Photo: Alicia Anthony
Tarsis Humphreys was one of the standouts at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship early this June in California. He only dropped out of the absolute in the semifinals, after losing to three-time divisional champion Roger Gracie. At weight (medium heavyweight) Tarsis had an excellent run, winning the division after beating Rômulo Barral in the gran finale.
The intriguing part of the Alliance representative’s career is the fact that, despite having achieved great results in the past, he had been trying and not succeeding in winning a world championship ever since he was a blue belt. The curse has been broken and Tarsis had a chat with GRACIEMAG.com.
Tarsis gets back mount in absolute division. Photo: Ivan Trindade
What is your assessment of your Worlds campaign?
Sincerely, I thought I fought poorly, but I made it to the final and came out on top. It all went well; it was my day! I trained a lot for this championship and nobody wanted this title more than I did.
What’s your take on the move that led to your win over Rômulo Barral in the medium heavyweight final? Was it a submission or an injury?
I went for the kneebar, he tried to escape and spun the wrong way. The hold was in tight, causing his knee to twist. That’s when he was obliged to call it quits.
Tarsis sinks grips on Roger Gracie. Photo: Ivan Trindade
What do you think of your match with Roger in the absolute?
Not good, I didn’t manage to do anything. He really is good. He’s heavy and knows what to do at the right time. He’s doing great.
What do you think of Roger’s performance at the Worlds?
He did a great job and had an unprecedented achievement in Jiu-Jitsu: he’s the first three-time absolute world champ. I think he’s an excellent competitor, has a very effective game. In my opinion he’s the best competitor at present.
What’s your agenda look like for this year?
I want to compete a lot more. I’m in the United States and I’ll teach some seminars here. Anyone interested can get in touch with my by email at tarsisbjj@gmail.com. And there’s more news coming up soon.