Slovenia’s Zlatko ‘Deda Jacare’ Džaferović must be the most positive person in the whole Eastern European BJJ community. This 49 year old BJJ beast talks to BJJ Eastern Europe about his amazing shape, why he likes competing against kids that could be his children, BJJ in Slovenia, how he got his nickname ‘Jacare’ and much more.

1. Hi Zlatko, can you please introduce yourself to the BJJ Community of Eastern Europe?

My name is Zlatko Džaferović. I was born on the 31. of March 1965, in the town of Bosanska Gradiška. I live and train in Ljubljana,
Slovenia. I’m a one stripe purple belt and I train at T’n’T gym, named after the owners Tomi and Toni Šude.
Some of my biggest BJJ/grappling acomplisments are as follows:
-2010 Croatia open no-gi 3. place
-2011 Slovenian BJJ open 2. place
-2012 Croatian BJJ open 3. place
-2013 Kralj Tomislav submission wrestling tournament 3. place
-2013 4Rivers BJJ Championship Karlovac 2. place (3. place in absolute division)
-2013 BJJ Eastern European Open championship 2. place
-2014 BJJ Eastern European Open championship 2. place
-2014 No-gi Eastern European Open championship 3, place

2.How did you discover BJJ and how did you start training? Tell us about your BJJ journey

My BJJ journey started in 2008, when I met Rodrigo Carvalho through a common friend. I was a judo brown belt at the time, so I decided
to give BJJ a try, as “It shouldn’t be too different”. I fell in love with it from the start, although I had some problems with my
flexibility in the beginning, as I had previously trained and competed in semi- and full-contact kickboxing, K-1 and was a multiple time
Yugoslavian champion in those sports. After a while, Rodrigo invited us to Brasil, to Rio, and that let me see what BJJ was all about.I
gave in to the sport. Never miss a training session, as it relaxes me, inspires me and lets me compete on equal ground with people half my
age.

3. You are in tremendous shape. At an age when most men are overweight or with health problems you are fiter than 99% of people. Please share with us your training regiment and your nutrition system

I train twice a day. Some fitness, some street workout, crossfit, running, cycling, lots of core and stabilisation workout. I don’t
really have a set routine, I just try to workout as much as I can. My nutrition system is nothing special. I avoid fatty foods, sparkly
drinks and eat very little sweets. I eat a lot of vegetables, white meat, fish, horse meat, lots of fruits. The supplements I use are
mostly vitamin C, glucosamine and Omega3 fats, which I get from my friend Adis Langic at Proteini.si.

Photo by Zeljko Svetinovic

4. Tell us more about your academy in Slovenia, and your master Bojan Mirkovic and teamates/ students. What do you do different from other teams?

My trainer at T’n’T gym is Đorđe Kesić, a BJJ brown belt with an extensive array of techniques. The club is not the biggest out there,
as we have a core of around a dozen fighters, but they are all real afficianados and love the sport. Everybody is very postive and the
atmosphere at the club is fantastic. I see them all as my children and I am their “Deda Jacare” (grandpa Jacare). We are under black belt
Bojan Mirkovič (formerly of Werdum Combat Team), now under master Ricardo Murgel of Team Union.

5. What do you think about the growth of BJJ in Slovenia? What are threats and opportunities for BJJ there?

BJJ still has not reached the popularity of Judo in Slovenia, but is slowly taking hold. The only black belt in Slovenia is Carlos Maia of Carlos Maia Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, while our neighbours Croatians, for example, have 18 black belts according to the last count. So there is a lot of room for improvement, but I am not worried as the scene in Slovenia keeps growing stronger every year.

6. Why do you like Ronaldo Jacare so much that you use the same nickname as him?

I’ve met Ronaldo “Jacare” in person, when he was in Ljubljana years ago. We shared a meal in Ljubljana with Ismail Wallid and the Nogueira brothers. I really liked him, as he is a good role model. A family man with awesome technique, a real complete fighter. Also, the time we were in Brazil, we spent in Jacares neighbourhood and I was soon told I’m a real “carioca”, unlike the others.

7. What is your reason/motivation for competing against 20 year olds?

One of the things I love about BJJ is the ability to fight on equal footing with fighters that are half my age and could be my children. I stay in shape, stay strong and let my technique show I am not an old man.

8. What is next for you and your team in 2014-15?

I have high hopes for T’n’T gym. The team is awesome, with good BJJ and MMA fighters. Bor Bratovž, Primož Vrbinc, Uroš Jurišič to name a few. There was some chaos due to the club moving to two different gyms in the space of a couple of months, but that is all behind us now, so we can now grit our teeth and go hard. The results I’m sure will follow.

9. If you want to thank somebody or sponsors, feel free

I’d like to thank Tomi and Toni Šude, my coach Đorđe Kesić, my boys Bor Playbor Bratovž, Jernej Janežič Jerč, Uroš Jurišič, Edvin Ramdedovič, my “Croatian connection” Mirkovič, Pokrajac, Reljič, Jelčič, Pretorian. Also can’t forget the rest of ex Yugoslavia, with Žerjal team in Serbia, Roots BJJ in Macedonia and many, many more. I know I’ve forgotten so many people, but please, just know that Deda Jacare loves you all! Thank you Adis Langic from Proteini.si and Toni Šude’s Luta Livre Fightshop for sponsoring me and letting me train the sport that makes me happy. Ooossssss!!