Following his solid run in the absolute at ADCC 2011, now Victor wants the open weight division at the European Open 2012. Photo: Daren Bartlett.
The European Jiu-Jitsu Championship officially kicks off the 2012 IBJJF competition season at the end of January, and big-time competitors are already stating their intent to be there—such is the case with Claudio Calasans, Otávio Sousa, Ary Farias, Lucas Lepri and others.
One of those big names promising to put on a show at the Lisbon, Portugal’s Casal Vistoso municipal sports complex is Victor “Carcarazinho” Estima, a Gracie Barra teacher living in England.
“Preparations are going great; I’ve stepped up the physical conditioning, and I’m putting the finishing touches on my game training with my brother Bráulio, Roger and Lagarto,” Estima told GRACIEMAG.com direct from Birmingham, England.
The middleweight took the last No-Gi World Championship by storm with astounding foot locks, and now he’s setting up further surprises for next year.
“In early 2011 I played an efficient game, but that was just at the start, so I wasn’t 100% fine tuned. Now, though, I’ve put it to practice for a full year and I’m anxious to see the results in Europe,” says our GMA in London, who is planning to be at all the major tournaments of the season. (Check out Victor Estima’s performance at the 2008 European Championship.)
“My plan for 2012 is to compete as much as possible. I’ll have more time next year, since I’m making some adjustments to my class schedule at the academy, which will free me up more for travel and training. I started out 2011 well but came down with an allergic reaction in the USA after taking an anti-inflamatory just before the Pan and missed my chance to compete. Because I didn’t have much time for travel, with all my responsibilities at the academy, I only competed at the ADCC and the No-Gi Worlds,” he added.
Victor came up short at the 2011 European Open, losing to Claudio Calasans in the semifinals. His head remains in the right place, though.
“No, I’m not thinking about getting back at Calasans, but I am prepared to face whoever comes up in my bracket, at weight or open weight,” the Gracie Barra black belt said with confidence.
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