Celso Venicius.
Compared to some of the stars in the division below (Cobrinha, Fredson Paixao) and above (Andre Galvao, Marcelo Garcia), there weren't nearly as many people talking about Celsinho at the time.
But as a leve myself, I always tried to keep an eye out for him, to get a better sense of who is arguably the greatest lightweight jiu jitsu fighter in the world (Celso has placed every year but one in the Mundial from 2005 - 2010, including first place 3x in 2005, 2006 and 2008).
So it is a little sad to read not so much that Celso may be retiring after this year's Mundial, but WHY he feels it is time to call it quits.
I’ve been at it for 13, 14 years and there comes a time when it gets to you. There’s no more government financial backing for athletes, that’s been taken away. These days I make my living teaching, not competing. Competing is entertainment, I don’t make money from it. I’ve got my Atama sponsorship and nothing more. I kind of lack motivation to keep at competition rhythm without support.Read the rest at Gracie Mag here
