Barral in California in 2009. Photo by Ray Santana
Minas Gerais native Rominho Barral (Gracie Barra – BH) decided to set off for Abu Dhabi in pursuit of a medal not yet in his collection: absolute gold at the World Pro, a championship with a payout of 12,000 dollars to the winner of the open weight division.
“I fly out April 5 to watch UFC 112, too. I’ll enter (in the World Pro) in the under 92kg and absolute categories. Everyone there will be tough so there are no favorites, but I want to test myself. I wasn’t invited so I invited myself. Off we go to throw some weight around in the Middle East,” says the teacher living in Los Angeles.
Despite the organization having offered airfare and board to the champions of the qualifiers that took place around the world, the tournament is open to all competitors. Sign-ups go till April 7 for those who need a visa (provided by the organizers) and April 10 for those who don’t need one.