Get to know BJJ World Champion - Felipe Costa

Nickname: MAGRINHO for the Jiu-jitsu

Food: Lemon Pie

Beverage: Sparkling water

Movie: Granhog day

Song: MUSICAL like

Animal: My female boxer Penelope, who pass the way December 2013 at the age of 13, made my love to her spread to all animals and Since October 15 I have decide I could not beaccessary with the way animals are treat until they reach our plates and decided not to eat meat anymore. I do eat Sea Food "socially" (When I travel and eat in other people's house), but never ate other animals since them. 

Hobbies: Reading

Quality: Loyalty

Flaw: Several

Star Sign: Virgo

Favorite Attack: from back and from mount

Sport Idol: Anyone who step up and fight

Never leave home without: thinking about my family

Mad about: Pancakes, lemon pie, Rio de Janeiro, beach, my FAMILY. (not in this order, LOL)

Hate: Rice and cigarettes

Obsession: Fiddle with my toes

Dream: In terms of sport I have already achieved it by winning the World Championship as a black belt twice in my life. Now I just want to travel teaching BJJ and making new friends!

Fight of your life: Each fight is a major challenge for me, particularly psychological.

Soccer Team: Fluminense. I used to be very fond of this sport, but not anymore.

Statement: "Impossible is nothing". If I have made this far in BJJ, anyone can do it too. Jiu-jitsu is EASY!

Documentary about a rough path to the success

An amazing documentary, where Black Belt World Champion, Felipe Costa shows how is possible to change from a regular BJJ fighter to an expert competitor.

Felipe Costa shows all the steps he took to reach the top level where he has been since he got his black belt in 2002.

Interview with Felipe

How was the beginning in Jiu-jitsu?

I started at 12 years old, actually even before, but only after 12 I started training seriously.

When did you decide to follow a sport career?

After winning the WORLD title, I understood that it was not possible to escape my own fate.

Tell us something about your training for competitions…

I try to train with my teamates from BRASA Jiu-jitsu, which provides me with all technical support, but the aerobic training (as often I have to lose weight). I do seriously throughout the year and intensify it when there is an upcoming championship.

Tell us about championships.

In my opinion, a championship is the fighter’s opportunity to test and develop skills and achieve his maximum. In my career I have had many victories and defeats, but even in the worst phases I never stopped fighting, as we learn a lot from our mistakes.

Have you any superstition or mania on fighting days?

None since I am certain that it will not change my performance at all. I just try to think positively on the days ahead of fights.

Do you take any special care about you nourishment?

Since I fight on galo weight, I need to keep control of my weight. Of course, I sometimes relax, but try to have a healthy and balanced diet.

How was your best fight ?

Several competitions have been important to me, yet, the one that I see as self-enduring was when I was still in purple belt and after a week in bed I fought five times to win the State championship.

How did you get your nickname?

The nickname Magrinho started with Bezinho, but indeed I get so thin before championships that it became a natural association. Magrinho is not my real nickname, though people got used to it after my first world title, when the magazine NOCAUTE wrote an article saying: Felipe Costa takes over Skinny’s throne.

What would you do if you were not a fighter?

This has always been a doubt, so far I don’t know what I would have done if I had not decided to live on the sport. Maybe I would try to be a dog trainer 

Which is the difference between Felipe FIGHTER and Felipe on a daily basis?

In fact it is a small difference, maybe the Felipe FIGHTER is more aggressive, or else, I believe that self-determination, optimism and trust mark my life in and outside the tatames.

What happens if you're just no good at the thing you love?

Felipe Costa loved jiu-jitsu, but his terrible results in competition would leave him demoralised and depressed. Instead of walking away he refused to quit, went back to the drawing board and became a world champion. 

In this video, Felipe -- a member of the Brasa team and a roosterweight competitor (58kg) -- talks about the obstacles he had to overcome and the methods he used to rise to the top. He describes the sports psychology tricks he applied to win tournaments, and explains how he approaches his training as a smaller jiu-jitsu player. We also see some rolling footage from his 'light guys only' training sessions, get-togethers reserved for jiu-jitsu players under 73kg.