Worlds: The sushi that nearly cost Malfacine his 10th title

Bruno Malfacine at the Worlds. Gallerr

At least once a year, California turns into the international capital of Brazilian jiu-jitsu with the hosting of the IBJJF World Championship. In 2018, a huge number of great athletes showed up at the Walter Pyramid looking for gold — but lots more happened among friends and colleagues before the Worlds proper. Some fighters almost lost their tournaments before stepping on the mat.

With a great selection of delicious meals and snacks, the shops and restaurants of California can pose an additional threat to the athletes that need to face the scale before they compete, and Bruno Malfacine was among those put at risk.

A ten-time world champion who recently retired, Malfacine nearly couldn’t represent Alliance this year — all because of an unplanned meal.

“The diet cheat that makes me happiest is the traditional rice, beans, meat and eggs,” he told us, “but if we’re talking quantity, it’s Japanese food. One week before the tournament, some friends had the idea to go to an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. I tried to resist and said it wasn’t a good idea, until they convinced me saying we were going to control ourselves and eat just a little.

“It got to a point where I had to leave money on the table to let them pay my share, and leave, because I could no longer control myself. To sum up, I got to the hotel and when I went to weigh myself, I was four kilos above the limit — which is not normal for me a week before the event.”

“Thank God everything worked out,” the roosterweight champion added. “I managed to lose the excess and fight.”