INTERVIEW WITH KAZEKA MUNIZ (May 2002)

>1/ First of all, may you introduce yourself ? How old are you and when did you begin Jiu-Jitsu ?

My name is KAZEKA MUNIZ, I first started jiu-jitsu in NOVEMBER of 1994.

>2/ Who were your masters, and with who were your training partners ?

I started jiu-jitsu with PEDRO SAUER in SALT LAKE CITY UTAH, from there I back to CALIFORNIA and keep training with RICKSON GRACIE, after that I wanted to improve my jiu-jitsu faster and move to BRASIL at the end of 1995 where I met my actual academy GRACIE BARRA, CARLINHOS took me under his wing even though I wasn`t brasilian and made me train every day, after while I run out of money and my friend i went to BELO HORIZONTE 4 hours from RIO to teach with who would became the guy teach me the most DRACULINO, every weekend i would take the bus back to RIO to roll with my friends, MARCIO FEITOSA, SOCA, ROLETA, PE DE PANO, SAPOA, TINGUINHA, GENINHO, SONECA, BEBE MONSTRO, SIRIEMA, ELVIS "NINO", SORISO, PULPO, GORDO, GORDINHO, MONTANHA, PAULO CASTRO, ROLL GRACIE jr, RYAN GRACIE, SURURU, TITI, ZICO, Mr. BEAN, IRAPURU and many many others the if I take the time to name them it will take time.

>3/ When did you become World championship?

I came world champ in 1996 and 97 I wasnt able to compete again until 2000 were I was robbed by the reff it something the tough me a lesson never count on the points and go for the kill so there will be no doughts who won. But that right now is not the point.

>4/ You have moved to USA. Where did you train there ? Did you open your own academy ?

Well I from CALIFORNIA, my father is BRASILIAN for the time I have not open my school but very soon we will have GRACIE BARRA CALIFORNIA. I train and teach at REGAN MACHADO`S academy and train with the real good grapplers the train there.

>5/ You told me that you still belong to Gracie Barra. I suppose that you >often go back there. Do you notice some changes or evolution in BJJ ?

Well I can tell you this I will be GRACIE BARRA until the end that is my family, every time I go there the guys spend time with me to update me with all the moves they have created and seen at the tournaments, at BARRA jiu-jitsu changes every day guys make moves as they go, is something incredable you have to see it to believed everyone is inventing something and after he try many times and work he try to show everyone else, them is when things go out of hand because everyone trys to counter and go on.....

>6/ You also competed in Wrestling in USA and Grappling here, have you competed in NHB and why?

Yes, I have competed in NHB I love it too, am planing to do it more often last time I did it was last JUNE in CALIFORNIA, well the real reason why I do it I really dont know I just fell the need to do it, is a way I think to show how BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU is good a way I can test myself having some funn at the same time, the challenge to enter and fight another grate athlete.

>7/ Your videos are well known and you were probably the first to do a series of videos about BJJ for self-defense . Is self-defense important in jiu-jitsu ?

Well JIU-JITSU is divided in 3 aspects, self defense, sport jiu-jitsu, and vale tudo (nhb) self defense I think is very important, because that was the real reason why jiu-jitsu was made to give the change for the small one to protect themself against bigger oponent.

>8/ Don¹t you think BJJ is now losing this aspect and becoming only a sport, like judo ?

I don`t think so, the sport of brasilan jiu-jitsu based the point sistem on the most important positions on a real fight, like the mount, the passing the guard, take tha back, still keeps the real aspect for not means I want to say that any jiu-jitsu guy who tdoes good at tournaments are goin to do good on NHB what I am trying to say is that jiu)jitsu is keeping his roots, and not like JUDO it turn out to be sport and that is all.

>9/ We have seen you with your mother during the tournament ; is family important for you?

Well I guess a strong family is the base to strong socity, my mom is my biggest fan she loves to watch me, she also is my biggest sponsor, and yes I really think family is very important to any kind of success they give you motivation to achive things in life at least is my case.

>10/ We have also seen you supporting and coaching you fellow countryman Junior Santos, but he is from Carlson Gracie Team. Isn¹t it any "competition" between the academies ?

The competition is always there specially in BRASIL but only amont us, when is outside we are together no matter what, JUNIOR is in FRANCE traying to show jiu-jitsu and that bring us together, the competition is only in jiu-jitsu tournaments but at that moment only after we will go out and party hard, like nothing had happend and besides that competition is what makes jiu-jitsu grow so much in all aspects specially in the technical part because everyone wants to make there on moves to bit the other guys.

>11/ You¹ve won the superfight in Paris, but we¹ve seen you very tired at the end of the fight. What was the problem ?

Tired?? some people were saying that but I was not tired at all, what hapend was that my oponent had something on his body specially on his legs that got into my both eyes and couldnt see anything I really was worry to be blind was e very scary though, it reaaly had me worry during the fight, I had to protect myself and clean my eyes, and if you look at the tape I was in control at all time, according to the jiu-jitsu score I wodl have score 27- 0 I heard the people saying the I was tired during the fight and he came at me and I took him down with a double leg, so how can I be tired, I was especting the fight to be at leats 10 minutes long and it was only 7, here I dont have any one to training with but it wasnt any problem anyways.

>12/ What are you doing currently in Europe?

Well here I am teaching a group of guys the invited me to came I also been doing some seminars in others countries, at the same time having some funn and learning new cultures, very different from what I am used to.

>Many thanks for all, Kazeka.

One more thing I would like to thanks all of my friends and my teacher CARLOS GRACIE jr. for this oportunity to be part of the best jiu-jitsu team in the world GRACIE BARRA, end general to all the GRACIE FAMILY for giving us this wonderful art of JIU-JITSU, and also to my mom you are the BEST. THANKS MY FRIEND.