Bull has recently opened up a new BJJ school in Marietta Georgia and was recently awarded his black belt from Jacare two months ago.I advise anyone in the area to check it out. Don`t be intimidated by his size, cause this giant has got skills! Click on www.alliancemarietta.com for more details.Back in the summer of 1999 I made my first of many trips to Atlanta Georgia to train under legendary black belt Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti. Besides the awesome training we received from the club, we also received a very warm welcome from all of the students in Atlanta. We had heard of a giant guy named Bull before making our trip but never saw him before. Little did we know that this massive BJJ fighter, over 6 feet 300 pounds also had the biggest heart and without a doubt the best sense of humour.Aside from being a multiple time BJJ and Grappling Champ in the U.S. and Brazil, Bull was also a NHB champion with only one loss coming to Tedd Williams.To give you an indication of Bull`s size, in one of his NHB fights, he and John Dixon collided with the ring ropes, forcing them to snap off and have the ring crew re-assemble the ring.
Bull has recently opened up a new BJJ school in Marietta Georgia and was recently awarded his black belt from Jacare two months ago. I advise anyone in the area to check it out. Don`t be intimidated by his size, cause this giant has got skills! Click on www.alliancemarietta.com for more details.Good luck to you Bull!
BALEIA-Bull how long have you been doing BJJ for and who do you train under?
BULL SHAW-I started training almost 8 rears ago. I trained with Comprido when I was in Brazil for the Masters and the Worlds. Years ago when they visited Atlanta; I trained with Leo Vieira, Terere and Ze Mario Esfiha.
BALEIA-What titles have you won or what major competitions?
BULL SHAW- Georgia state champion 2000, 3XPan AM gold medals in the adult division, 2X Pan Am gold medals in the masters, Bronze in my division(purple belt at the time) , 2X World Masters gold medals, NAGA expert division winner. And a few more little things here or there.
BALEIA-How did you get the name Bull?
BULL SHAW-I used to do an imitation of the guy from night court when I was in high school and it stuck.
BALEIA-Is it true your soo big that your shadow once killed a man?
BULL SHAW-Yes, but he was a very small man; not much bigger than Paul Creighton, really!
BALEIA-What was it like getting your Black Belt from Jacare and being his first ATL boy to do so?
BULL SHAW-Getting my black belt from Jacare really floored me. I always knew that I was going to get my black belt from him, but the timing surprised me. I hadn’t trained or competed much for about the last year and a half. I was working as a traveling salesman to save money to open a school. I went to a NAGA tournament to coach my students and decided to enter the tournament at the last minute. I won and Jacare gave me my blackbelt right then. Being his first American blackbelt from start to finish will be something I will always cherish.
BALEIA-Tell me a little about your academy.
BULL SHAW-It’s new! I have a great location. We’re just getting started over here, but already we’ve had some success in tournaments with Max Laneo and Gregg Lyons doing well in recent NAGA events. One of my younger students Chase has also been very successful in the Arnold Classic and NAGA Atlanta.I’ve only opened a third of my floor space so far, but with more people joining every week it wont be long. Soon we will be adding a Muay Thai and Capoeira.
BALEIA-Who in your opinion is the best BJJ fighter that you’ve trained with OR in your opinion who’s the best BJJ fighter on the scene?
BULL SHAW-Probally Leo Vieira. I rolled with him a long time ago way before he hit his peak and he was a handful then.
BALEIA-Who’s up and coming from the Alliance Academy in ATL?
BULL SHAW- Here’s a few of the guys from Atlanta I think are up and comers. Ryan Ellison, Chris Moriarty, Rafael Assuncao, Ian McPerson. Also, there’s a group of guys out of Fort Benning, Georgia that train so often up here that they bear mentioning. The Matt Larsen’s group (Army Combatives) have a few guys to watch out for. Damien Steally specifically comes to mind. I’d like to say a little more about the program with the military. In Jiu-jitsu we are not institutionalized like most sports in America. I think the army is going to help change that for us. Nowadays, everybody that goes through the U.S. Army will probally come in contact with Jiu Jitsu.
BALEIA-Is there anyone you`d like to thank for your BJJ career?
BULL SHAW-I’d like to thank Jacare, Dustin Rhodes and all of the guys who have helped supported me over the years.
P.S. congrats on the school Paul (toddlers need a place to train)Haven’t forgot about you big Marty or Odell.