OTM: Master Osvaldo Alves, first off, thank you for the opportunity to interview you. This is a pleasure for us. You are known as the encyclopipa of Jiu Jitsu and great Judo Master. Which came first Judo or Jiu Jitsu ?

MOA: I started them both a year a part. I became a Judoka at the age of six and started Jiu Jitsu seven years old. I was a good friend of Reyson Gracie growing up. He told me that I was the only guy on our street where we live who practiced Judo. So he invited me to start training Jiu Jitsu with him and his family. So, I started to train Jiu Jitsu with judo both Martial Arts.

OTM: Master Alves, you started both Martial Arts before the age of 8 years old, so you were a just a kid. Was there any confusion created by practicing both Martial Arts at the same time?

MOA: I did not, I found it easy to adapt each game to other. Judo works on your stand up game unbalancing your opponent and taking him down and I think I got the technical development at the age of 16, when I brought Judo’s game to my teammates inside Jiu Jitsu. In jiu jitsu we only had only around 5 unbalances on the feet. I then introduced more than 40 new movements of Judo to jiu jitsu, which developed the Jiu Jitsu game.

OTM: When exactly did you get the Jiu Jitsu guys to start training Judo ?

MOA: Due to my friendship with Reyson, I suggested that he speak with his family to train Jiu Jitsu. Reyson already done some Judo and he knew as was important to train both, Judo and Jiu Jitsu. The Gracies did not immediately accept the idea of training Judo. But, after a few more invitations they started training and soon they saw the importance of Judo. After Reyson, came Rolles Gracie; who surprised everybody. He adapted well to judo and became University and State of Rio de Janeiro Judo champion. After everyone saw Rolles's performance & skills others thought If he's doing well, we can do well too! Rolles was a kind of reference to the other Gracies.

OTM: What kind of difficulty did you have introducing the Gracies to Judo ?

MOA: There was no specific resistance it was more of a natural resistance. Jiu Jitsu is a sport that gives you a large possibility dominates over your adversary. So the Gracies said “There is no need of to learn other Martial Art for control our adversaries". I think they were right. But, Also if you know something more this will only help to improve your game. I am not speaking only about sport Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu fighters who fight Vale Tudo have all started training Muay Thai, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling and other Martial Arts without losing their Jiu Jitsu essence.

OTM: Who were your first master in Judo and Jiu Jitsu ?

MOA: In Judo it was Shikaru Kurashiin of São Paulo, this academy still exist on Bairro da Liberdade (a very known Japanese colony in Brazil). After him, I keep training with his student named Fujimata. In Jiu Jitsu I had several excellent masters like George Gracie, Carlos Gracie, Gastão Gracie and Osvaldo Gracie. These were very important masters in my development of as a Jiu Jitsu fighter. When I was 17 years old, I went to Japan twice looking to improve my Judo. I knew about Kimura's school and that is where I trained with one of his best students Isao Okano. At the time he was one of the best Judo fighters in the history of Japan. I trained also with Yamashita, who in my opinion was the renovating the techniques of Judo’s stand up game. He was also very good on the mat too.

OTM: How did you start training to become a fighter?

MOA: My father first put me in Judo classes because he was a fighter too. I was also a unique kid, so Judo was a good way to contain my energy. I loved training since the first moment I started. Martial Arts worked well for me, because of this I became a respectable Master with students in all corners of the World. I am happy and proud of that fat. I am always prepared to teach and ready to prepare any fighter who wants to train with me.

OTM: When you were friends with Reyson and the other members of the Gracie Family, did you have any idea that they would turn out to be such a famous Martial Arts family?

MOA: I was a kid at the time but I felt I was a part of Gracie Family because Reyson and myself were very close. I was the only one who was in the group and did not train Jiu Jitsu; Reyson always invited me to come & train Jiu Jitsu. I think I might have been the only guy who was not from the family directly that was treated so well. I can tell you this because, to this day they trust in me and in fact I taught some of the Gracies.

OTM: Who was the best Gracie that you trained?

MOA: Rolles Gracie. This guy was a legend, only the guys who got to see Rolles in action can understand his fame inside Jiu Jitsu.

OTM: Well we never got an opportunity on seeing Rolles in action. What can you tell about him?

MOA: He was very good on his feet, the level of his stand up was equal to a Pan Arm Judo champion. He had a consciousness about fighting that developed quickly for a young fighter. He had what I think that it is most important in JiuJitsu, he passed the guard very well. Rolles had a insurmountable guard, I never saw nobody get to his side mount, he fought very well from the mount position and he had one thing that no one other fighter has had, he fought very well from the side position. This is a characteristic of Japanese Jiu Jitsu, because we worked very hard on the guard and on stand up, but our side control was not good. I When I met Kimura I learned that characteristic and I have since added this on to our Jiu Jitsu.

OTM: You had a lot of success in the 80’s by introducing these new techniques to Jiu Jitsu, this attracted a lot of guys to you. You created a lot of very good fighters can you tell us how they were?

MAO: Sergio Penha who had the same level of Rickson Gracie, Paulo Caruso, Fabricio, Pasqual Magalhães Duarte. I also gave classes to many other fighters such as Amaury Bitetti, Vitor Befort, Paulo Filho, José Mário Sperry, Pat Miletich, and others. I have more than 300 black belts.

OTM: When did you meet Miletich?

MAO: The first time that I went to USA. Miletich