Alexandre Izidro is a accomplished BJJ black belt from Team Icon and also a accomplished MMA fighter who has faced greats such as Dan Hardy, Rodrigo Caporal etc..In this interview with BJJ eastern Europe, ‘Xandinho’ talks about his academy in the UK, his experience teaching in Hong Kong and the adreline rush of competition: 

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

Hi guys, My name is Alexandre Izidro ‘Xandinho”. I’m from Brazil ‘Rio de Janeiro”. I’m a Black belt under Ze Marcello since 2000 and started fighting MMA in 2003. We are training in 3 different gyms in the UK: Icon Milton Keynes, Icon Slough and Icon Watford.
BJJ TITLES:
1st Place – ADCC Trials 2007
1st Place – Brazilian championship
1st Place – Super Fight Seni 2005
1st Place – BJJ British Open 2009
1st Place – No Gi British open 2010
2nd Place – European 2009 (Swiss)
2nd Place – Rio de Janeiro Estate Tournament 1996/2002
2 x 2nd Place – Brazilian championship 1997/98
2nd Place – Brazilian tournament
3rd place – Mundial world championship 98
3rd place – Brazilian Tournament 00
3rd place – European 2013
3rd place-London open 2013 Gi
2rd place- London open 2013 No Gi
MMA :
Shooto Brazil-2003
Cage Warriors World Champion 2005 to 2010
2. Please guide us through your Jiu-Jitsu journey.

I started training BJJ in 1995 and after my first lesson I could not stop thinking about BJJ. After that I was training every single day and fighting in a lot of competitions. In 2000, Ze Marcello gave me the black belt, then we started teaching together since then. In 2005 he asked me if I would like to come to UK to start teaching with him and a month later after the proposition, I came.

Xandinho with Ze Marcello. Photo by BJJ PIX

3. You mentionned that you spent time in Hong Kong. How was it teaching BJJ/MMA in Asia?

In 2008, I moved to Hong Kong to teach BJJ/MMA in an excellent gym in Hong Kong, JAB MMA, it was a great experience to live there too. Jiu – jitsu there grows every year and we are proud to have an Icon gym there as well with Thomas Fan.

4. You fought a lot in MMA against some world class competition. How different is the adrenaline rush between fighting a mma match and a BJJ superfight or high level competition?

MMA was a great experience too, I love the adrenaline to be inside the cage. I’ve fought against top mma guys and they were great fights, I just loved doing that. The adrenaline in mma and bjj for me is very similar, I love both.

5. Please tell us about your BJJ academy, Icon. What do you differently than other academies? (tell us about your teaching style)

Icon team was founded only three years ago and already we have a strong bond, we are like a big family. If any of the Icon gym need something all the head instructors will get together to help and support. We work together to grow together is simple, without ego!

At 2013 London Open

6. What is next for you and your team in 2013/2014?

We have the World Pro trials at the end of November and main event is gonna be European in 2014.

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

First of all I wanna thank my family, then all my team mates, my master Ze Marcello and my sponsor Acai the boon berry.