Roberto Tussa and Bruno Bastos at the IBJJ Pro League / Photo by Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG
Both the heavyweight Roberto Tussa Alencar and much lighter Leandro Lo saw in last weekend’s IBJJ Pro League a lot more than just an opportunity to come up with five big ones. They saw a chance to cap off a victory-filled season in grand style.
The lightweight Lo blew through a number of the tournaments he was in, like the 2012 Worlds, No-Gi Brazilian Nationals (even winning the absolute) and a handful of others. Now, Tussa came up with four gold medals in the last four IBJJF championships where he stuck his neck out.
“This victory is like the golden cherry on top of the year. I won four gold medals in the last four IBJJF champions I was in—the No-Gi Pan, Masters Worlds, No-Gi Worlds and Pro League. I’m pleased with the results. I was in ten championships in 2012, which was a year of great experience and maturation,” said Tussa.
Now, Leandro Lo was overjoyed with having won another championship, especially with the final being against Lucas Lepri.
“This time he pulled guard on me first but I managed to take the lead. When it was over, the result was the same as the other times. We can fight a hundred times, the one who wins will always be the one who made the least mistakes in the fight. Lepri is really technical and consistent,” said Leandro in praise, soft-spoken and calm as always.
Leandro also commented on his W.O. victories, when he went straight through to the final courtesy of training partners Samir Chantre and Queixinho stepping aside. “It’s not good for the event; but it wasn’t our fault. Everyone knows we’ve been training together for the big championships. They’re truly my friends, so there’s no way I’d be able to fight them. We weren’t expecting the bracket to be like that, but it turned out like that and we figured it would be better this way,” he remarked in resignation to reporter Ivan Trindade.
As for Roberto Tussa, he chose to actually face his teammate and friend Gustavo Pires, and didn’t regret it. “The semifinal was my toughest match, because I knew my opponent, my friend Gustavo, really well. We trained together for the Worlds, and either of us could have won it. But I chose the right game plan and ended up winning on advantages. Unfortunately there was no final, as Bruno Bastos got injured in the semifinal. But I’m happy to be the first heavyweight champion of the IBJJ Pro League,” he said in closing.
[flickr set=72157632204741556]
The post Roberto Tussa and Leandro Lo Celebrate IBJJ Pro League Triumphs first appeared on Graciemag.