Leonardo Alcantara Vieira | Gold medalist of the World’s most prestigious Submission Grappling title, the ADCC

Jose Flores: 0:00

All right. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the weird kicking podcast where I get the privilege to talk to the legends and warriors or the martial arts world. Today I am being joined by the founder of checkmat. Leo Viana and the finance director. Yes, yes. All right. How are we honest? I was, I was, I was working all night. I'm like, how do you pronounce his last name? How do you pronounce

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 0:23

that? That's it. It's Vieira. Yeah, I guess it helps that I speak Spanish in Portuguese and Spanish kind of go hand in hand. So no, no accent? Are you good? Good. Zealand Brazilian accent?

Jose Flores: 0:37

Thank you. It feels good to be here. They're born in Rio de Janeiro. Correct? Yes. Oh, yes. How was that for you? How was life growing up in Rio was super nice because I grew up about one block by the beach. The beautiful huge I Nero in Ipanema. So was a privilege and a blessing to born and be creative and grow up over there special with the whole traditional, you know, from real jujitsu as IE in surfing. You just say my next you surf I notice I know you started to get to an early age but everyone that I talked to that from Brazil, they served so your use of your surf tune?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 1:19

You know you need it. We need to find surf. If you look at surf as you Geeta no I don't sir. But But I can say that I have a lot of fun. Oh, and I and I think the community it's a pretty is same you know, like everybody you know, like the same way they enjoy to be on the mat to enjoy to be like they enjoy to be in the water we enjoy to be on the mat. So we will leave it for this lifestyle so we will we pay any price to live their dream. So it's pretty similar. But also it's a very like complete like a like it's it's way that I this my hobby relax and to go and then and when sometimes you have an opportunity to travel the world you have affiliations in our Why? and Australia in a different place that we can go training and service. So you have good mix. That's a good mix right there. And again, you started to get to at an early age age six if I'm if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. You know, like I was, I don't know really when really start but I know my first like God Murphy show. Like, I like Federation. It's 1985 I was already yellow belt. So I like I'm from 76 so it should be like, you know, like 10 years or so I start for the yellow belt. I should start at least like one year before. Oh, okay, so yeah, and your first instructor was remote Calvin Calvin Canty. cavalcante Richard, how was it? Like, how was he like, you know, he was like, one of my father was my father you know, like, the way he was not like as a professor the coach but he was a very, very nice guy always like taking care with all kids, his students like very concerned about what kind of example he's going to have on the mat and how he pushed and he guided us those students to their life. So I was blessed to be the first that kids group you know, like he was open I got invited for training or otherwise and Jiu Jitsu used to be very expensive back in the time I cannot afford and but because my father was working in the building and he knows rocket air so I got a fight me to to go and it was opportunity that that was fun for me you know, and then change these lifestyle jujitsu was changing doing it like that same way that was getting my Twitter like maturing myself and grow up with the Jiu Jitsu was getting different perspective for me. Wow. So you fell in love with the sport right away then yeah, as like as a kid was so much fun you know not that much because as a kid you're gonna get beat up by the gal that a lot of ego as a kid so but usually to a start miss about so much about my limitation balance How was by myself I was a kid I was very like a shine in a heart to heart you communicate. So jujitsu became a way to communicate myself with the world and they became and deal with my limitation deal with my, you know, like, something that I was personnel issues, and no and I was and then be and then find myself I have a good balance of confidence myself and then and then help me to develop myself as a grown man.

Jose Flores: 4:53

So I mean, and I don't know this could be for any martial arts, but it's sort of like a triangle. It's at the bottom It's bigger, and then it gets smaller in the top, the you grew up with any of your friends or anything practicing jujitsu, and are they now?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 5:09

Like on top of that triangle like with you as a black belt? Or do you see a lot of a lot of friends just fall off and not train anymore. You know, I grew up with a different like awards, because I was the poor kid living the nice neighborhood, and nice street because my father was working for them. So I was a kid walking with the kids that live, like some privileged kids, they're living in apartments, nice neighborhood, you know, with different opportunities. The same time I was going to school with my, or their friends and I make a lot of friends from the, from the my public school, from the favelas, people with less privilege, you know, and then those two words, like I was, I was, like, with a two, I was trying to get myself with those two groups. And, and then I see, like, a lot of good things and bad things happen in both for some like what for those kids, they taking, they, they make a good choice their life, and they get a reward after and also I saw kids like making bad choice and get it, you know, like, bad, bad consequence in both things. So and also the funny thing was a Jiu Jitsu, make those two words collapse, bring it together. So I grew up with a friend. And we, we was like me, we I was, you know, trying to make as much right things on my life. And that's why I get a lot of concept, positive consequence. But, you know, like, grow up with them, like, make me be get a lot of friends. Even right now we have a Hadoop company, though. It's a my childhood friends, Francisco manager, so all of them they trainee lever jujitsu the same time. So I saw like, in the finance area was one of the key there was another generation, but it was like, was a we had a always was like a pretty close to us, or we didn't see like I grew up in Panama. And even when I was a two different words different by society, economic society, but it was very collapsing together the same time with jujitsu, whether we don't see color scheme, religion, money, or how much money you have in your pocket, it just wants to get on the mat trainee help each other. And you build a lot of friendship on that. And we was pushing self push each other to help together make good decisions in their life, you know, and we see like how discipline, more discipline you can put in a live is more reserved as a concept. Good, good, positive consequences. So he was friendly, helping friends. So it was super nice.

Jose Flores: 8:00

Oh, man, that's awesome. Yeah. And then, like you said, two worlds coming together and just in jujitsu, it just becomes one. That is awesome. So you're, how long were you training in Brazil before you came to the US?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 8:16

You know, Jiu Jitsu had a different perspective. For me, like I said, As a kid, I was training at panorama, and it was just fun. You know, for my parents, maybe it was a part of help to educate myself to my behave. You know, for me, it was just good to have fun on the mat and, you know, meet with all the other kids. later on. When I was teenager, jujitsu became my hobby, I want to do surfing and I do soccer on a professional soccer. I didn't like to go to school, but I want to be a professional sport, but not as wishy washy. It was just hobby to was something fun that I do. You know, someday that will not gonna stop. Because helping to keep to stand up for myself. I was always a small kid for my group, give me a lot of confidence. It's something that I want to stop. But I wants to be professional soccer. Later, when I became like a young adult, so I saw the opportunity to change. So I realized that Jiu Jitsu, there are a lot of opportunities for me to work part of my time, and then I start to make a little money. And then that was the first time that I saw Oh, you know, it's a nice lifestyle. So I don't have because I was already playing soccer too. And then it's so much a job that you're running and drills and clubs and, and deal with a lot of politics. And then Jiu Jitsu say, you know, like, it's a fun, and I look at my file, that's what the first time that I looked at, and I said, Oh my god, his lifestyle is pretty good. He lived, he lived one block to the beach. He'd ride his bike. He goes to the Academy to jujitsu training. He left is like a no Walk in one single day. And that says, You know, I think that's going to start to do this more often. And then I started part of my job then became a not a hobby anymore, but became more competitions, get out of the hobby Get out, get became young now, like a performance performers. Yes. And then later when these then I got invited to go to San Paolo, I was 21 years old black belt, I want to move to San Paolo, also in Brazil, to work with fiberglass shell, I was already black belt, and I went there to get more opportunities a job, there was a full time work. That's when I realized, okay, now is a full time job now that I don't go to know where I'm going to be a professor, I'm going to be a jujitsu outlet, and I'm going to be a professor when I run my own school later. And then I decided to live this lifestyle. And then I was in San Paolo from 2021 years old. Until, like 1312 2013. Like, yeah, so that's when I decided to come here was a, you know, seven or eight years ago. And then before this I was to use to use to compete so much United States traveling with athletes to go to compete. I was competing science 2000. You know, United States super fights competition in, in and out like, but not really like working or not doing anything with Jiu Jitsu. And then and then I decided to move because the whole jujitsu community moved to California, the words competition, my position, the team was recording was required that I need somebody over here locally, that can run the team, but also can open up opportunities that are those similar photos that changed my life, I want to became I want to make the team became this platform that can change people's life, you know, the same change that I was in my life and change, not just me, my all my family life. So I want us to others have the same thing. And I knew that I moved to United States is going to help more people to do this act the same thing?

Jose Flores: 12:14

Oh, yeah. And I mean, it's, I mean, just looking at your manual, I could tell you helped a lot of people. There's quite a few people here. And now, if I could backtrack a bit, you started you say you started helping out in becoming an instructor, what rank that you started

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 12:30

helping now, you know, my professor is super nice. I don't know, he wants to motivate me. He was like, if you want see, he was looking for opportunities. But the first time he asked me to help, I was like orange belt, I was a kid, he was a he had to be helped me, like, helping with the kids class. I don't know if it was because he think that I know something was my talent or was just because, you know, like, Man, you need to behave, you know, like, I do the same thing. Some kids are not behave as a, hey, you have to be my helper, you have to be a code because if you if you do something, the other kids gonna do something. But you cannot tell this to them, they just bring this guy as a professor to help assist. Okay, so help me the class and then you give this status. Now you have that siliceous be good behave, and then everybody follows him. So I don't know if he's really wants to be a coach or he wants to you know, just like be make sure that I behave a good behave in that class. But I started when I was at Orange belt, and then as a bluebell, and like, and I was always just getting more opportunities and more responsibilities. And I was taking a very serious all like this styles that I was getting. Now you're the head coach. Now this coach now he does kids code. So I was really thinking serious making like follow the program, giving my best to them. And I fall in love to be teaching and to be in this environment.

Jose Flores: 14:01

That's awesome. I mean, I don't know if it was the same for you. However, when I first my first class that I taught i was i was a blue belt but I was nervous. And for me when I get nervous, I start getting sweaty. And when I get sweaty on my solar plexus, the center of my chest does the first thing that gets full of sweat. So I remember my first class and it was with foreign five year old so I was like Oh man, I fell in love with it. So the I mean my question is did you have Were you nervous? The the you remember the first class that you taught? Were you nervous? Are you calm?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 14:33

Or I don't exactly remember my first class. I remember like a some of those class but I still nervous I step on the mat today, you know, but I think it's something connect with you wants to give your best. Let us know in the community give the best. Like you have to be ours like, like, like although analyzing yourself like researching like a news. If I'm coaching athletes I go, I go check like, what's who's he's gonna fight what the people doing? Like, I need to know my Maya, my athlete, I need to know who's he's gonna fight and what rules he's gonna fight. So it's a it's a full job for me and I want to make the best because honestly how long he'll he have to training and I want to make sure that he go he go with a confidence with nobody will beat him technical because then will be my mistake, you know so I have to make sure that he's Oh, he'll be he'll be training strategy and technical perspective would be my position. So I still shaking, I stepped for one seminar, I stepped for one class, I go to the kids class, out of class, I travel for seminar. So every time that step on the mat, my commitment is to give my best and I'm and I'm nervous because I want to make sure like the white belt have the best experience in their life. And to provide the best periods of life that somebody sometimes doesn't know what, like the is a first class it's a very challenging, you know, and, and like that's, that does make me nervous.

Jose Flores: 16:13

Yeah, no, I didn't know what you mean. So you're 21 that's when you're on your black belt? Correct. You said 21 so you're here did you start competing before that or where you're at? As a black belt? You said I'm I'm gonna compete more and I'm gonna try this competing stuff.

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 16:28

Yeah, like I said, like my first competition was in 86 1986 as a yellow belt was one years old. I'm 45 but I was 10 years old my first tournament, you know? And then like I said, like the competition back at that time was something more hobby. I don't tell us something that I want this nice. It was a nice competition never was nice for me. I was always nervous was a war it was going to the war it's like you know, kill somebody or die to die killing trying to kill somebody. But like I couldn't beat a science I was like, again, I never stopped to compete. So but I always was like I never was a competing everything. I was not the competitor compete everything. So I was but I was very clear for me. What should I compete what what Jiu Jitsu is representing my life. So I knew it science. Like very early I knew that okay. Like what's who is my who out my individual sheet. So what's your what's my purpose, purpose of my life in Jiu Jitsu. So when you know who you are, and you know what your purpose is alive, you know what you have to do? Because the competition's for me was was something that I wanted to change. I know that jujitsu is gonna change my life is gonna change in my family's life, my brothers, my my mom, my father, so I know that you're gonna change your life. And competition was just a part of that thing was not just competing. We're not just be a world champion is not just, but competition will do it. So every time that I got invited to compete, every time that I got invited to teach us do something else, the questions that I was asking myself, if this gave me putting me close to my goal, or this was taking me away from my goal, that was easy to make to understand like and give myself discipline for the for for everything that I wants to do. So competition was always part of my life. But some some those tournament has more priority depends on what time there wasn't, there was a but I also I was, you know, going to school, college, I was, you know, does something

Jose Flores: 18:48

or were tournaments, big back in the day, and were they in the point system? Or was it just whoever gets the first submission? You know,

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 18:56

I can tell that I saw the Federation's warn, so as a kid, I remember like, slam, you know, foot lock, everything was allowed there. No, actually rules. You know, like, but yeah, like yellow belt is like it's not every school they have, they have a perfect technique to open God. So a lot of schools say okay, just stand up lifting, smashing the ground or you sit here and it was allowed for kids for a key. Yeah, that was a technical. Wow. So later on, they start changing so the Federation realize that okay, some position, get more injuries than others. And also those injuries. It's muddy. It happens in this group of age and not this group of age. And then they start like making the change. You know, kids, let's protect the neck of the kids. Let's protect this and then are slammed it's it's dangerous for adults to or he'll hook used to have a footlocker and you bought everything for blue and purple Bell, and then they, but the number of injuries was big. The numbers of good athletes absent in competition was big and that wasn't good to sport. You want to make sure that like the next Boucher that we're showing in the blue belt, he's gonna compete next competition again.

Jose Flores: 20:22

Yeah, so

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 20:23

let's make something that they can't they, but sometimes they don't have maturity as you understand. And they're gonna kill each other trying to, you know, win the tournament, okay, let's make a rules that protect them because they don't know how to protect themselves, their commitment behind to be world champion is so high, so they got to kill himself. So the Federation started putting rules regarding protect the athletes, you know, and make the sport don't lose the, the essence like the, you know, the laws of the room. Yeah. So that's why they changed, the rules was changed, and the rules still change. And right now, you know, regarding to, to keep, like, the efficient as a Grappler martial law, but also to protect like the athletes, and it's a longer term sport. So a lot of other martial arts, like, you cannot bind for all your life, you have a certain time for your performance. That is correct. The good thing Jiu Jitsu, because it's a lot of Is there a lot of breakdowns, like you, we break the divisions in group of age, we break the divisions, also a level of experience, and we have a lot of belt, we break the experience also as as weight. So it's pretty fair tournaments. So you're going to find somebody in your age group in your weight class. And also we fill level experience in the belt. So make a pretty fair and also the rules protect you by age regarding the history that you have the injuries. So we, as a kids, we have these protections for for shoulders and neck for for masters or seniors or we have this protection or you cannot allow like some knee, like, for the adults, everything is allowed.

Jose Flores: 22:20

Wow. But when you say everything's allowed for the adults, it starts at a certain rank or a white belt, because I know heel hooks and leg locks. They're only allowed at a certain level right? Or am I

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 22:32

yeah, no, you're right. Like Yeah, brown and black belts is allowed all kinds of submission is still there is some submissions. That happens a lot of nogi not allowed with gay. So like he hooks allowed for nogi but not allowed, we forget. But we have new bars and a lot a lot of a lot of submissions gap slides by splices, a lot of a lot of submissions that it's allowed as a as a black belt adult brown and black belt are not because we expect they they be competed for a longer time they very professional, but as older you you're getting so you make those rules became more more soft to protect and make sure that we have a long, longer career.

Jose Flores: 23:17

Yeah. And you know what, that you got me right there were the nogi and the GI that the thing you said he'll hook? Yeah. Why is it allowed to nogi and not allowing? Because that's something really new.

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 23:31

You know, I think I don't know what bring the decision to ibjjf to make that change. But he hooked was not that so the first year that first he and the first tournament that actually nogi ibjjf was allowed with hooks. Wow. Because all nogi tournaments, they make heel hooks allowed jujitsu, you ibjjf was the only rules that was not allowed, you know, and we kind of was losing students with I don't think it was losing students. But I think they jujitsu athletes that compete with again, there was losing opportunities and losing fights, because they're not get used to heel hook is a game that changes so much the dynamic of the fight. And when he when he's allowed, make the it's changed the way you pass change the ways that you play God change the way you scramble, but when he is allowed. Now, like, like it means that like your perspective, like your strategy has to be different. So yeah, though, so these are the new change that ibjjf put into jujitsu nogi that I think will help and I think honestly, you know, I think with a GI also they should they should add these with gauges.

Jose Flores: 24:53

That's that's quite interesting that and that I'm glad to hear that. I mean, honestly, I've done different terms Nigeria I mean, I want to get more into them but, you know, it's always I always just gotta show up. You just got to show up. I mean, don't think too much of an interest show up. Just show up. Yeah, so I'm coming back to you started competing at I mean, already as a brown belt as a black belt. Tell me about your first victory. And that was it wasn't the penance it wasn't the patent it wasn't it was one

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 25:24

of the biggest I think like the first words tournament was in 96 I was brown belt the first one

Jose Flores: 25:33

yeah, how was that like?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 25:35

Was was amazing was that that was some It was like a what gap you know like for those fans despite metal like as well was like we was fighting Olympic was something big you know, we have was the first time that we was in Brazil there was a lot of international fighters that always like a lot of like a Brazilian that were traveling to go to their to the big tournament so it was pretty was pretty big tournament with a lot of sponsors TVs cameras, you know, for me that's what's my perspective so for me it was pretty big deal I was 20 years old and like was amazing to be part of that. I was a brown belt and and that was the feeling and when that tournament was amazing because he was giving me like more and more to I was getting even more motivated to go to go to compete to training did I knew that I wasn't that I wasn't the right spot or wasn't the right you know patch

Jose Flores: 26:39

that sounds awesome. I mean, I couldn't imagine showing up all these people there these TVs and was there I mean was there a crowd back then was it was crowd was very great.

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 26:51

And then in the in the next follow years was the same thing so it was even better and then I was already black belt and then and then but it was a super nice experience to be involved with those guys and see like those bigger names you know competing, you know, like fiberglass shell liborio Marilla Bustamante you know all those big names highly, you know, like oh, is somebody you know, like, Is everybody competing the same time so it was pretty was a privilege to be that time

Jose Flores: 27:23

Yeah, cuz at that time that the Gracie name was already use was well well known throughout right? It will because I mean the gracies they came in and then what are they already known throughout there they were right there yeah, it must have been nice seeing them there and like

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 27:44

Wow, so they was very active by the time so we can we also see them competing there was very like in the tournament coaching competing so there was very active back the tire you know, so yeah, there was there was super nice and do other than competing sometimes against there was like but at the same time like develop like a friendship because the same time was different with different flags. at same time have one big flag as return so like we and you can feel that we are bigger rivals because we are part of different teams, but the same time like a we all together we all jujitsu Yeah,

Jose Flores: 28:25

I mean, it's nice to have that competitiveness side. However, at the end of the day, shake hands you want to grab a bite to eat Let's go. It's like,

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 28:33

like abroad is like I can I can find my brother but nobody touch my brother. So you don't have anyone that from our Jiu Jitsu different martial arts talk about the martial arts like you don't get one that they cannot talk about? Nobody. No, no, I'm the only one can talk about my guys. Nobody talks.

Jose Flores: 28:52

So I mean, just just reading through, and you correct me if I'm wrong. It seems like you had an I'm putting this in a nice way and Nemesis per se, like somebody named Marcio feitosa. You went up against him a couple of times. He was always at the tournament you were in and you guys went back and forth. Can you tell me more about that experience?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 29:10

Yeah, my fe dausa was like, you know, like the rocks that you have in your shoes that oh my god that was hard to get out because it's glue. It's not like

Unknown: 29:20

he was like,

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 29:21

he was a he was a very good athlete. He was always a stronger than me. But I was I was fat. So my strategy always was like, he wants to be fast and everybody else wants to show us more Jiu Jitsu. His he was very strategy guy, very strong, very strategy, and he don't make mistakes. But the biggest problem for him, you know, was a lot of politics behind that, you know, and he was the biggest name the Gracie Baja, you know, the people who who organized the whole tournament, so, beat mass faders I was like, it's like you want to play video game. You have to be Everybody to go to the boss or the boss have a superpower, you know, so he don't want to lose like, almost close if he hidden one is likely to know so for you. Yeah, so it's, it's like a be the boss of the video game. But as a personality we was we became friends because there we were bigger rivals with a wall with respect. So when we build this respect so my agenda he is what he shouting now Santos that that was a group that was we always push each other because he knew where that I gonna not gonna go to know where we're gonna be in this division, I knew that there is going to be that division. So we was like, helping others to be, you know, like just training even more and be farmers and then next tournament. So it was a lot of back and forth. And like in but I have these extras upon was, you know, because I was fighting against like a dead that balls off the off day.

Jose Flores: 31:06

I mean, that must have been nice robbery to have. Because even though it's a rivalry, you two got better because you two were just going up against each other. So any little mistake that you two made could win then and I mean, personally when I go up with someone like that, that is more standard anything I feel like I can better myself because now I get to study myself and unfortunately around that time cellphones were not that big. So what were a lot of matches being recorded at that time were

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 31:33

you know that uh, that bachata was the only guy I remember that I used to you know, recording a lot of this. He died a long time ago. I don't know like but he's the one have amazing like a so much for this but I don't know. Like he has a lot of tapes. All the tapes VHS so people sometimes they say no, I didn't see like, VHS. De Bono's day with podcast, or whatever. Maybe for like a startup vinta vintage people is gonna Yeah, but Yeah, probably. Yeah. So he is the one that was making video regarding everything back in that time. And yeah, but I myself like, oh, like I said, like, I was a poor kid that didn't have like any any picture is I don't have a video. So I was relying on my, in my, in my rich friends that have a picture is and sometimes they we find some Haleh look at this picture and say oh my god, you know, like, but we even like, even like, if we don't have so many like oil, we don't have those social media back. So he wants to he wants to just like you know, go out and you know, mess it up everything and it

Jose Flores: 32:50

was good that way back then camera roll of film and hopefully have plenty of roll of film because

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 32:57

for one way I tell is up they know we was blessed and lucky that we don't have social media back at that time. Otherwise, we're not gonna be what we had a week. Everybody's gonna be DJ. Because like, always, always changing, always changing your attitude. You know, all we will say Oh, like, oh, man, we're in trouble. You cannot you cannot do this.

Jose Flores: 33:23

Man. So if you recall a list of tournaments that you want and is there one in particular that you could go back to and say, you know, that one was I enjoyed that one that one felt so good to win.

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 33:38

You know, adcc was the was one of those tournaments because I tried two times the first time was a very unique tournament first because it was fighting Abu Dhabi, you know, back in that time like in 2000 so it was like man 2000 traveling to Abu Dhabi was like back in the time like a so much. So it was very the cultural the lifestyle was very different. And when I got invited to fight they didn't let me fight in the sixth sixth division. So because there are some politics on everything, so I couldn't fight in six to six I was only allowed to fight that 771 Division bigger and I fought this division. I lose I make the third place third or fourth place me my first Abba Daddy, but I fought against marker with give me a lot on a male respect because he was double my size with 120 kilos like and I was was just with a 67 or 70 kilos I was a buy the fight was draw after 10 minutes and like and then get it and give me a lot of attention because he was such a big guy. He was destroying everybody. He couldn't do much with me. So their fight was bringing me a lot of attention to my career was giving me a lot of confidence as to as a fighter. And, and like and I was I was a young black belt, and that Abu Dhabi adcc was paying a price a very good money was$10,000 Oh, but $10,000 in 2000 it was a lot of money. Yes,

Jose Flores: 35:27

it was

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 35:28

so and, and besides the respect besides the prestige beside the whole thing, that company they rigged the competition was representing, you know, because they were putting a lot of different grapples in martial arts together when that tournament they have a very good price and for two times I get invited to fight the division that was on my and I was first I was making good tournament the butter was for frustration myself fighting seven to seven kilos one day first time they let me fight in six to six was in Brazil, I win the tournament. And and then and then later I win the next time then they later I was 2005 I win again was in United States and then I compete a lot of like I always wasn't the first second or third place in this Abu Dhabi I wasn't one of the most the other the most fight adcc was the competition that opened a lot of opportunities for me. Like I said before there was a I was training companies usually it was also changed my life. So the prize, the prestige, the respect that this competition brings to my life change not just my life but changed a lot of people's life for my family. For my for my Jiu Jitsu for my career for the for the team that I was growing. So it's a competition that I have I have a lot of a lot of a lot of love a lot of respect. Of course I decided Jiu Jitsu ibjjf and everything what they did was cool.

Jose Flores: 37:03

Yeah, that's awesome. I mean, I've never been to Vegas here it's beautiful and to hear from you I feel like it's great i mean it's that's one of the biggest tournaments there is right also adcc

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 37:15

Yeah, for special for no gays like on World Cup nogi adcc is one of the biggest you know, and they do a pretty good job every two years right now.

Jose Flores: 37:26

How was your transition from good to no good? What did you find it to be easy? Or did you have quite some time to challenge for it? No,

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 37:35

it was a very challenging the first one because the first one I didn't, I didn't have any specific training nogi I take it on my gear when to compete. But I felt that if I training more specific, I will have a better opportunities. And then after that competition, all my training camps I have gi and nogi and even like when we fought when I was already caught was later on when I was already coach professor here on my own place. I was making all my training camps like with my athletes joining gi and nogi every single day. We didn't have an ogee tournament. We only had Abu Dhabi every two years but I was telling them I said look this spot one day would be good big and when they become big you guys are gonna become the best I was telling them you know as funny those guys was like, purple brown black belts young age, but those guys was the guys who hobbits rise day Alicia jauncey ish, you know, Lucas Lage Galvan so all those guys was the was training with gi and no gi. And they they didn't know even myself I didn't know how important would be no gi. But when we went to the next Abu Dhabi after we training because we was training without know that Abu Dhabi is gonna open for trials, but I knew that we have to train specifically to get better. And I knew where that we training gi and nogi every single day. So we're gonna we're gonna upgrade our game as a jujitsu but also was an ogee. And then when Abu Dhabi open up trials, they opened the trials, we was able to qualify so many athletes. So this tournament in one particular tournament, I was fighting under six six Division I got second place for seven seven division that have winter camp, we have that Galvan and Pablo Popovich represent on my team, and both at one get second over to the other guy to replace. And then we got then we got Damien, Maya wins. Then we get hobbit Drysdale he plays second place his vision and he won mean the open class beating Marcello Garcia in the final and third place in the open class was under Galvan so we place this every every athletes place we place it very good performance so and the reason why was because back two years before this trainee training nogi very specific when nobody was training that is

Jose Flores: 40:25

insane that and that's great for you that you first saw that he said you know what? Nobody's gonna be great

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 40:30

yeah and that's why I tell like he usually even right now like you have to be on is a way for what a wonder what kind of pharmacy world you know, the way that you didn't know get developed yourself before is you have a one to one on average two years but right now, there are there are no good tournament every month. Every month they're more tournament no good and whiskey. So regarding to buy pharmacy both, it's very hard you cannot have best performance with yanagi. So people is making decisions if you performance with ghee or nogi.

Jose Flores: 41:02

I mean, Nagi and ghee are very popular chairman's when you think Nagi is becoming a little bit more popular.

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 41:10

It's because the media the way the major push also, like a web, see, you know, like, help so much to push the grappling. And no GIS, something between jujitsu with gay and MMA. So they kind of put the established kind of in the middle. But, you know, make it very easy to a blue belt and black belt have a very similar game and very, like competitive, but I wait for the semi blue belt for the same black belt when I get there. No way. Because jujitsu is more technical. It's they're more grimms It's my very technical nogi make a scramble a lot. So conditional training means a lot. But uh, but uh, but it's competition develop sparks. So because the, there are so many competitions nogi. So, like, develop a lot of technicals behind the sport. And of course, nowadays, the way the way it is, like, you cannot just train it with gear and go to compete nogi you can be good, but you cannot have the best you don't you're not going to have the best, like, experience or the best technical to fight nogi so you should have, like training specific for you regarding your specific performance in the sport. Yeah,

Jose Flores: 42:27

man. That's Yeah, and I mean, I, you can answer the question are there, MMA UFC? venditore pflp. That's nogi that basically, they're right there. There's really not enough groups and everything, different groups, different groups. Yeah,

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 42:40

you know, at the same time, they're very similar. Also, they're very different. Because I used to say, I used to compare like, it's a Huckabee and American football, you know, maybe maybe if you move from one spot to the other one, you can be very good. My baby, you can be worse is not going to find yourself, you know, so like, soccer and football. You know, it's, it's changed some rules or changed some, like dynamical for the speed of the, the game, and they change the whole thing. You know, so that's why that's the way I see Jiu Jitsu and nogi. So it's very similar. You can make one game be very, very, very useful for both, you know, but, but it's a very, also is very unique and specific, like that some position that work with a, and that's some position, they

Jose Flores: 43:34

only want to work with nogi Wow. All right. I get it. Okay. So, I mean, I did all this processing. And that's, I'm glad I heard it from you. So check, Matt. When did you found checkmat? Well, you

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 43:49

know, it was 2008 2008 was a, I think I was a first re getting, like frustrated to be in the teams that not really look what they were the athletes and student really needs. And then I will decide to you know, to make to give a voice for this, people that did not have the same privilege. And then checkmate became like, their voice became like, okay, that's the way that's gonna, we'll be fair, will be equals. That's the, that's the we're gonna you know, opportunities. So, we build the checkmate. I don't build the checkmate by myself was a dream that I have a lot of other people dreaming together, to have to be part of the sport, but also able to live jeleva over like a cold, cold off of life, that we we put more values in front of titles and belts, so it's really important to work. The more values that we build than the title that we have. So these ways is it, you know, who belongs to to be enjoy on the mat and who's not. So it's a change behavior from inside to outside.

Jose Flores: 45:14

Yeah. And how do you come up with a name? checkmat? Because I'm assuming this checkmate in English in English, right? So yeah. How do you come up with that name?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 45:23

Well, you know, we was rushing to find a name. Because we need to name a new name to the tournament. And like, every name that we was trying, like, trying to ask was, like, brainstorm was hard to join the stand was looking fine. It doesn't look like even like, those days, you know, check Mather became my wife was the one that throw this name first. So why don't we use a checkmate as a comma? Like, check? You know, I know that I've been thinking twice, I say, you know, guys, like in the meeting was, I know, you know, we have to make a decision doesn't matter what name you will pick, always gonna look funny. Let's just get something that I'm making my sense, you know, we don't care, the name is important is going to show who we are. But our attitude to be the more important who we are is going to be very important. How are we going to give that respect to this name? And then I give this error? Let's take these as example. checkmat. You know, look, we can take this, I think is nice. Because, you know, the naming means, like, you know, like a submission, like a check. So when did we finish the game? So that's what you're looking at as a goal. At the same time, you know, it means it means a king debt, you know, so let's see, if you take let's take the last word would be Matt, Matt is like the place so the matches square, like the Mets we fight the square, the chessboard is square. Everybody always compare the chess game with Jiu Jitsu. You know, you have the black and white in the favelas in Brazil have a word that say, like, we, our, our words, and attitude has to be black and white, is right or wrong like that? No. Like, you have to be honest with yourself, like they make so like, you know, like, let's play with the call let's play with the king who have a different different, like a level of a belt at the same time, they just have a different like, Yeah, do you know like, and then I started even look about, like, closer game about chess. And then I see like that a closer game, although a lot of crazy different strategy, which is making really sense, you know, we make this change. And then like, and we got these names, we like it, and became very, like, popular. You know, and unique. And everybody who really liked the logo, the name and what's the name, you represent the sport?

Jose Flores: 47:54

I mean, I love chess. So that's why one tries that question, because I love chess and check my demeanor. And get to a note every time it is true, as you say, everyone compares the Jetsons to chess, because like you're you know, you're always gonna be two steps ahead. Always. Sometimes you got to get something to get something in return. You just have to make sure that whatever whatever you take back is bigger than what you get. You can you can trade a knife for a partner and wait for you. Well, Mr. Vienna, I I appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Is there anything you would like to say or promote? I mean, I know you got some students coming up in the fight, you know, anything you would like? Yeah,

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 48:37

we always have people to compete and fight and I think that I don't even want to say I want to say thank you so much, you know, like who have more like this podcast and more like it's a it's the way that we can spread our spa so that we can spread our idea, our perspective, you know, how we see this boss, you know, and as a checkmat. Our goals it's always was to develop these a big network that we can that can make athletes, professors, students, performers, their lifestyle. We don't push like athletes to compete without pushing only one lifestyle. We believe that everybody has something to bear farmers. So people want to be farmers as hobbies and people who are farmers in competitions and be McComb performers as a scorching professor. But it's a beautiful martial arts. It's a beautiful way for we communicate ourselves to learn those moral values that we always talk so much. You know, it's really important like daily you'll learn so much and Jiu Jitsu. It's a it's a super nice so I challenge everyone that doesn't know Jiu Jitsu, you know, to challenge yourself or to at least like, like couple weeks because you're the first week it's so embarrassing. So but If you cross that we're gonna be something amazing is gonna change so much your life. It is it is, trust

Jose Flores: 50:05

me, I mean that when I started to get to it for me, because I mean, I've experienced loss and everything, but for me, it felt so great to be treated like a rag doll all across the room. I was laughing, I was like, I love that this is awesome. I want to learn more. And that's the attitude you got to take towards that you got to be positive. Because that did it. There's someone always better than us. There's always a bigger fish in the sea. So you're located in signal, right? Yes. Is there any other student that you have around?

Leonardo Alcantara Vieira: 50:34

We have a so many affiliations around I have over 100 affiliations United States where no and 300 more oversee? You know, we have Health Solutions almost in every state in the United States. You know, and like, we're pretty big family, you know, and he look for everybody's there, you know, like the same as us and, you know, give the opportunity for everybody doesn't matter what nationality What is his lifestyle. So it's, it's a it's a very, it's a very big family. We have all you should say to every family, we have all dramas. Oh, yeah. You know, but then the day, the respect, you know, the loyalty, the friendship, the empathy. It's bigger than everyday.

Jose Flores: 51:22

Oh, yes, that is true. Well, Miss Rianna, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it. Sir. You have a good one. Take care. Thank you. Thank you, everyone for tuning in. We'll see you next time.