“We are ready to fight anyone on any rule set at anytime.” – Gabriel Arges
The organizers behind Fight to Win Pro recently announced a series of submission-only matches for February 3 in Los Angeles. The card will feature Edwin Najmi vs DJ Jackson, Joao Assis vs Jeff Monson, Garry Tonon vs Gabriel Arges, and a number of other matches featuring younger talent. DJ Jackson will have to fight Edwin Najmi in a gi match with a 10-minute time limit.
Gabriel Arges is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Romulo Barral and Felipe “Preguiça” Pena and trains out of Romulo Barral’s academy, Gracie Barra Northridge in Los Angeles.
The Jiu-Jitsu Times caught up with Gabriel and asked him a few questions about his upcoming match against Tonon.
Jiu-Jitsu Times: Gabriel, can you tell us what you have been up to competitively in the last year? Which tournaments have you competed in? Have you won any titles?
Gabriel Arges: Pretty much all the major tournaments of the year, small legs of the UAEJJF ranking, and some super fights. Definitely a great rookie year becoming a world champion on my division.
Jiu-Jitsu Times: You are set to match one of the top submission guys currently competing, Garry Tonon, in a sub-only match. How do you see your game matching up against the leg locks and back takes of Tonon? What areas on the ground do you feel you might be stronger?
Gabriel Arges: He is definitely very dangerous on heel hooks and I also like the way he scrambles. Scrambles and leg locks are extras tools on my game, too, so I’m pretty excited to see that play out.
Jiu-Jitsu Times: Who are your main training partners and coaches for this event? Is Gracie Barra Northridge starting to establish a competitive rivalry with the Danaher Death Squad?
Gabriel Arges: Bráulio Estima helped me a lot when I was in Brazil as well as Felipe Pena. We train a lot together and built a strong game for the last event. I don’t usually do training camps; I’m always training hard at GB Northridge with Romulo or wherever I go, covering all the areas.
Next 45 days I’m fighting different tournaments and super fights on four different rule sets, so I stay ready for anything.
Not really. They are focused on different goals than we are. We are ready to fight anyone on any rule set at anytime.
Jiu-Jitsu Times: Can you describe what a typical training session is like to prepare for a match that is sub-only? Is your training much different than when you enter an IBJJF competition with the gi? What training methods do you use – e.g., switching in new fresh partners, shark tanking – to make you ready for a match like this?
Gabriel Arges: Time limited sub-only doesn’t make me change the way I train too much because my strategy is the same: control on the ground looking for dominant positions, then get a submission.
Jiu-Jitsu Times: What is your mindset like in preparing to face a top level competitor? How do you prepare mentally for the match?
Gabriel Arges: Garry is a great competitor and I’m looking forward to take this challenge on his own rule set. But that’s what I do countless times throughout the season, so it’s just one more day in the office for me.
Jiu-Jitsu Times: Lastly, would you like to shout out to any sponsors, training partners, or coaches?
Gabriel Arges: Yes. Shout out to Storm Kimonos, Dotfit and Gracie Barra / GB Northridge for always take care of me.
You can check out Gabriel Arges on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
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