December pushed the talent of Julinho Martins, Melqui Galvão’s newest brown belt, to the extreme. At the No-Gi Worlds, the IBJJF competition held December 11-13 in Las Vegas, Julinho won the middleweight title in the adult purple belt division. In his first time at the tournament, the last major IBJJF competition on the annual calendar, the athlete earned the top spot after six matches.
Next, Julinho was called up to compete in Russia, at the ACBJJ World Open Championship, in gi and no-gi. He left the United States and flew straight to the next challenge, with no time to rest, since the competition in Moscow would take place the weekend after the Worlds in Vegas, December 19-22. The number of wins he piled up to take four gold medals, gi and no-gi, weight class and open class, is nothing short of impressive: 14 victories to prove, beyond any doubt, that he is different.
Enjoying the good feeling of a mission accomplished, Julinho relaxed a little and gave an interview to The Mat Nation. With his chest full of gold, the athlete admits he is a level above after imposing his game in 20 consecutive matches, but he understands the importance of staying humble to keep improving.
“For me this is a moment of great happiness, but also of keeping my feet firmly on the ground, because the results are the fruit of my constant work. I can’t lose focus,” he stressed.
IN THE CBJJ AND THE ADCC, JULINHO MARTINS WON IMPORTANT NATIONAL TITLES IN GRAPPLING
With world titles won at the end of the season, Julinho closed his purple belt cycle after walking a golden path over six months. Throughout the year, he was the CBJJ no-gi Brazilian champion and also took the national title under the ADCC banner. He is more than ready to stand up to the best at brown belt.
“I’d venture to say I’m an athlete trained to be complete. If I have to wrestle on the feet, I’ll wrestle. If I have to pass, I’ll do it. I also have a lot of confidence in my guard game. What stayed the same was the intelligence in my strategies, both in the gi and without it,” said Julinho, who received his brown belt, with Melqui Galvão’s approval, from the hands of his father, Julio Martins, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Julinho has trained with Mica Galvão’s father in Jundiaí since green belt.
COMPETING LIKE A MATURE ATHLETE WAS KEY TO THE BRILLIANCE OF HIS RECENT RESULTS
Growth, on and off the mat, does not come without maturity. That is, in fact, why Julinho was rewarded with his new belt on a symbolic date, December 25, the biggest gift he could receive to close out the season. Assessing this positive phase, a natural result of discipline in an intense training routine, Julinho points to maturity as the decisive factor for excellence.
“What contributed most to this leap in my performance was clearly my maturity in competition. As I like to say, that discernment, at certain points in a match, outweighs technique. That’s something I’ve been working on a lot,” he concluded.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
