Lucio Lagarto is one of the aces in the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP. (Photo by Ivan Trindade/ GRACIEMAG)
Now in the final stretch of training for his Jan. 13 challenge at the Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP, Lucio “Lagarto” Rodrigues can’t wait to hit the mats at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s Clube Hebraica arena.
The seasoned Gracie Barra black belt is in the Green Group alongside his black belt counterparts Bruno Bastos, Antonio Braga Neto, Alexandre Souza and brown belt João Gabriel.
And in a recent chat he had with GRACIEMAG.com about training, he came off as plenty confident in himself: “If I were to point out a favorite to win the GP title, it would be me!”
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GRACIEMAG: What are you doing to prepare for the six-minute matches at Copa Pódio?
LUCIO LAGARTO: A six-minute match means you can’t make mistakes. You have to be intelligent about the game plan. Obviously, the one to make the least mistakes will prevail. My training has been going great, though. I only train hard, and all my training partners are highly competent. Me in particular, I’ve been focused on a bit of everything, both guard playing and passing in an all-around way. Now I just have to wait till the 13th. I believe I have a lot of surprises to show everyone. I’m still training hard and disciplined, not to mention that my diet is going accordingly.
What’s your take on your group?
There’s nothing but aces in the whole championship, not just in my group. There’s nowhere to run, and that’s the idea behind the thing. Sincerely, I can’t wait till the fun begins!
Who, in your view, is the favorite to take the title?
Man, it’s hard to point out a favorite. If I had to, I’d say it’s me (laughs)! I’m stoked and feeling 100% for this competition. What everyone can expect from me is Jiu-Jitsu that can handle any situation, that’s ready to bring in great results.
The Copa Pódio Heavyweight GP brackets (photo by Gustavo Aragão/ GRACIEMAG).