Jiu Jitsu Style - Issue 38 2017

XANDE RIBEIRO VS ROGER GRACIE

When it comes to the history of Brazilian jiu jitsu competition, Roger Gra-

cie’s domination in the first decade of the 21st century is unmatched. He

began by winning the IBJJF Worlds in 2000 as a blue belt, then again as

both a purple and brown belt in the following two years. His only slip was

in 2003, as a new black belt, though even in his ‘worst’ year, Roger still

came away with a silver medal in the Absolute.

From 2004, Roger had an incredible six-year run of gold medals in his

weight division. He was still undefeated when his focus shifted to MMA

after 2010. Yet at open weight, it proved difficult to get past that 2003

silver medal.

Both Roger and Xande had a legacy to live up to. For Roger, it was the

storied Gracie family. For Xande, it was his brother Saulo. The elder

Ribeiro sibling had amassed a stack of gold medals by 2006, in a variety

of weight divisions. The brothers were very close, as Xande described in

Road to a Championship:

Sometimes I’m more happy when he wins than when I win, and he feels the

same. For sure he feels the same, he was like way more happy than I was

[...] Jiu jitsu is individual, but you need that person who understands you.

[...] Look how I’m blessed, this guy, he’s the greatest, and he’s my brother.

There’s nothing better than that.

Xande had just started hitting his stride by 2006, earning a couple of

bronzes before his first black belt gold in 2004. In 2005 he came away

with a silver, so he was eager to return to the top. Roger had bested him

in 2005 in their weight division: Xande dropped to heavy in 2006, so only

the Absolute final could provide him with revenge.

CLASSIC MATCH

‘THIRTY SECONDS TO GO, WHAT AM I GOING TO

DO? THERE’S NO STRATEGY NO MORE’

• XANDE RIBEIRO