Nikolai doesn't train all the guys at BTT, who have a singular way when the stuff is trade bombs on the feet.

For example- Sperry trains Muay Thai with Luiz Alves (Boxe Thai team), Minotoro and Minotauro do the same plus Boxing training with Luis Doria. Filho trains boxing with Joel Distack, Bustamante trains Boxing with Claudio Coelho and Arona trains sporadically in Muay Thai with Toniko Jr. at WFC academy.

So, analyzing it, how can the team elaborate a standard if not all of them train together? It could harm the team's deal, but when we see the BTTers in action, their performance on the feet aren't a disaster. Sure they aren't training to be the striker in a fight, but the elements that they acquired by these trainings don't leave them blind when the fight is standing. But why don't they have the same coach inside BTT?

"Maybe it's not the correct formula to be used, but in the beginning of our team we didn't restrict it and to change now would be hard. People already know that a lot of our fighters don't train with Nikolai, and probably other coaches can appear and attract more BTTers to train the stand-up outside our gym. Of course I'd like all of them trained here, but for the while it's working and we try to manage this situation by better way possible." said Bebeo Duarte

Theoretically people who are not close to the team think this system of BTTers training the stand-up game in different places sounds like a mess. But just imagine that they follow this system in the same way fighters have their own physical conditioner, so it's working without the problems of lack of communication between the professionals involved.


Another interesting point here at BTT's academy is the presence of fighters who in the past were considered number the #1 enemies of Jiu Jitsu, the Luta-Livre fighters. In decade of '80 and until the middle of decade of '90 the rivalry between Jiu Jitsu and Luta-Livre was something near to brawls involving soccer rival teams. The street-fights were constant and nobody imagined that one day they would train together. So, when the first Luta-Livre guys started joining BTT, we from Brazil realized the sport had became professional. Actually, BTT has 6 former top Luta-Livre fighters on its squad, they're: Milton Vieira, Eraldo Paes, Carlos Clayton, William Parrudinho, Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira and Maicon Alarcao.

"We needed that rivalry on the past, of course I didn't agree with the brawls on the street, but the rivalry on the ring was good to the development of the fight events. Nowadays we've good relationship with Luta-Livre academies and we don't have a rivalry, we have competitions" stated Bebeo

For those who didn't live throught the atmosphere of Luta-Livre and Jiu Jitsu rivalry, to understand what I mean can be a little tough. But to explain a bit better, there were not submission tournaments in that period and for sure if it existed the representatives of both martial arts would not like to compete under those rules. Luta-Livre and Jiu Jitsu could not fight each other without punches and kicks to hurt, allowed in the Vale Tudo competitions of that period.

Two of these top Luta-Livre and now BTT representatives, Maicon Alarcao and Eraldo Paes, talked about their own experience in BTT:

Maicon told us "I was very-well received here in BTT, and the people here have an open mind, and for me it's wonderful. I was without motivation before joining BTT, and now I have improved my game in all aspects. I'm happy because I'm part of the best MMA team of the World"

Eraldo said "The rivalry is part of the past and the professional way of seeing and taking the fight stuff is here. I developed myself like a fighter and instructor and I conquered my place here. Nowadays I'm the submission coach of the fighters who are starting in BTT and it's a great responsibility. This was a honor for me to take this responsibility, because the masters of BTT trusted in my technique to teach the new fighters"

Well, we talked about everything MMA, striking, wrestling and former rivalries at BTT's academy, however what about the pure BJJ training sessions? Does it exist at BTT? Of course, this would be a 'blasphemy' if they didn't have training in the Martial Art they represent. We took the main BJJ coach for a chat, because if the MMA representatives are famous- the BJJ coach has not been: Alvaro Oliveira, the BJJ coach of Brazilian Top Team:

Denis- How did you start to be the BJJ instructor?

Alvaro- I was a Bustamante's student, and he had problems of free time to teach BJJ in his own academy, so every Friday, I taught BJJ. Bustamante started training much more MMA than BJJ and his free time became worst. So I took all BJJ trainings sessions in his academy. When Bustamante moved his all work to BTT's academy, they had three instructors, but they left to other projects. Since then myself and Eduardo Rios assumed the sessions here in BTT.

Denis- Have you a responsibility of developing a high level in BJJ to stay in position that MMA is here in BTT?

Alvaro- No doubt, we need to keep the high level- and the victories we had in the tournaments are the proofs of it. But there are MMA fighters from BTT training with gi, so you can imagine Darrel Ghollar and Cacareco training (laughs). Plus the stars train when they have free-time, this also develops their MMA game and develop our BJJ technique as well. And of course, having Bustamente, Minotauro, Minotouro, Sperry, Bebeo and other training with gi attracts more new students to the BTT's classes.

Denis-