IBJJFOct 30, 2015 by Hywel Teague
Preguica To Fight Heavyweight At No-Gi Worlds: 'I Want The Title'
Preguica To Fight Heavyweight At No-Gi Worlds: 'I Want The Title'
Felipe Pena is one of the most technical and exciting black belts in the game, and he never fails to impress with his abilities and accomplishments. It’s no
Felipe Pena is one of the most technical and exciting black belts in the game, and he never fails to impress with his abilities and accomplishments.
It’s no wonder that we named him our #1 Black Belt Under 25 years of Age. Consider his achievements: Copa Podio Grand Prix champion, World Pro champion, ADCC 2015 silver medal, Brazilian champion, the list goes on…
But there is one title that 'Preguica' has yet to claim, and that’s gold at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championships.
Come Nov 7-8, Pena will take to the famous blue and yellow mats at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California in a bid to become champion one more time. We caught up with him a week out to see what he’s been up to.
FloGrappling: First thing, how are you doing? You had a hard time at ADCC with some seriously tough fights. Did you get to chill out after?
Felipe Pena: I’m really well thanks. I had four hard fights at ADCC and I only had tough guys from the beginning. I feel good, I trained hard for the competition but I rested well afterwards. I had already decided to fight in the No-Gi Worlds, so I’ve been training hard for a while.
It’s no-gi season right now with the No-Gi Worlds coming up and many other tournaments. Do you think that you have an advantage because you spent so much time preparing for ADCC?
I don’t think it was an advantage because the majority of athletes are already training no-gi as they’ve been focussed on the season. I never trained too much no-gi but for ADCC I really focussed on that and I’ve learned a lot.
You’ve not yet won the IBJJF no-gi world title, does that mean that this tournament is extra special to you?
I got silver in 2013 – my first year as a black belt – unfortunately I hit the limit. It’s a title I don’t have yet and I want it badly.
Have you decided which division you’re going to compete in? You change weights a lot, can you explain why?
I’ve always been middle heavy (88kg / 194lb in the gi) since I was a white belt, but when I got my black belt I had to start fighting at heavyweight because of Romulo Barral [friend and training partner, who also fights middle heavy]. He’s a person that I would never ever fight in my life, so I opted to fight in the division above so not to run the risk of us meeting. This year for the No-Gi Worlds I’m fighting at heavyweight [ 91.5kg / 202lb]. I’m not at the top of the category but I prefer not to lose weight so it doesn’t affect me for the absolute.
Finally, do you have any news about Copa Podio? You’re already a three-time Copa Podio champ, will we see you in action there next year?
Sure! It’s always a great pleasure to participate in Copa Podio and I’ll be prepared to defend my title next year.
Felipe Pena will compete in the 2015 IBJJF World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Nov 7-8. Watch it LIVE exclusively here when you sign up for a FloPRO account.
It’s no wonder that we named him our #1 Black Belt Under 25 years of Age. Consider his achievements: Copa Podio Grand Prix champion, World Pro champion, ADCC 2015 silver medal, Brazilian champion, the list goes on…
But there is one title that 'Preguica' has yet to claim, and that’s gold at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championships.
Come Nov 7-8, Pena will take to the famous blue and yellow mats at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California in a bid to become champion one more time. We caught up with him a week out to see what he’s been up to.
FloGrappling: First thing, how are you doing? You had a hard time at ADCC with some seriously tough fights. Did you get to chill out after?
Felipe Pena: I’m really well thanks. I had four hard fights at ADCC and I only had tough guys from the beginning. I feel good, I trained hard for the competition but I rested well afterwards. I had already decided to fight in the No-Gi Worlds, so I’ve been training hard for a while.
It’s no-gi season right now with the No-Gi Worlds coming up and many other tournaments. Do you think that you have an advantage because you spent so much time preparing for ADCC?
I don’t think it was an advantage because the majority of athletes are already training no-gi as they’ve been focussed on the season. I never trained too much no-gi but for ADCC I really focussed on that and I’ve learned a lot.
You’ve not yet won the IBJJF no-gi world title, does that mean that this tournament is extra special to you?
I got silver in 2013 – my first year as a black belt – unfortunately I hit the limit. It’s a title I don’t have yet and I want it badly.
Have you decided which division you’re going to compete in? You change weights a lot, can you explain why?
I’ve always been middle heavy (88kg / 194lb in the gi) since I was a white belt, but when I got my black belt I had to start fighting at heavyweight because of Romulo Barral [friend and training partner, who also fights middle heavy]. He’s a person that I would never ever fight in my life, so I opted to fight in the division above so not to run the risk of us meeting. This year for the No-Gi Worlds I’m fighting at heavyweight [ 91.5kg / 202lb]. I’m not at the top of the category but I prefer not to lose weight so it doesn’t affect me for the absolute.
Finally, do you have any news about Copa Podio? You’re already a three-time Copa Podio champ, will we see you in action there next year?
Sure! It’s always a great pleasure to participate in Copa Podio and I’ll be prepared to defend my title next year.
Felipe Pena will compete in the 2015 IBJJF World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Nov 7-8. Watch it LIVE exclusively here when you sign up for a FloPRO account.