Bill Thomas: Hey guys, this is Bill with bjjweekly.com and I'm here with Doug Kimball and Robson Moura. We're going to talk a little bit and do a little interview and also talk about an upcoming seminar depending on where you hear this interview that Hobson’s doing with his association.It's going to be available online so that's kind of cool. We're going to hear some details about that. Let's get started. Robson, you've been training, you're a young guy but you've been training for a long time. Why don't you tell us a little bit about when you got started?
Robson Moura: I’ve been training for 20- 22 years and I started training when really young. I was ten years old in my hometown. It's outside of Rio de Janeiro. It’s called Teresópolis. Well, it’s pretty much I started I liked Bruce Lee movies and all that stuff. I had a friend of mine and we would talk about Bruce Lee and all that stuff. The same day I came to my father and asked him that I wanted to do karate and then my father said no. You're going to do Brazilian jiu jitsu. I had no idea what he was talking about. He brought me to jiu jitsu school and the first thing I've solved when I came to this school was this guy. He was a really big guy and he was a blue belt. He was doing jump rope over somebody else over another guy. When I saw that I was lost. I was in shock. That's the thing I want to do. That's pretty much how I started my jiu jitsu life.
Bill Thomas: Now you started training with Jucão, is that right?
Robson Moura: Yeah, I started training with Jucão in my hometown and it was a really good time. Jucão was a great instructor. I had a really good, really strong relationship with Jucão. Unfortunately, we lost the connection in the past eight years. I really have a lot of respect for him. We don't talk very often but he is one of the best instructors I have seen in a long time. He's the man.
Bill Thomas: Yeah, he's a really good instructor. We were lucky enough to film him earlier this year and just has a ton of knowledge and is a very good teacher. What you think for you, everybody knows you now as a multi-time world champion. Your jiu jitsu is really dynamic and fun to watch and you've got just a huge amount of technique. It looks like is also easy for you but I know that can't be true. What's been difficult for you in jiu jitsu? What was the toughest thing for you to master?
Robson Moura: I don't know what has been the tough thing to do. Like I said, I started when I was really young. I had a really good instructor. Jucão was a really good instructor. [3:20] the guy had been training since he was [3:24]. I was trying really hard. I was like to try new techniques. That was my style. It was okay, that guy does that then what's he going to do. That was my thing. I remember back in the years, a lot of many black belts they watched me and they were like, “hey, how about you start teaching me?” I was like no and giving a lot more and more and more stuff from there. I don’t know, it’s not easy, it's not easy for sure but I think I have been doing it for so long it became so much fun and then it became easy for me. That's pretty much that.
Bill Thomas: So when you at this point, one of the things some folks sure with I would think is trying to keep your game. Is your game evolving still? Are you still learning new things every day?
Robson Moura: Oh yeah, I pick up a lot of stuff that I should learn. I'm the kind of guy that if I train with the white belt I'm going to learn new things. If I train with a world champion black belt I'm going to learn new things. I'm always looking to improve my game. I want to gather more details and get better and better and better. A lot of people, they go into training, you've got to have an open mind. Try to learn as much as you can. Every time I step onto the mat, that's the best time for me because I really, really enjoy that. I enjoyed seeing my guys getting better and when I see they do something, how about you move this here and do like that and they go and I see more improvement. I really love that. I really like to have fun and I improve every day. I get myself to learn way more every year. You know what I'm saying?
Bill Thomas: Yeah, now you as a competitor and as a teacher, do you like one more than the other? Or do you enjoy different things about both?
Robson Moura: I love both. I started teaching really young. I was 17 years old when I had my first school. I love to compete. I did that my whole life. That's all I could do was compete. I think right now in this point of my life, I do not compete as much as I would like to do but I still like to train every day and I really enjoy teaching. I enjoy doing my seminars and I enjoy bringing the jiu jitsu to everybody. My jiu jitsu is open for everybody. I'm not the kind of guy that to learn my style you've got to be my student. No, I want everybody because I have so much good feedback for people everywhere. That's what's making me so happy is pushing them more to get better.
Bill Thomas: So is that part of why you started your Robson Moura Association? You want to share with more people, is that the goal?
Robson Moura: Exactly. Two years ago I had this idea to start the RMNU Association and it became so nice. The idea, everything was getting fast and right now I have 20 guys and I have a really good relationship and I did pretty good with these guys. I see the guys getting better, the school is growing, and the students are so excited to be part of something. We're a big family and I want everybody like that to enjoy. I think that's just the beginning. We’re going to do things for sure.
Bill Thomas: Now you've got schools in the United States. You've got teachers in other parts of the world too?
Robson Moura: Yeah, we’ve got RMNU in Canada. We've got a RMNU in Hawaii, Texas, Colorado, Florida and we have a huge RMNU Association in Brazil. When I was living there I threw on my black belt and that's doing a good job there. We are pretty much everywhere.
Bill Thomas: You've got to have some good up-and-coming fighters in your organization. Who are some guys that people should watch that are coming out of RMNU Association.
Robson Moura: Well, I have a lot of good fighters who have [8:24]. He's got like a world-class BBJ black belt. He has been competing two and he did really well. We George Manuel, you won the world championship. We have [8:38] that just won the world championship as a black belt and I have a lot of young kids that are doing really well. A lot of our kids are champions. We're going to have a lot of guys come from RMNU. There a lot of good guys that are going to be the future of the sport.
Bill Thomas: Cool. Now is there anybody that you haven't fought before, Robson, that you'd like to fight now or anybody who you are a big fan of that you'd like to compete with?
Robson Moura: Not really. I think in my time I fought all the top guys, all the top guys in my division. I have now the chance to compete against a lot of guys. I was competing in the open division. I won the Sao Paulo championships in open division. I had a chance to compete against [9:33] one time in the Brazilian open division. I competed against all the top guys in my division. For sure, it’s like every fight it’s like just one more fight. It’s like the better all these new generations I would like to compete against them but it’s not anybody specific.
Bill Thomas: Now people you said you were winning in the open divisions and some of our listeners and readers might not know but you are about 150 pounds, right?
Robson Moura: I'm about 140- 145 pounds.
Bill Thomas: 145 pounds so open division, you're going against guys that are 200-220 pounds.
Robson Moura: Yeah.
Bill Thomas: How do you adapt your game to fight against somebody so much bigger?
Robson Moura: I really like that. I enjoy it. Every guy you’ve got to change your game. Every time that I had a chance to compete against somebody big and heavier than me I try to use my speed. I try to move as fast as I can. [10:57] I push him to make a mistake because you can fight against him power against power but I’m not going to be able to beat him because he’s stronger and heavier than me. I use my speed and that’s how I like to compete. That’s good because I really like to move so fast and that’s a good move if someone is going to have a chance to compete against big guys.
Bill Thomas: Yeah, it’s something a lot of people struggle with sometimes is different sorts of matchups. Do you have a particular body type that's a tough matchup for you like long tall guys or fast guys or anything?
Robson Moura: Short guys. Short guys for me and when I had a chance to compete against somebody who’s shorter than me I had some trouble. I wouldn’t say trouble but I felt like okay I’ve changed my game around now. I think the good thing for me I have been training for so long I am to the point where I can change my game around depending on who I’m going to compete against. But when I had a chance to train or compete against somebody smaller than me and I feel like that I change some stuff. I look at my school I have like two or three black belts, really good guys and they are smaller than me. They are around 135 pounds and every time I train with them, I am kind of stuck in ways. You know what I’m saying?
Bill Thomas: You’re used to using your speed and getting around the edge and maybe can do that against somebody that's a little smaller.
Robson Moura: Exactly.
Bill Thomas: So let's talk a little bit about this seminar that you're doing. This is coming up on 11th of December, is that the right date?
Robson Moura: Yeah, on December 11th were going to do the first online seminar and I'm really, really excited to do that. It's an idea I have been working on for a while. Like I said before, we've got a lot of good feedback from people everywhere. I have Doug Kimball. He's in charge of all the e-mails and everything. He says we've got a lot of good feedback from people from overseas and they send it a lot. It's good for me. I want to do something so that these people can be able to have the chance to train with RMNU because it's really hard for me to keep traveling everywhere. This online seminar is going to be nice because people can be in China, Australia and they just need an Internet connection and bring the computer to the school. Meet there, learn, get a few friends, and enjoy. It's going to be really nice. I think people are going to enjoy it and that's just the first one. We're going to try to do much with that.
Bill Thomas: Now one of the nice things about that too is like you said you might be able to get a training partner together, get your computer and go to a seminar that you don't have to get into the car, you don't have to drive six hours. You don't have to pay $150. So guys that might not be able to travel or might not be able to afford to get to a seminar it's another option for them.
Robson Moura: Yeah, exactly. The seminar is two hours and is $19.95. You could be in your living room or you can be in your school. Like you said, you don't need to drive or go to another state will or spend more money like $150 or however much you're going to spend. Like I said, I think it's a really good idea and I'm so excited I've been working with that a lot. Me, Doug Kimball, we had to work on that really hard.
Bill Thomas: It’s a huge amount of work to try to pull off. Not too many people have done it before. So you guys are trying to figure all this out and I imagine that's taken a lot of time.
Robson Moura: Yeah. It’s a lot of time, yeah. Because you want to do something really nice that’s fast, clean, people can see but so far we've done a really good job. We've got all the best equipment to do that. If you decide to go there, it's going to be nice. It's going to be great.
Bill Thomas: Now you don't have to be a member of the association to join the seminar?
Robson Moura: No, you can be from any school, any belt. You can be a white belt. You can be a black belt. It doesn’t matter what school you’re coming from. It’s a big family sport like BJJ or MMA or whatever, that’s going to be window to help you to get your game better to go to the next level. I think I’m doing that to give something back and I love the sport. I came from nowhere and now here I am. It gave me everything. It’s like my time to help and it gets bigger and bigger and it’s huge right now. I have more chains, more people have more schools, and that’s my goal.
Bill Thomas: To grow the association and to share your jiu jitsu with everybody?
Robson Moura: With everybody, yes, exactly.
Bill Thomas: Now this seminar, do you have an agenda on what you're teaching yet or are you taking suggestions from the folks who sign up or how are you deciding what you are going to teach that the seminar?
Robson Moura: We are taking suggestions right now. I think everybody is going to be able to give their opinion. Doug Kimball is in charge on that. People are going to be able to say how about we do that or any situation I want to work on. This seminar is going to be for everybody. People are going to sign up. They're going to have a chance to ask questions, chat with me and that's going to be like what they want to learn. Everything that they decide that is going to be the thing we are going to work on.
Bill Thomas: Great. Just to finish up, we’ve covered some of the history and we talked about the seminar a little bit. So what are some things maybe that folks don’t know? You have any hobbies outside of jiu jitsu that you like to do?
Robson Moura: Yeah, I do. The one thing that I am trying to do right now is play golf. I'm trying to learn right now. I have two friends in my school, two students, they like to play golf. They tried to teach me that. Besides that, I like to go to the movie theater with my wife. I like to enjoy my wife and be home watching movies. I like to be home a lot. Being in my home, that's the best part for me. I really enjoy that.
Bill Thomas: So golf and hanging out at home watching the movies?
Robson Moura: Yeah. That’s the best thing to do.
Bill Thomas: Thanks so much for taking time out and talking with us. I hope that you guys have a lot of success with this online seminar and I think it’s going to be definitely something to watch and I think a lot of people are going to be excited about it. So once again thanks to Doug and to Robson from RMNU and have a great afternoon guys.
Robson Moura: Thank you so much. I’ll see you guys there.
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