"The Strategic Acrobat"

I remember many, many months ago a student asking Rodrigo who he thought the best jiu jitsu guy was out there. Before he could answer, a couple of people shouted out some of the usual suspects: Marcelo Garcia, Jacare, Roger. Rodrigo acknowledged that he thought that Roger Gracie was probably the best from top to bottom, beginning to end. But added that he thought that Leo Viera, also known as "Leozinho," was somebody who needed to be considered in that group also.


I had never heard of Leo Viera. But after getting a hold of the seven-DVD set of ADCC 2005, I tried to make up for lost time. Viera is an under-66 kilo competitor (i.e., about a 145-pound limit) and has won his weight division in the last two Abu Dhabi competitions. He is also very accomplished with the gi.

Here is an interview Gracie Magazine did with Leo that was initially published back in February 2007. There are a few choice excerpts--such as Leo saying that he coaches a "start out winning on the scorecards" approach to being a "strategic finisher".

But one excerpt is especially worth highlighting insofar as Leozinho brings it up more than once.

Has Vieira the athlete changed with the appearance of Veira the coach?
Yes, in one aspect that I suffered to learn. It was with my defeat at ADCC 2001 that I learned. After that loss to Leo Santos, I started to see that, if there are rules, the strategy will prevail. The fighter can go in with all the desire and technique in the world, but that will only be an addition. After I realized strategy was so fundamental, I changed my thinking and way of fighting and managed to go unbeaten in my weight division since.

Enjoy!