Professor Bruno Bastos competed at Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022 and secured a second consecutive title. We have managed to speak with him right after his matches and here is what he shared with us (Video at the end).
Hello Professor Bastos, Please Introduce Yourself to Our Audience?
Hey everyone, am Bruno Bastos, and I’m 42 years old.
I have been training Jiu Jitsu for over 30 years now, teaching for over 20 years, I am 5th degree black belt and ready to share some Jiu Jitsu with you guys.
Tell Us More about Your Team?
My team in Midland, Texas is Bastos Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I have been in Midland for 10 years now, I just completed 10 years there.
I was able to open my own academy, exactly 3 yeas ago, so it’s been a great time since 2012 always creating world champions, kids champions, in every age group, every belt level, so it’s amazing what we have been able to accomplish in Midland Texas.
That is the other part of Team Lead, that’s one of the top teams in the world’s IBJJF ranking. Now we are coming to AJP, and I am glad we are able to display that for the world.
What Are Your Competition Plans for Next Year?
I am still an active competitor, off course now competition is not my main goal for myself. I have over 400 students in my academy, (beside that) all the affiliates and everything, but I am still healthy.
My 2 children, João Lucas and Maria Clara, they train Jiu Jitsu. They enjoy the fact that they see their dad training, competing, and that is a big motivation for me. For 2023 for sure, I want to come back to Abu Dhabi to try (a shoot at) another World Title here. Off course Master Worlds for IBJJF. These are the main titles for me, but other than that just keep producing high level competitions.
And the most important thing is to impact the Jiu Jitsu community in a good way. We have a lot of kids and Jiu Jitsu is my tool to help the kids to become successful human beings.
What Is Your Advice on a Mental Preparation for a Tournament?
My advice when it comes to preparing mentally for a tournament, I share with my students that if I know that I did everything, there is no way that I would not believe on myself. You are going to win and lose, but you have to know that you did everything on that process. There are no shortcuts! I think that a lot of people embrace the idea of being champions, but not a lot of people going to embrace the idea of have to go through the process, go to through hardships, understanding winning/losing. I say win and lose, because a lot of people say:
“Oh! You have to know how to lose!”
But you have to know how to win as well. I think when you understand all of that, and you put it all together, you will always be confident in yourself.
What Is Your Most Memorable Fight and Why?
It was a big moment for me, winning the second title in Abu Dhabi, because it has been a hard year off the mats. Seeing that my parents are getting old, and then started having health issues, and now I have to take care of them. So it was a rough year in that sense. It is nice that they can still see me doing what I love, and they put me on that when I was 10 years old, so winning here it was a great memory.
Cyborg 2020 at Master Worlds as well. That was a big victory, because we have been competing against each other since 2005. Cyborg is still competing as an adult, world-class. He is going to be on grand prix tonight at IBJJF. I am routing for him, but that was a big victory as well.
Every match that I had against like Roger Gracie, Xandre Ribeiro, Ronaldo “Jacare”, Fernando “Terere”, because one thing that I can tell people is that I fought some of the greatest of all time and that is something that nobody can take away from me.
What advice would you give to Jiu Jitsu legacy community?
Embrace everything about Jiu Jitsu!
Of course, I am a big time competitor, but I love to tell people that I love Jiu Jitsu, but is beyond Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu is a huge tool to personal development. The trials that you have to go through Jiu Jitsu gonna help you a lot off the mats. A lot of my students – engineers, attorneys, doctors, they get better at their job by the mindset that we start on the mats. I think that if we embrace everything about Jiu Jitsu that is going to be very helpful for you in your life and for sure you are going to be a better person.
