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UFC Fighter Leandro ‘Brodinho’ Issa On Transition to MMA & Growth of Singaporean BJJ

UFC Fighter Leandro ‘Brodinho’ Issa On Transition to MMA & Growth of Singaporean BJJ

 

Leandro ‘Brodinho’ Issa is a Mundials World Champion, current UFC fighter and instructor at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts in Singapore, which counts amongst the most beautiful BJJ academies in the world.

Ahead of his bout at UFC Fight Night: Hamburg on September 3rd, we sat down with the man himself to ask him about BJJ, transitioning to MMA and the growth of BJJ in Singapore.

1.When did you start BJJ

I started training BJJ in 1998 in Ubatuba, Sao Paulo.

2.Do you think it is important for BJJ competitors to add strenght and conditioning into their training?

I think now with that if you want to compete at the top level of BJJ it is important to supplement your training with strenght and conditioning. Of course though, you still need to make sure you are training a lot of BJJ.

3. In this day and age how important do you feel it is for BJJ competitors to cross train in wrestling or other grappling arts?

Of course if you train judo or wrestling it will help your game but as a BJJ competitor you don’t need to train them a lot. They will help with a few extra techniques but if you want to be really good at BJJ, competing at a high level, you have to still focus mainly on BJJ and your conditioning.

 

Brodinho with Rafael Dos Anjos

Brodinho with Rafael Dos Anjos

 

4. Why did you transition from BJJ to MMA?

I made the transition form BJJ to MMA because I had competed in BJJ a lot already and in 2004 I won the World Championship. I decided I needed a new challenge so I moved to Rio and decided to train MMA. At first it was hard as I still wanted to compete in BJJ competitions as well as MMA, but since I moved to Singapore I have been focusing on MMA.

5. What are some of the differences between training MMA and BJJ?

The main difference between training BJJ and MMA is that MMA is much harder in terms of having so many different aspects to focus on. You have to learn and train in all the different aspects, for example striking, wrestling, and take downs against the wall. You also have to keep your ground game sharp. Training BJJ you are able to focus on just BJJ.

6. What do you think your advantages in MMA are as a black belt?

I feel my advantage competing in MMA as a blackbelt comes about because I have competed a lot in BJJ. Of course there is a difference between the two but if you compete in martial arts you develop a strong mindset. In BJJ competitions you will find yourself in situations where you are behind on points so you have to come back and fight until the end. Some guys nowadays start MMA without experience in other martial arts but I feel if you have a competitive background in one beforehand it will help you in your MMA career.

 

BJJ class at Evolve MMA in Singapore

BJJ class at Evolve MMA in Singapore

 

7. How did you end up teaching and training at Evolve MMA in Singapore?

I moved to Singapore in 2009 right at the beginning of Evolve. A friend of mine came over first then I came over after him. Not long later Professor Rafael Gordinho Lima came over and it was great living and teaching with him. I love this place and this academy, being here for almost 8 years its home to me. I am very grateful I get to work with so many World Champions every day.

8. You were one of the first BJJ World Champions to move to and teach in Singapore. What is the state of the sport over there? How have you seen the sport grow since you arrived there?

When I first moved to Singapore BJJ was very new. Nobody really knew about BJJ so it was quite hard in the beginning. There were more people doing the Muay Thai classes but slowly as we educated people about what BJJ is, little by little people started joining the class and training. Since then BJJ has grown a lot in Singapore and there are many classes, for example at Evolve we have classes from 6.30am to 10pm. It has been great to see BJJ’s positive affect on my students here, making them more confident as they learn the martial art. I am very happy to be able to share my knowledge with them.

9. One thing Evolve MMA is known for is having so many Muay Thai world Champions, what is it like being able to train with them?

I feel very lucky to work with all the World Champions we have here at Evolve MMA, whether its BJJ or Muay Thai. Its great to work with them and learn the martial art, as well as the Thai culture. In Brazil it isn’t as easy to learn good Muay Thai, here we can learn from some of the most decorated Muay Thai World Champions ever. Some of the Muay Thai World Champions have even started to do BJJ, so its good to share what I know with them as well.

10. What is some advice about BJJ that you would give to a striker who is making the transition to MMA?

I think when a striker first learns BJJ they should put the gi on and go to a class to learn pure BJJ. after learning the base BJJ, then they can take the gi off and mix it in with wrestling. But I believe it is important to learn pure BJJ first to understand the concepts and build good fundamentals.