Fredson Paixao has moved up in the Jiu Jitsu scene here in a Brazil very quickly obtaining his Black Belt in a mere seven years.Fredson Paixao has moved up in the Jiu Jitsu scene here in a Brazil very quickly obtaining his Black Belt in a mere seven years. Under the always-watchful eye of his Master Oswaldo Alves he was able to go from purple belt straight to Black Belt. He is best know here in the US for his tough battle with David Camarillo at the Oscar de Jiu Jitsu the same card as Royce vs. Walid. Fredson has recently become a great friend to us at OTM and we think he has a good shot of winning this year’s worlds. This guy is good!
OTM: Tell us Fredson about your career in Jiu Jitsu especially about your fighting in the worlds. FP: I have been training Jiu Jitsu for seven years. I started in Manous, which is the second largest capital of Jiu Jitsu in Brazil. I got my black belt in 1999. I have fought five times in the Mundials. I won twice in 1998 & 2001. In 1997 I was purple belt and I took 3rd, in 1998 I won, in 1999 I couldn’t fight because I was hurt. In 2000 I lost my second fight. In 2001 I won by beating Fredson Alves and I also fought Yuki Nakia too. In 2001 I was also The Brasileiro Champion.
OTM: Tell us about how you prepare yourself for a big event like the Mundials. FP: I follow the guidance of my Master and what he has taught me. We start training at 7:00 AM everyday meeting at post four on the beach to run. We then work out on the beach using the bars, doing pull-ups, push-ups, and dips. This works well, and always worked for my Master. I know it works because it has worked for his students in the past. Student such as Sergio Penlha, Amuri Betti & Paulo Cardoso. So that is what I do. Master is my champion making coach.
OTM: Can you give someone who is fighting in the Mundial for the first time some advice on how to prepare mentally? FP: If you do everything physically well and all your preparation of your technique is done well by working in the academy everyday. Everyday you should be making sure your game is growing. If you have done all your work physically and technically only then will your mental game will be fine. It is hard and it is a lot of work but it is the way you get your mind prepared to fight.
OTM: Who do you think are some the top guys in your weight class? FP: De la Riva, Fredson Alves, Royler Gracie who I think is the best until now. He never lost the worlds ever. Also Leozinho and various others.
OTM: What do you think of the gringos coming down and fighting in the Mundial? FP: Jiu Jitsu has grown a lot so we are getting a lot of foreigners. We had BJ Penn who was the first foreigner to win the Black Belt World championship. Last year we had Garth Taylor who took second fighting with Marcio Coletta. Egan Enoue was one of the first champions to come and win in Brazil. No there are a lot of foreigners coming and doing Vale Tudo it is getting tough. The foreigners are coming and they are coming with everything they got. If you don’t prepare yourself you’re going to have trouble.
OTM: What do you think of the new Federation and the two Mundials? FP: Well part of it is good because they are brining money to the sport, but part of it is not good. They are dividing the unity of Jiu Jitsu they are splitting it up. If they did the events one or two weeks apart it would be awesome. But no, Jiu Jitsu is loosing because it is split up haft the people to each competition and competitors start loosing because one has prestige and the other has money. For me, the money can be spent it doesn’t last but the glory it stays with you. So it is a hard decision.
OTM: This interview was take from a longer video interview that will be seen On the Mat really soon. Thanks to Fredson and Master Alves for letting us get this together. We had some great photos to go with this but my computer was destroyed on the plane back to the states so they were lost. Sorry.