I think I’ll let the answers from this Murilo Bustamante interview stay the same.  In all its Google Translator glory, here is the email between me and Busta.  Maybe this was before the days of translator.

When I first started training in bjj, our gym was a Brazilian Top Team affiliate.  Our blackbelt was Adriano Pereira, or Nasal – pronounced Nah-zal not Nay-zul, a fighter from you guessed it, Brazil.  Nasal awarded me my blue belt in 2008.  I have the BTT official promotion certificate in a frame, next to my previous belts in a bookcase that flanks my fireplace.  Sometime after, Nasal moved to California to get closer to a larger fight scene, to help with a school in Long Beach, and in my opinion probably to get closer to the beach.  I think Tennessee is landlocked.  Anyway I will always respect BTT, Nasal, and Mr. Bustamante.  I will always fear Rousimar Palhares.  Stay away from my legs yo.

Here it is, the very basic questions I had sent in 2010(?) and the answers he wrote back.  If you are wondering, he is very friendly.  You should hit him up on the Book of the Face (Facebook for you blockheads.)  Once when the UFC came to Memphis, I emailed him ahead of time because BTT had a fighter on the card, offering him a place to roll.  It felt like he really tried as we had communicated back and forth before schedule issues came up.  I feel like you can hear a different mindset in his answers as well.  I don’t know if it’s from the Brazilian culture or upbringing, or because he has an almost concealed fighter/champion mentality.

And just so you know, his answers were in all caps, it’s like Murilo Bustamante was yelling at me through my monitor.  Ha ha.  Also in one of his answers, he asks me not to reveal one of his secrets.  But since you are loyal subscribers to this blog, both of you, I’ll share the secret.

Brief bio of Murilo Bustamante:

• 5th degree black belt under Carlson Gracie.
• 1999 Mundials champion.
• 4X Brazilian championships winner.
• Loves surfing.
• 14-8 in mma with wins over Lindland, Minowa, and Sakurai.
• Former UFC middleweight champion.
• He is a leo, ha ha, thought that’d be funny to put in here.
• One of the BTT founding members.

Q & A from the Murilo Bustamante Interview

Describe your style.  What sets it apart from others?  This can be something physical such as a particular guard or something mental such as harnessing your aggression.

I think I have a good mind for fight, I am naturally calm and concentrated under pression. Beside that I am a hard worker that is always trying to learn everything that can help me to save strength, using the most of techniques into the fights. I am a perfectionist that study deeply the best moves in martial arts. But the secret is my brazilian jiu-jitsu, that gave me skills enough to fight the best fighters I could.

Was there a specific moment or event that made you think “hmmm, if I were to change this…”  if so please describe.  What do you think has made your bjj so successful?

Actually, after each one of my fights, I can find situations I could do in a different ways, some time better. Even in my best performances I think I could do something different. But, during the fight, the fighters have less than a second to make a decision, so, I think in general my decisions fighting were good. I’d keep all of them, even the worse. I have been learning a lot with everything from my fights, even my mistakes.

I think I know how to use my jiujitsu at the right time, mixing with my boxing skills, and my take downs. I have a good timing to do right things inside the ring. Taking the fights to my place, to the ground at the right time.

In your opinion, should all grapplers train in both gi and no gi?  Why or why not?

Yes, of course. They have to train with both.  But what will make the difference on the ground, will be the gi training. With gi you will improve and develop your skills on the ground. The secret is that the gi make your hips faster on the ground. And what makes the fighter better on the ground is how fast he can move his hips. The best jiu jitsu guard specialist must have the faster hips on the ground. But it is a secret, don’t tell anyone.

Please agree, disagree, or modify the following two statements:

        1) I changed the way I grappled, or applied bjj, because I saw the sport changing.

The sport is changing, but always will have space for the orthodox style, if the fighter can do it well. Adding the good efficient news.

   2) Traditional bjj was becoming too rehearsed and stagnant.  It became much easier to recognize and defend sweeps, transitions, and submissions.

I don’t think so. You have to know how to use the traditional bjj. The fact is that everybody is training bjj. All the top fighters in the world have been training bjj. You can see in ufc, most of the champions are black belts in bjj. The level of the fighters on the ground is being increased each day.  The true is, if the fighter doesn’t have a very good level in bjj, he can’t stay on the top of mma.  And what works in mma is the traditional bjj very well done. Thats why I had some success in my career. I just use my traditional jiu jitsu in a smart way.

What has made grappling more dynamic than it was 5-10 years ago?  How much more do you think it can evolve?  Of course there have been positive changes, but please describe some negative changes you have seen.

I think the youngsters can make the positions faster, and create some new moves. Talking about martial arts in general, not only bjj, everything you make with your body, can’t stop to evolve, it is infinite the development of the positions and creativity the human body can make.  I can’t see any negative points with the changes I have seen.

And one last video, Murilo and Nasal rolling at the same time.  Palhares is waiting for a turn too. Slacker. It looks like the video was shot out in Cali.  Any BTT Long Beach members here?  Chirp, chirp.

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