Rooster Weight King and International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Hall of Famer, Professor Bruno Malfacine, was in Singapore recently to share his wisdom with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) enthusiasts who were eager to learn from one of the best competitors of all time.
Organised by Enjoy The Process BJJ and hosted at FaMA - Fitness and Martial Arts, Bruno shared his favourite sweeps and passing techniques with comprehensive detail to over 35 grapplers who came from all over Singapore.
Bruno - who has wins against legendary grapplers such as Caio Terra, Felipe Costa, Jeff Glover, Joao Miyao, Samir Chantre, and Gui Mendes - spent over two hours showing a collar drag from seated guard straight into a guard pass and finishing with an armbar. He then proceeded to take questions from all the participants.
“If you know where you are going while you are rolling, you will always be one or two steps ahead of your opponent,” said Bruno after the seminar to all the participants.
Bruno was referring to his fast and explosive style which always sees him either taking his opponents’ back or finishing with an armbar. At the 2018 IBJJF World Championships, Bruno won all his matches via submission. He submitted Rodnei Barbosa via armbar to take home Gold in the same weight class for the tenth time.
Professor Marcelo Tavares, of Enjoy The Process and Trifecta Martial Arts, after the seminar said Bruno represents what all BJJ practitioners should aspire to become. “He is one of the greatest ever to compete and it is an honour to have him share his knowledge with us in Singapore,” said Marcelo.
FaMA head instructor Professor Zorobabel Moreira was elated with the number of participants that turned up to learn from the Alliance standout. “By coming together to learn from Bruno Malfacine, we are creating a positive training environment for all BJJ practitioners in Singapore and building a strong community here. I would like to thank Professor Marcelo for organising this,” he said.
Bruno started training BJJ when he was 11 years old after he was influenced by his uncle, a BJJ enthusiast himself. Shortly after, Bruno started training with Vinicius Amaral from the Academia Game Fight, an affiliate of GFT (Gama Filho Team – now Grappling Fight Team). He was part of that team until he received his Black Belt. At the end of 2008, Bruno moved to São Paulo to train at Alliance’s HQ under one of the best Jiu-Jitsu coaches of all time, The General, Fabio Gurgel.
Currently Bruno is pursuing a career in mixed martial arts after retiring from BJJ competition following his World Championship Gold medal this year. He is currently 3-0 as an MMA fighter with all three wins coming via submission in the first round. He hopes to fight again in February 2019.
FaMA - Fitness and Martial Arts Established in 2016, FaMA is a world-class martial arts training facility located in the heart of the Central Business District in Singapore. Walking distance from the Clarke Quay MRT station, FaMA’s main goal is to help people improve their lives through martial arts regardless of age or athletic capability. Each program is led by experts in their respective fields. Whether it is weight loss, a fun workout, camaraderie, competition training, or just to break a sweat, FaMA has something for everyone.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or BJJ as it is commonly known around the world, is a self-defence martial art that enables a smaller, weaker person to protect themselves against a much larger attacker using leverage and pressure. Formed from Kodokan Judo in Japan, Jiu Jitsu found its way to Brazil in the 1910s through Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese judoka and no-holds-barred prize fighter. During his time in Brazil, Maeda accepted a young Carlos Gracie as his student. Carlos would later pass on his knowledge to his brothers, most notably Helio Gracie - the father of modern Brazilian Jiujitsu. The Gracie family would go on to spread BJJ through The Gracie Challenge and eventually the creation of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Today, BJJ has grown to be more than just an effective unarmed fighting system. It helps young children deal with bullies and adults live a healthy lifestyle. BJJ classes are offered daily at FaMA under the tutelage of Black Belts Zoro Moreira, Robyn Goudy and Thiago Gaspary.