André Galvão vs Léo Leite in the open’s quarterfinals. Photo: Dan Rod/GRACIEMAG
Black-belt André Galvão was one of the favorites at the start of the 2013 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, which came to a close last night in California. However, things didn’t quite end up as planned and the Atos master wound up taking only one bronze at medium heavyweight. André recognized he made mistakes versus Braulio Estima and spoke of his elimination from the open against Léo Leite. Check out the best excerpts from his chat with GRACIEMAG.com:
GRACIEMAG: What did you think of your performance in Long Beach?
ANDRÉ GALVÃO: I think I gave it my best, I submitted all my opponents until the semifinal and was feeling as well as ever. I made a huge error in the semi against Braulio, which cost me dearly. But mistakes force you to learn. Kudos to Braulio, who took advantage and opened a six-point lead. That made it rough to catch up. I tried, but maybe next time.
What went wrong in the open?
I fought well and was doing fine until the quarterfinals, when I met Léo Leite. He’s my friend and I love him, but he was defending the whole time, moving backward. Since he’s a very strong judoka, I kept pulling guard and he kept stalling on top. I messed up, as I should have shuffled around more. In the end it was a fine duel – a medium heavyweight versus an ultra-heavyweight is what the people want. The fight was a draw and went to the judges and I got the worst of it. It’s insane how unlucky I am in decisions, can’t catch a break.
Your bout with Braulio ended 6-2. What do you reckon was missing?
I should have gyrated more and varied more. My mistake was persisting at just one thing. I’ve got to go home and train more. I should have thought more of submissions and less of points when I fell on top to pass. I should have tried to catch his arm, neck, foot, etc. When I did try, it was too late.
What did you learn from those defeats?
I need to keep perfecting my game and my flexibility. I fought every bout going forward; the one thing missing was imposing my full rhythm against Léo Leite. Next time I won’t leave it to the judges.
To learn more about and from GMA André Galvão, visit allgalvao.com.
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