part of an active, vibrant Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. Sometimes we’re working on technique. Sometimes we’re training for a competition. Sometimes we’re welcoming new members to the club, or welcoming visiting black belts from Brazil. And sometimes, we’re treated to seminars.
This past Monday night, we had the pleasure of welcoming BJJ black belt Roberto Atalla to our academy for a one-evening seminar. It was a great experience, as Roberto is a tremendously friendly and competent instructor. (And, he’s fluent in both English and Spanish!)
The seminar focused exclusively on guard passing, with kimono. We focus on a few details to improve our general pass from the closed guard, and then we moved on to several passes from the open- and spider guards, including a nice counter to an attempted De La Riva guard. We trained the techniques for two hours, and then spent a final 45 minutes doing specific-position sparring.
All in all, it was a great evening, and we hope that Roberto can find time in his schedule to pass by again, and spend a bit of time with us here in Marbella. He’s got a busy schedule of seminars around Europe, but hopes to be back next year.
Be sure to follow Roberto’s blog at:
04
Jul 07
Seminar with Roberto Atalla!
Hey everybody, just wanted to announce that next Monday, 9 July 2007, we’ll be hosting a BJJ seminar with Roberto Atalla at our academy in Puerto Banus. The cost will be 25 Euro per person. The class starts at 20:00 until 22:00 (usual training time.) Check out Roberto’s weblog and don’t miss this opportunity. Bring kimono and grappling clothes.
http://robertoatalla.wordpress.com/
Hola a todos, el proximo lunes, 9 Julio 2007, vamos a tener un seminaro de BJJ con Roberto Atalla! El lugar es nuestro academia en Puerto Banus. La hora es de 20:00 a 22:00, y el coste es 25 Euros. No pierdas ese oportunidad! Trae ropa de BJJ (kimono) y grappling.
Un saludo, y hasta entonces!
29
Jun 07
Announcing: Marbella Grappling Tournament
On Saturday, August 11, Edson “Sururu” Jorge will host the first annual Marbella Submission Wrestling Tournament, to be held at Soul Beach, in beautiful Puerto Banus.
Details will follow soon. Please leave a comment on this article, to be informed by email when more details are available.
A number of SUPERFIGHTS are already being negotiated, including Edson Jorge vs Tito Beltran! Stay tuned…
05
May 07
X Fight Granada Fight Videos
We’ve now got some better quality fight videos from X Fight Granada. Below you will find YouTube videos, and downloadable high quality videos. (Unfortunately, Pablo’s BJJ fight wasn’t on the DVD from which these videos were created…)
Guara
Leo Galati
Mike Rios (Round 1)
Mike Rios (Round 2)
High Quality Downloads
All videos are .mp4 format, ZIP archived, and approximately 80 MB in size:
26
Apr 07
Directory of Student Names
Us being an authentic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy, students that have achieved something (or have irritated Edson in some way), are sometime given, in the true spirit of the Brazilian way, an alternative name.
Presented below is a list (in no particular order) of those who have achieved a nickname in our academy:
- Sururu – Edson Jorge
- Matturu – Matt Henderson (Matt also goes by “Spaniard” when in the United States)
- Tiburón – Mike Rios
- Pit Bull Argentino – Martin
- Pit Bull – Reza
- Picachú – Danny Nagore
- Rotweiler – Antonio Garcia (also known as “Sin Cuello”, no neck.)
- Toro Bravo – Jose Antonio Merida
- Pescadito – Agusto
- Paleta – Pablo Cabo
This list will be expanded and updated soon.
23
Apr 07
Spectacular Success at X Fight Granada for Gracie-Barra Marbella Team
Wow! WOW! Where to begin? I’m hardly recovered. What a night! So let’s just start at the beginning…
X Fight took place last night in downtown Granada, Spain in the beautiful bar Discoteca 10 just next to the historical Granada cathedral. The event featured one Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fight, two full-contact fights, and four Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights — three of which featured Gracie-Barra Marbella Team Edson Jorge fighters making their MMA debut! So how did go? Well, in short, the team remains undefeated!.
Capoeira Guara!
The first fight of the night featured our newest import, Brazilian capoeira instructor “Guara” (Don’t ask. If he told you his real name, he’d have to kill you) facing off against Victor De Niro. The weeks before the fight, Guara was telling me that he really didn’t know much Jiu Jitsu, and planned to keep the fight standing up. Well, that didn’t go according to plan, and within the first minute, the fighters hit the deck. But surprise surprise, Guara must be a secret black belt or something, because in a flash he had De Niro mounted and was raining down punches causing a quick submission for the first GB Marbella win of the night.
Even more impressive than the fight was the double-back-over triple spin summersault thing he did after being announced the winner!
Paleta Power!
The next fight of the evening was a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu challenge match between our very own purple belt Pablo “Paleta” Cabo against the ever tough Ali Dinar of Granada. The fight started fast and furious with Pablo getting the first takedown. For 10 minutes, Pablo demonstrated why he’s one of Spain’s top BJJ talents as he passed Dinar’s half guard to side-control and north-south, back up, and back down again. Dinar put up a great effort, but Pablo fully controlled the fight, earning the judges’ unanimous decision for the win. It was a great win for Paleta and we look forward to continue seeing him dominate the BJJ competition scene this year.
Leo, The Argentinean Sensation, Galati!
In the second MMA fight of the night, our very own Leo Galati, put on a show! Seeing the fight, you’d never guess this was his MMA debut, as he demonstrated the cool control of a seasoned MMA professional. I’m not sure anybody has prepared harder for their fight than Leo. Seeing the transformation he has made over he past few months through hard work and training, going from slightly overweight to ripped, lean and mean athlete, has been, for me, inspirational. When Leo entered the ring last night, you could see on his face that his opponent had little chance.
As the fight began, Leo and his opponent, Urtzi “Wanderlayla” Bilbao, circle a bit, feeling each other out and judging the distance. After a quick kick exchange, the fighter’s clinched and Leo worked a spectacular take-down. Leo quickly gained side control, and then the mount, where he was perfectly position for some top end ground and pound. After about 30 seconds, Bilbao couldn’t take any more pounding, and called for the submission, giving Leo his first in what will likely be a long stream of MMA wins!
Mike “The Shark” Rios!
Marbella Submission Fighter Co-Founder, Used Car Salesman, Maker of Fine Kimonos, Publisher of Glamour Magazines, and now… Ultimate Fighting Warrior!!!, Mike “She Knew from Day One I Was a Surfer” Rios, has truly become an Urban Legend.
I can’t begin to tell you how worried I was warming up with Mike for his fight. I could tell he was nervous, and knew that having waited around all day and all night for his fight could take its toll. Then, entering the ring and seeing Mike’s tough, pit-bull-looking Brazilian opponent Bethoven de Castro, I almost threw in the towel before the fight started. (I had a ring-side view, as I was working the corner in Mike’s fight with Edson, and my job, as always, was the single task of periodically screaming, “Breathe!”)
When the bell rang to start the fight, Mike and Pit Bull circled for a moment, until the Brazilian charged in to attempt a take-down. Mike did a good job with the sprawl, but managed to get hit squarely one time during De Castro’s barrage of initial punches. Mike then got under the Brazilian’s leg for a reversal take down, and the momentum of the fight changed. The fighters ended up on their feet again with the Brazilian behind Mike. Mike, a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu, took his opponents left arm and jumped down for a kimura, but the Brazilian escaped, but in the process Mike ended up in full back mount. Man oh man was the tide turning in the fight!
Round one ended squarely in Mike’s favor. Between the rounds though, I got concerned seeing how tired he was. But he’s got the heart of a warrior and stood up to face the pit-bull for round 2.
Round two started with Mike landing some solid jabs. Da Castro, starting to wear down, tried again to shoot, but Mike’s wrestling skills were just too much. Mike managed to reverse his opponent again, throwing him to the mat, and into position to attempt a foot lock. Several audible cracks came from his foot, but the tenacious Brazilian wasn’t about to tap. The two fighter rolled, and Mike ended up in his opponent’s guard, where for the remainder of the fight, he scored ground and pound punches to the face of Da Castro.
The bell rang, and Mike “El Tiburón” Rios has his first MMA victory.
Hopefully I’ll get the videos of the other fights soon. My little digital camera only had enough time in memory to record Mike’s fight, so here it is for download:
VIDEO: Mike Rios – X Fight (38 MB)
Edson “Sururu” Jorge, Fighter and Coach Extrodinaire!
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Wrestling, and now MMA champions. It’s quite amazing what Edson “Sururu” Jorge has done since arriving in Marbella and establishing his Gracie-Barra academy! If you’re looking to train BJJ, grappling or MMA in Spain, you’ve got a wonderful opportunity in beautiful Marbella to train under one of the top professionals in world.
Congratulations to all the fighters, and a big thanks to Luis Zarate for putting on a great show, and to our friends Pablo Espejo (promoter of KO Arena), Luis Quiñones (undefeated MMA fighter), and Rodrigo (BJJ pioneer) for the excellent jobs they did refereeing and judging the event.
30
Mar 07
Springtime at Gracie-Barra Marbella
It’s springtime here in Marbella, and that means, in addition to more girls working out in the gym trying to distract us from our BJJ training, it’s about time for a website update.
Having created one of the most competitive BJJ/grappling teams in Spain, and having dominated MMA fights in route to his Middleweight Championship belt in Spain’s premier MMA event, KO Arena, Professor Edson Jorge’s Gracie-Barra Marbella academy has been growing by leaps and bounds. We’ve got new academies opened in Malaga and La Linea, and here in Marbella we’ve welcomed a ton of new students. (One of whom, “Peachy Boo” — that’s Brazilian for “Pit Bull” — tossed me around like a rag doll last Monday…) We’ve now got guys and girls training, people young and old, and even our very own Cro-Cop replica, with equally devastating knock out ability.
In an upcoming news, we’ll be reporting on a recent graduation, where Professor Edson awarded yellow, blue and purple belts to several students. Congrats to all those! (Somehow, though, um, he, uh, seemed to have forgotten one particular Brown Belt promotion… I’m sure it was just a slight oversight that’ll be corrected soon… ;-)
Anyway, the big news is that five of our BJJ/grappling students are making the transition to MMA, and preparing for their first fights in Granada, on the 22nd April.
So, in summary, things have been going great, and Professor Edson continues to build one of Spain’s premier BJJ, grappling, and now, MMA academies. On behalf of all the students here, we can just say, “Thanks Professor Edson, for your hard work, and dedication!”
So that’s about it folks for this update, but not, of course, without a final Tip of the Week:
Never follow Professor Edson into the Turkish Bath after class, wearing only the pink silk underwear that you forgot you were wearing (given, of course, as a present from your father in law), when he claims, “C’mon, don’t worry, there’s no girls in there this time of night.”