Rafael Mendes :: TATAME

TATAME’s team is already in California to bring all the details of the BJJ World Championship 2009. Landing on American land, we were face to face with one of the greatest names of the featherweight division for the competition. In an exclusive interview to TATAME.com, Rafael Mendes (Atos) spoke about the expectations for the BJJ Worlds and guaranteed a lot of action in the fights looking after the golden medal. Check below the exclusive interview with the black belt.

How is your head for this championship, with the possibility of this rematch with Cobrinha?

’m with a good head, because I know how much I’ve trained. I try to enter with the psychological good. I’m pretty confident, I expect to make a good presentation. I know that it also has Bruno (Frazatto) in the category, my team partner, and may be that we get together in the final. Anything can happen. This is a much disputed category, has great athletes and, who is better on the day will win the title.

You’ve faced each other in the rules of the Professional World Championship (six minutes). Cobrinha said that in six minutes is different. What are you expecting of this championship and what did you think of his statements?

Well, about the time, I trained a lot to do a good presentation. I think that fight is fight, I can win as I can lose, but I'm well prepared. I know how much I’ve trained, I’m confident. I thought that Cobrinha was arrogant in his statements because, when I lost to him, I never said anything about it.

Will you change the strategy or keep the same?

My strategy is to develop the best of my potential in this championship, try the submissions and do my best. I’ll fight forward, to submit.

Talk a little about this guard, that the guys are getting stuck and can’t defend. How did you develop this guard?

This is a new position. In the training, we ended up falling in that position and it’s hard to get out, beyond being good to attack. Who knows how to do the variance can attack a lot, who doesn’t know think I’m just holding. If you study it much, you can develop quite a lot.

Does it have a name? Already have the De La Riva guard, is this Mendes guard?

It has no name yet, we are still thinking. It can be... Mendes Guard (laughs).