Why did you fall in love with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Chances are, there wasn’t just one reason – but quite a bit of them.
The same is true for Ricardo Almeida.
Before he became the first BJJ black belt promoted by Renzo Gracie and before he left his mark on the BJJ and MMA competitive scene, he was introduced to Jiu-Jitsu by a close friend – and the mats immediately felt like home.
Almeida shared the multiple reasons why he liked BJJ from the get-go, in an interview with BJJEE:
I fell in love with just how cerebral jiu jitsu is, with all of the options available.
With the physical aspect of it, with just being able to get in there and just go to war with somebody… The competitive aspect of it, you know?
Also, the comradery, like the environment that I found on the mats, it was like nothing I ever experienced.
What immediately stuck with Almeida was the mix of the brotherhood and toughness on the mats:
What struck me the most was just how welcoming the people were – but also how tough they were, in terms of their discipline and not taking crap from other people.
So, I think that I was immediately attracted by the physical aspect of jiu jitsu when I was young, when I was around 15-16 years old. That definitely threw me into the competitive aspect of it.
But, I think that more than anything, that the comradery, the brotherhood, the clear culture that we had on the mats… That was unlike anything else.
Read our full interview with Ricardo Almeida on the following link.
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