Article by Carlos Eduardo Ozório
Fully focused on MMA, Vinicius "Pezão" Magalhães didn’t even do Jiu-Jitsu-specific training, but even so he was one of the standouts at ADCC 2011, winning the heavyweight division after withstanding a seemingly arm-snapping arm bar from Fabricio Werdum. Back in his days in the gi, Pezão starred in major battles with gentle art icons, catapulting him into the world of full-contact fighting.
"Facing monsters like Rômulo Barral and Rodrigo Cavaca helped me become the fighter I am today," Magalhães says in GRACIEMAG #178, on its way to bookstores around the world.
Among other revelations featured in the upcoming issue, Pezão explains the difference between competition Jiu-Jitsu and Jiu-Jitsu for MMA, both of which he is an expert in, as well as identifying the benefits of doing gentle-art training for them.
"I feel my focusing on grappling for MMA made me more aggressive at grappling competitions. In MMA we don’t think so much about points—we seek positions where we are comfortable so we can get the tapout. With this attack-and-not-get-hit mindset, I became a better finisher. And just as grappling for MMA helped me in competition, the Worlds, Pans and Brazilian Nationals I was in were essential in my not letting the pressure get to me when doing MMA. One big difference is that Gi training is slower paced, while the MMA game is explosive and quick."