Bruno Bastos Discusses Training for Copa Pódio and Shows Half-Guard Pass

Bruno Bastos is one of the aces on the card for the Copa Pódio Heayvweight GP. (Personal archive photo)

The year is now underway and with it comes the 2013 Jiu-Jitsu season. The first big event of the fledgling gentle-art calendar, the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP in Rio, is already just around the corner, and the gi-clad aces in it are hard at training.

Confirmed for the card of the January 13 event, the seasoned Bruno Bastos is sharpening up his technique with Nova União’s elite, and even got in a roll with Fernando Tererê.

“My group is really evenly matched, and everyone has a chance of going through,” Bruno says in the following GRACIEMAG.com interview, adding, I think I’m going to surprise a lot of people.

GRACIEMAG: You’ve recovered from the arm injury that kept you from facing Roberto Tussa in the IBJJ Pro League final, right?

BRUNO BASTOS: That’s right. Five days after the event I was already back at training. It was a contracture of the forearm that had a lot to do with my overtraining because I wanted to be 100% for all the events I entered. I was training more than I should have. I really wanted to have competed and won that final, because it was the first of its kind in IBJJF history. I’ll be competing at it again in 2013.

How is your training camp for the Heavyweight GP going?

Training’s going great. I couldn’t have had a better camp. At my academy in Midland, Texas, I had first-rate sparring partners, as my brother Ricardo Bastos and the Nova União up-and-comers were helping me out. Besides them, I got in some training with Gustavo Dantas, Robson Moura, Vitor Shaolin and Renato Charuto. My physical conditioning is going great under the supervision of Giulliano Massaras. Now I’m wrapping up with Rodrigo Feijão, Daniel Garcia, André Bastos, Henrique Pelé, André Marolo and my black belt Fabio Andrade’s gang in Bangu. Plus I had some luxury training with the legend Fernando Tererê. Not bad, huh?

What’s your take on your group at Copa Pódio?

In my opinion it’s a really thorny group, really evenly matched. Everyone has a chance of going through to the next phase. My strategy will be to fight to win. That’s how it is for me every competition. I think I’m going to surprise some people.