ABU DHABI // Jose Junior is an inspiration for thousands of Emirati kids who had looked up to him as a jiu-jitsu teacher.
The Brazilian upset the odds to win the Brazilian National Championship black belt heavyweight title at the weekend and with it an automatic passage into the country’s national team.
Junior won the Brazilian National Championship in the blue belt in 2002 and 2003, and brown in 2006, but winning in the black belt heavyweight class is a milestone for him.
His victory in Rio de Janeiro, along his success at the Ecuador National Championship the previous weekend, moved him above compatriot Gabriel Arges at the top of the world rankings.
“I’m so happy to be able to achieve my dream after practically giving up us a competitor when I decided to move to Abu Dhabi to teach jiu-jitsu to kids,” the ecstatic Junior said.
“My primary aim when I started competing again in local competitions in the UAE was for the kids to see their teacher in action. The kids respect their teacher when he leads by example.
“But, I must also say, I worked really, really, hard to achieve my objectives. I was thinking about winning the Brazilian National Championship in black belt every two seconds in my life. Now I have done it, and I’m lost for words to describe my feelings.”
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Junior, who competes in the 110-kilogram weight, took his tally to 1,190 points, 90 more than Arges, who fights in the 77kg.
Alexandre Ribeiro, another Brazilian, is third on 980.
“As I told earlier, the battle for the world No 1 will be decided on the final competition of the season,” he said, referring to the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in April. “Since both Gabriel and I are competing in two different weights.
“I guess our programmes are the same as we both intend to compete in every ranking tournament. The lead will depend on who drops points with just two months left of the season.
“The Abu Dhabi World Pro carries the highest points [400] ... and it has an absolute division where there is a chance Gabriel and I can cross paths. So, this event most likely is going to be the decider for the world No 1 crown.”
The world rankings introduced at the beginning of the season is the brainchild of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF) and carries a bonus prize of US$25,000 (Dh92,000) for the winner.
Junior, 31, made the biggest splash at the Brazilian National Championship, winning all his three bouts by submission in what is regarded as one of the toughest competitions in the world.
He got the better of Felipi Maghalhaes in the first round, Anderson Fereira in the semi-finals and Max Gimenis in the final.
Junior had travelled for the ranking competitions in South America on the back of a shock defeat to Mauricio Henrique Lima in the Ras Al Khaimah International on January 28.
“I learnt lot from that defeat,” Junior said. “In this sport you just can’t afford to make any mistake. I lost my focus for a few seconds in that final and paid the ultimate price.”
His revival as a competitor has been phenomenal after virtually giving up the sport to move to Abu Dhabi as an instructor with Palm Sports, the technical arm of the UAEJJF.
Junior was in the first batch of instructors in the federation’s school programme when the sport was first established in public schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region by the Abu Dhabi Education Council in 2008.
Since then, Junior has moved up in grade in his job and holds a supervisory post, and the numbers in the school programme have swelled to an astonishing 70,000, according to UAEJJF.
“Abu Dhabi has been kind to me and has provided me with this opportunity,” he said. “I spent a lot of time between coaching and my own training. I put in a lot of hard hours to be back in shape perhaps to be in my best condition.
“My first objective was to lead by example. Kids love to see their teacher in combat and successful in competitions. That’s how it all began and that’s how I got motivated to compete again in the top flight.”
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