The Badass Immigrant Odd Couple Living Their Jiu-Jitsu Dream in Ohio
The Badass Immigrant Odd Couple Living Their Jiu-Jitsu Dream in Ohio
In Toledo, Ohio two of the top up-and-coming competitors from GF Team live and train: Dante Leon and Gutemberg Pereira.
TOLEDO, Ohio -- A city the size of 287,000 people near the border with Michigan. In this city, an hour from the Canadian border, live and train two of the top up-and-coming competitors from Grappling Fight Team, or GF Team.
Dante Leon and Gutemberg Pereira are sponsored by the GF Team Toledo jiu-jitsu academy. Gym owner Kelly Hymore brought them here to assist them in chasing their dreams and allow them to focus on only training and competing.
While many young competitors flock to the huge gyms in New York or Southern California, these two have taken a different route, isolating themselves in a place like Toledo without a BJJ scene that's nearly as well-established.
At first glance, the two couldn't be more different. Leon is 5-foot-7 and competes in the lightweight division at 167.5lb. Pereira is 6-4 and competes in the super heavyweight division at 220lb.
Nor could their hometowns be any more different. Leon hails from the small town of Harrow, Ontario, in Canada, population around 3,000. Pereira is originally from Salvador, Bahia, in northeast Brazil, with a population closer to 3 million. This BJJ "odd couple" has been tearing up the competition scene together since linking up in Ohio around two years ago.
Both men describe their relationship more like being brothers than training partners. The guys live together in the home of their sponsor and gym owner Hymore on a quiet street full of one story homes.
Leon and Pereira both described how they like the slow pace of the area, as it allows them to focus solely on jiu-jitsu with no distractions. Being in Ohio, they are able to occasionally train with 2015 world silver medalist and GF Team competitor Vitor Oliveira, who is based in Columbus, a 2 1/2-hour drive away.
The move to Toledo and all the hard training sessions paid off at last weekend's IBJJF 2017 World Championships: Pereira took gold in the brown belt super heavy division, submitting three out of four opponents and not giving up a single point. Leon also submitted three out of four opponents before losing on points and coming home with the silver medal at brown belt lightweight.
On Monday, the day after Worlds ended, GF Team founder Julio Cesar awarded them both their black belts. They are without question two of the top first-year black belts to look out for in the near future.
​All photos by Michael Sears. Follow him on Instagram
Dante Leon and Gutemberg Pereira are sponsored by the GF Team Toledo jiu-jitsu academy. Gym owner Kelly Hymore brought them here to assist them in chasing their dreams and allow them to focus on only training and competing.
While many young competitors flock to the huge gyms in New York or Southern California, these two have taken a different route, isolating themselves in a place like Toledo without a BJJ scene that's nearly as well-established.
At first glance, the two couldn't be more different. Leon is 5-foot-7 and competes in the lightweight division at 167.5lb. Pereira is 6-4 and competes in the super heavyweight division at 220lb.
Nor could their hometowns be any more different. Leon hails from the small town of Harrow, Ontario, in Canada, population around 3,000. Pereira is originally from Salvador, Bahia, in northeast Brazil, with a population closer to 3 million. This BJJ "odd couple" has been tearing up the competition scene together since linking up in Ohio around two years ago.
Both men describe their relationship more like being brothers than training partners. The guys live together in the home of their sponsor and gym owner Hymore on a quiet street full of one story homes.
Leon and Pereira both described how they like the slow pace of the area, as it allows them to focus solely on jiu-jitsu with no distractions. Being in Ohio, they are able to occasionally train with 2015 world silver medalist and GF Team competitor Vitor Oliveira, who is based in Columbus, a 2 1/2-hour drive away.
The move to Toledo and all the hard training sessions paid off at last weekend's IBJJF 2017 World Championships: Pereira took gold in the brown belt super heavy division, submitting three out of four opponents and not giving up a single point. Leon also submitted three out of four opponents before losing on points and coming home with the silver medal at brown belt lightweight.
On Monday, the day after Worlds ended, GF Team founder Julio Cesar awarded them both their black belts. They are without question two of the top first-year black belts to look out for in the near future.
​All photos by Michael Sears. Follow him on Instagram
