Malfacine just after winning / Photo: Ivan Trindade
Bruno Malfacine is the world’s greatest champion when it comes to the roosterweight division. This Sunday in Long Beach the black belt conquered his fourth world title in the division upon beating his great rival Caio Terra in the World Championship final. Speaking of Caio, in the interview to come “Bad Boy” comments on his rivalry with the Gracie Elite representative and asks that there be antidoping in Jiu-Jitsu, among other things.
Check out what he had to tell GRACIEMAG.com:
How’d the campaign go?
I had four matches. I didn’t know any of my opponents until the final, but they were great. I got the finish in the first, scored 20 to 0 in the second, the semifinal was 10 to 0, and the decider, against Caio, was 4 to 2. It was a great achievement and I’m really pleased. We train all year for this event.
Tell us about the decider against Caio?
We know each other’s games; we know each other well. I feel I was much better prepared for this Worlds than in previous Worlds and I’d studied his game a lot. I had a great strategy and felt comfortable the entire match. It was a great championship; I feel it was the best Worlds I’ve ever competed in.
This year you ended up losing the Euro and the Pan. What was different at the Worlds?
I may not have had a perfect year – I fought in divisions other than my own at the Euro and Pan. No one likes losing, but I feel that, in one way or another, it made me show up at the Worlds even better. I came in stronger and more experienced. I’m really thankful to Fabio Gurgel for the training, to Edson Ramalho for the physical conditioning, and to all my teammates. I also ironed out my game at Cobrinha’s academy. All the lighter guys at Alliance went there to train and that was key for the final. I fought just right, with the right strategy; that made the difference.
Bad Boy against Caio / Photo: Ivan Trindade
Tell us about your rivalry with Caio Terra…
Caio’s a tough athlete and we’re always meeting in the finals. It always goes like this: me wanting to beat him and him wanting to beat me. But it’s cool; I just keep to myself. I think he likes talking too much, so I’ll leave that part to him. As for the statement he made at the Pan, I truly feel there should be an antidoping test. That would help everyone and I feel things are headed in that direction. I just feel he shouldn’t go accusing people, like he did indirectly to me. He should think before talking smack. But rivalry… I have nothing against him.
What’s the rest of the season going to be like now you’ve won this title?
The ADCC is everyone’s dream, and it’s mine, too. If an invite comes around, I’d love it. But, regardless of that, I may focus on the No-Gi championships coming up later in the year. We’ll see what happens. I hope to concentrate on teaching seminars. I’m going to take the opportunity to rest and celebrate a bit.