Interview with Sergio Silva BJJ

Master Sergio Silva has been studying Martial Arts for over 30 years. He specializes in Muay Thai, Judo and BJJ. His list of achievements in competition is impressive to include: 1st Place at the 2012 International Championships SFO Open - Black Belt Medium Heavy division, 2nd place at 2011 US Open Championships Heavyweight and Previous Southern Brazil National Champion.

Brandon: What inspired you to get in Martial Arts?

Sergio: Martial arts was something that I was introduce too at an early age; (3yrs old). My uncle was a black belt and a teacher at a Judo school in Brazil. My dad used to take me to the Judo class and just drop me off while he would go to work. After getting my green belt in Judo, I ended up stopping for a while. Then when I was about 13 years old, I got to watch a guy get into a fight on the street against a much smaller skinny guy that knew BJJ. The skinny guy took the big guy down and took his back without using force or throwing one punch or kick. It was amazing. I could not believe that a small person could take such a bigger and strong fighter without the use of excessive force but the little guy did it without any problems. I asked the skinny guy, what does he practice? He told me, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Brandon: What does it take to become a black belt in BJJ? How many black belts have you promoted?

Sergio: To become a BJJ Black Belt it takes a lot of patients. You must train and be able to perform the techniques properly in real sparring sessions. You must have a game plan and a strategy in all areas-Guard, Guard pass, side control, mount position, submissions and defenses. To get a black belt you must master all this areas really well.

Brandon: What is your favorite submission hold and why?

My favorite submission hold is the Kimora with a transition to the bow & arrow choke. I love the transition and it fits very well in my game.

Brandon: If you had to pick a fighting style that would be the most difficult for a BJJ expert to defend against, what would it be and why?

Sergio: Wrestling-They are very similar then BJJ and most of us that fight wrestlers usually… they are hard work with tons of intensity.

Brandon: Do you still practice Capoeira? Why is it effective?

Sergio: I stopped practice Capoeira a long time ago (When I was 17 years old).I love the art of Capoeira a lot. It taught me a cunning way to hit someone. Capoeira is effective for given you the opportunity to hit someone without exposing yourself too much. It’s cool to dance and hit people at the same time.

Brandon: What can one expect when attending a BJJ tournament?

Sergio: Expect a lot of excitement and of course fun.

Brandon: What inspired you to compete in the Pan American Championships?

Sergio: The desire to be a champion

What was the toughest challenge you ever faced? How did you overcome it?

Sergio: The toughest challenge is to be a dad. I provided the best for my family.

Brandon: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Sergio: Never give up on your dreams. Always stay positive even when things are not good and everyone around you is negative. Be very careful who you surround yourself with. Be friends with smarter people than you and always be positive!

Find out more at http://www.teamsilvabjj.com/

Master Silva, we appreciate the time you have taken out of your busy schedule to answer our questions. We look forward to following your team on Youtube and Facebook.

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Interview with Eliot Marshall

You started your martial arts training with Soo Bahk Do? What type of martial art is it? Can you give some examples on how it is similar or different than a main stream form?

Soo Bahk Do is a traditional martial art.  It is a karate style.  It is totally a mainstream martial art

It seems every fighter knows or is learning Brazilian Jiu-jitsu now? What fighting style do you believe may be the biggest challenge for someone who only knows BJJ?

Wrestling is the most difficult style to deal with for any fighter that is one dimensional.  The wrestler can control where the fight takes place.  So if you are a BJJ guy that can't get your fight to the ground you have a problem. 

You were featured on the Ultimate Fighter 8. How does one get chosen to be on this show? What did you do to beat out other possible participants?

I sent my resume in and then went and did an interview and medicals.  I skipped the try out part.  Not quite sure what I did other then have a good resume and interview.

What was the biggest thing you learned during the Ultimate Fighter time? How has it helped you?

That I can accomplish anything.  I didn't enjoy my time on the show it was pretty miserable.  Making it thru that makes you tougher.

Where did you come up with the nickname “The Fire?”

My friend Tyrone "T Money" Glover gave it to me and it stuck. 

What has been the hardest thing about co-owning a MMA school? What advice would you give someone just starting out?

It is a lot of work.  It's no different then anything else though in that you have to do the little things that no one else is willing to do.  That is the difference.  Every day you need to wake up and know that a lion is chasing you and that you are the gazelle. 

What has been the biggest serendipity you received from being the only American to ever win gold at blue, purple, and brown at the Pan American Games?

Not much it's just kinda cool that I was the first.  I believe there are a bunch of guys that have done it since.

Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

That's it. Thank you 

Eliot we appreciate your time to answer our questions today.

Read more about Eliot Marshall at his school site.

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Brandon's Results from the International Chinese Martial Arts Championship

Honorable Warrior Martial Arts after the ICMAC Tournament in Houston.

We left Friday after school and work to arrive in Houston for IMAC. We didn't arrive till around midnight. We quickly went to sleep and woke up early to head over to the Stafford Center where the tournament was going to take place.

They had some amazing demo's by some of the visiting schools before the competition started. The local Shaolin school showed up and put on the best Kung fu display.

Brandon entered into 4 divisions: Sparring, Wushu hand forms, Traditional hand forms, and traditional long weapons. Brandon achieved

1st in Sparring
1st in Wushu hand forms
1st in traditional long weapons and
3rd in traditional hand forms.

Brandon received a huge penalty for his traditional hand form due to time. This was a new rule that we were not aware of. Without the time penalty, he would have come in 1st or a close 2nd. It would have been easy to stretch the form for an additional 7 seconds but we just handed known about it. next time we'll be sure to check on this.

Brandon's Kung Fu school he attends took home many 1st and 2nd place wins.

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