Lucas Montalvão eyes 4th Pan title: “Well-rounded game”

Lucas Montalvão is a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt. Photo: Vitor Freitas

Lucas Montalvão has just 20 years of age and a massive number of titles in the five years of his career. The Double Five athlete is currently doing a stint of training in Coahuila, Mexico to compete in the Miami Grand Slam and the IBJJF Pan, both set to take place in the U.S.

A recent interview shed some light on his preparation with the Mexican athletes as well as his teammates.

“The training is going at full steam,” said Lucas. “We are training two to three times a day. The work is being done to arrive in top shape in the U.S.”

He added: “I’m competing better every time playing on top, passing guard more, but in my training I’m usually versatile — I play guard and play on top too. I’m happy to have this opportunity to train here in Mexico, where BJJ is growing a lot, and this exchange will generate great fruits of evolution for each person involved.”

An athlete in the ultra-heavy division brown belt currently looking to win a fourth Pan title, Lucas analyzed the overall level of his division, and what the fans might except from him in his following tournaments. “My category is a tough category, with plenty of strong athletes, but this is the category where I feel good, and I’m going in to be champion,” he said.

Lucas also talked about the exchange he will be doing in the following months alongside Rafael Formiga, an avid competitor in the masters’, and how this motivates him to fight for a place at the top.

“I believe the United States is the best place in the world for any athlete — a first-world country and where, in my opinion, they have the best jiu-jitsu hub right now,” he said. “Taking part in this camp with Rafael Formiga and other strong fighters is going to be incredible; I’ll extract lots of good stuff for my evolution. Without a doubt, being world champion in the black belt is my great objective, and all that I do now will be reflected there.”