Source: translated from Polish from grapplerinfo.pl
Son of the famous Alexandre Paiva, one of the three leaders of Alliance (Romero Jacare, Fabio Gurgel and Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva) Victor Genovesi in 2012, repeated his father’s achievement: he won the Worlds this year in the category of featherweight brown belt. Victor says that this is just the beginning, and he plans on attacking the most prestigious division – black belts.
When did you start your adventure with BJJ?
My first steps on the mat was when I was three years old. When I was about 7 seven years old, I stopped training. Then I thought that BJJ was too hard to understand for a young child. I found Jiu-Jitsu boring, so I went to train judo. Stomach problems meant, however, that I had to stop all types of training. After the surgery, I began again to find the love for BJJ.
Victor and Alexandre Paiva
When did you start training BJJ again?
At 13 years old, I went back to training again. Much of the credit should go to my coach Alexandre Puga. My dad told me that it was important that I played sports. My parents were not involved in my childhood. My mother did not want to stop training for me. When I finished high school I was not going to go to college. One person who took care of me was Fernando Terere whom I thank very much for that.
At what age did you start competing?
I started at the age of 14 years. I won several tournaments in the blue belt, but not too much. At the time, Alliance Academy was sarting fresh after having lost many top competitors so players in our team rarely competed.
In 2012, you earned a gold medal at the Worlds in the featherweight category brown belt ..
Since I was 14 I’ve always wanted to start at that event. People in Brazil were saying that I had not won anything special except for the European Championships in purple belt. It was my first competition in brown belts, and I felt a lot of pressure. I had five fights and a crazy final battle which I won by decision of Gianni Gripo. I knew of him before and I always wanted to fight him. I knew I could beat him.
How much pressure do you feel by the fact that you are the son Alexandre Paiva?
You cannot get rid of the idea that you are his son, so I have to accept it. I take the example of Kron Gracie, who had 47 wins in brown belts and all by submission.
Was your father hard with you?
No. in fact, he was very calm.
What is your biggest dream?
I want to be part of the elite at black belt, but I know it will be hard for me to get closer to the status of my father.
