By Guilherme Cruz

Report by Samira Bomfim, directly from California

Photo Eduardo Ferreira

With only two years in black belt, the lightweight Michael Langhi already had begun bothering. With titles in European, Pan-American and Brazilian of Jiu-Jitsu, the athlete from Alliance came to the World Cup of Jiu-Jitsu like a favorite, and showed that it wasn’t for nothing. "I’m very happy, it was always a dream. This is my second year of black belt and I won the European, Pan American, the Brazilian, now the World Championship... I think that, among the finalists, I‘m the only one who fought in all the events and that went well in all of them, so I’m very happy", celebrates the black belt, recalling the path he made towards the title.

"Saturday I did two fights where I could finalize quickly, and Sunday I did three fights. I fought on the quarter-final with (Augusto) Tanquinho, an athlete who I face for the third time. He came very well prepared, I think he had studied my game... I think it was the toughest fight of the competition", said Langham, who had no easy fight from the semifinal. "I made the semifinal with Furão (Philipe Della Monica), who I had fought last year, and made the final against Durinho, who I had already won four times previously. They are athletes who are fighting for a long time, know each other and sometimes is difficult for us to expose ourselves, because everyone knows the other’s game".

Billing the gold between the middle weights, Langhi helped, also, the Alliance to take home the fourth trophy of champion in teams. "The determining factor for this, beyond the team’s union, is the leadership of Fábio Gurgel in Brazil and Jacaré in the United States. It has many teams that were to be among the best in the world. What they speak is spoken, is the leadership what makes us be growing. Of course we have much to improve, but we are on track", concluded the champion.