The best athlete in the lightweight bracket at this season’s Europeans was Will Wilson, an American competitor representing Carlson Gracie South Bay. A high-performance talent who had already been showing his potential, Will entered the Lisbon tournament without fanfare but left his mark as a champion who can settle in amid the chaos of tough wars.
Winning the final against Mateo Cardona, a newcomer to the elite who enjoys plenty of visibility after a decorated brown belt run, meant even more because of one specific episode in Will’s competitive journey. In an interview with The Mat Nation, the European champion said that in 2024 he lost to Cardona the first time he competed at brown belt. The rematch, in the final of an IBJJF Grand Slam tournament, was the perfect chance at redemption.
“In September 2024 I faced Mateo at my first tournament as a brown belt, and I wasn’t feeling 100% in the match. The result was my only submission loss in the gi; ever since, I wanted that match again. This scenario, my first big tournament at black belt, a European final, against the only person who has submitted me in the gi, couldn’t have worked out better,” he explained.
AFTER MATEO CARDONA, WILL WILSON BANKS ON A METICULOUS PERFORMANCE TO BEAT ANOTHER AOJ REPRESENTATIVE
By beating an AOJ prospect on a big stage, Will put himself in the spotlight. The response came quickly. He was called up to face Cole Abate, another top competitor from the Mendes brothers’ team, in a gi superfight on the card of the IBJJF No Gi Absolute GP, which takes place next Thursday, the 26th, in Costa Mesa, California. Riding the momentum of his recent title and armed with an unshakable mindset, Will says he doesn’t waste energy thinking about the danger posed by any opponent.
“In my mind, this is just another match. I don’t invest mental energy in any of my opponents, and Cole is no different. My goal is the same: impose my will. The future is bright, and this is just one step along the way,” he said.
The André Alemão black belt has just earned his first major title among the elite, and it’s natural for fans of the sport to want to know more about him. At the Europeans, one trait of his personality as an athlete became clear: he has the self-control to handle the tough conditions of a match that can turn very much against him at any moment. He knows the competition environment is a minefield of mental traps, and it’s by protecting himself from them that he plans to go further and further.
“Throughout the week leading up to the Europeans, I kept repeating the same thing to myself and to the people around me: ‘It’s all mental.’ If I had to describe myself as an athlete, I’d say I’m someone willing to go places in my mind where others aren’t. This game is completely mental, and I believe that’s my greatest attribute,” he described.
FLAWLESS PLANNING: TAKING TRAINING SERIOUSLY ALLOWED HIM TO FIX MISTAKES AND BE MORE AWARE ON THE MAT
With his mind in excellent shape, it’s natural for the physical side, his skills, to develop more smoothly. Will Wilson has already been noticing this in action. His day-to-day corrections, made carefully and with a plan, are paying off under pressure at tournaments, where there is no room for error.
“My Jiu-Jitsu training is very intentional and meticulous. In every round I’m looking to fix my flaws and always stay out of my comfort zone. That’s why such a big jump in my technical level over the past few years is visible. This way, every time I compete, a more skilled version of myself shows up. I still have a lot of room to grow, and I’m eager to find out what my true potential really is,” he commented.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
