Saulo Ribeiro Interviews Eduardo Telles for BJJ Library
Video Interview Transcript:
Saulo Ribeiro: Hi guys from Bjj library its a great pleasure to have here one of the …. in my opinion one of the the most unorthodox games in the sport and also a friend of the family and also one of the toughest guys i ever fought in my life and also incredible instructor. We are here with Telles a pleasure to have you here my brother. Learned some turtle guard that if anybody has any doubt yea it really works and its been tested and proven over the years and one more time proven the essence of jiu jitsu thats the finger print and Telles finger print is unique his approach and how he sees life and how he sees his uhh game in jiu jitsu that works for him gi …..no gi
and ughh different levels and we are very honored to have him here to tell some things about himself.
and about his background.
Saulo Ribeiro: So my brother how do do you started in jiujitsu who was the guy responsible ?
Eduardo Telles: yea thank you very much for the compliments its a honor to be here you know and share a little bit of myself and thank you for the opportunity and yea I start jiujitsu you know i always been in love with martial arts i was a karate guy before you know
Saulo Ribeiro: I saw how you kicked Sapo in the head .
(Laughter)
Saulo Ribeiro: you knocked him out
Eduardo Telles: i was a yea…i was a karate guy i saw the the Van Dam movies
(Laughter)
Eduardo Telles:y ea so that’s one of the reasons that I start training karate and then they start teaching jiujitsu and the same gym. Im from Sao Paulo you know jiujitsu was big in Rio at that time my father was from Rio and I used to travel a lot to Rio on week ends and people would say O the Gracie family you know is tough they beating everyone and i was a karate guy i said o my god…….no way I’m karate
Saulo Ribeiro: Which Year was That?
Eduardo Telles: you know, like a long time ago…I cant remember like and then I was you know like I have some friends from Rio I say no I’m Karate then I saw you know, I used to boogie board at that time and I went to Hawaii. and i saw the tape in in like the first UFC and I said O my God you know Jiu jitus really really works and then they start teaching jiu jitsu in my in the same gym as i used to do karate and I switched you know right away to i start to doing jiujitsu and I fall in love. it wa much more relax you know karate was too much like discipline you couldn’t talk in the class jiujitsu was more like layed back. people can you know like talk spar submit people
Saulo Ribeiro: Who was your first instructor?
Eduardo Telles: In jiujitsu….Yamasaki….Fernando Yamasaki.
Saulo Ribeiro: ooo ok
Eduardo Telles:he was a judo guy also so i have some judo base not too much but i know some thats why i start first doing more top game. and then later i decide to really after my purple belt I decided …… i got to learn open guard
Saulo Ribeiro: So how long until you got your blue belt?
Eduardo Telles:6 months
Saulo Ribeiro: 6 months with Yamazaki
Eduardo Telles:with Yamazaki
Saulo Ribeiro: and then ?
Eduardo Telles: I fought a tournament in white belt you know my first tournament I won so
Saulo Ribeiro: yea?
Saulo Ribeiro: it was funny I never won shit as a whit belt.
(Laughter)
Eduardo Telles: i was tough I was a really tough white belt….. o my god i was wild
(Laughter)
Eduardo Telles: you know yea so totally different like now im totally different
Saulo Ribeiro: Telles had a lnog hair for guys who dont know you know
(Laughter)
Saulo Ribeiro: long hair
Eduardo Telles: it was before the long hair…yea was before the long hair
Saulo Ribeiro:before?
Eduardo Telles: yea white belt crazy guy
Eduardo Telles: crazy white belt really wild i remember submitting purple belts in the white belt
(Laughter)
Eduardo Telles: yea i was
Saulo Ribeiro: and thats the beauty of jiu jitsu because we have this stereo type that its just these big guys, ugly big ears and you see this guy humble as can be… so dont judge the book by its cover.
Eduardo Telles: yea
Saulo Ribeiro: and blue belt how long you stay at blue belt?
Eduardo Telles: maybe a year?
Saulo Ribeiro: thats all one year? in the blue belt wow
Eduardo Telles: maybe a year……i was wild
Saulo Ribeiro: you were doing some damage some damage in the blue belt.
(Laughter)
Saulo Ribeiro: people usually take for the bjj library fans usually takes 3 years 4 years some poeple stay forever in the blue belt
one year is pretty fast
Saulo Ribeiro: and then who gave you the purple belt?
Eduardo Telles: then Carlos Valente
Saulo Ribeiro: whooooooo! hhaha caaarlos hahaha
Eduardo Telles: yea man
Saulo Ribeiro: here in San Diego?
Eduardo Telles: here in San Diego…
Eduardo Telles: I moved to San Diego to learn english and I stayed here for like
Saulo Ribeiro: Carlos was one of the pioneers here
Eduardo Telles: 6 or 7 he was teaching with Fabio Santos in that time.
Saulo Ribeiro: oooo dinosaurs of jiu jitsu
Eduardo Telles: yea you know i was training with them and then he gave me my purple belt and I fought the Joey Moreira tournament
yea Joe Moreira tournament
Eduardo Telles: yea and I won and I won
Saulo Ribeiro: as a purple belt
Eduardo Telles: as a purple belt
Eduardo Telles: o yea…. then I moved back to brazil and I started to train with Fabio Gurgel in the purple
Saulo Ribeiro: ooo ok in the purple belt
Eduardo Telles: then I stay from Fabio with Fabio from purple to black
Saulo Ribeiro: then you got your black belt in 2001
Eduardo Telles: and 1 yea
Eduardo Telles: me, Damien Maya
Saulo Ribeiro: thats the generation…. the golden generation
Eduardo Telles: yea
Saulo Ribeiro: and then when did you decide I’m going to be a teacher, that’s what I’m going to do for a living ?
Eduardo Telles: yea when i get the black belt you know i decide you know me and Terere we decide to put a gym together you know we were really good friends and i used to run a sushi restaurant in that time you know I still have my sushi restaurant in Brazil yea
Saulo Ribeiro:Ive been there one of the best in Sao Paulo y’all got to check it out.
Eduardo Telles: and then yea but im in love with jiujitsu you know so thats my thing and i decide i put the gym…. I’m so glad you know that i put the gym together with Terere… I learned so much from him we built a great team and
Saulo Ribeiro: and its called TT
Eduardo Telles: yea yea
Saulo Ribeiro: Telles , Terere
Eduardo Telles: TT yea
Eduardo Telles: it was a great time i miss that time so much
Saulo Ribeiro: and then the the the times passed by and then what happen?
Eduardo Telles: yea then I kept training I built my own team 99 and then I sold my my old gym to Barbosa aand I moved to the states and Im here right now. You Know the place I always loved you know. I used to come here to San Diego since Im 17 you know and now Im here for real you know I love the city love the weather, love the waves ,you know the jiujitsu its huge here its the capital of jiujitsu, so Im really happy
Saulo Ribeiro: and the jiujitsu community is happy in San Diego, San Diego is happy because having a guy a man of family like Telles is just and reach
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