Cyborg in paradise
Roberto “Cyborg”
Abreu, our GMA in Florida, was the
main standout at September 4’s
Honolulu Open in Hawaii. In those
parts, the black belt had some of
the greatest experiences of his
life, as he himself reports in the
text that follows:
“It all started
with the dream of an uncle of mine
named Lauro Schuback Pastor Almeida,
a real character, a surfer in love
with Hawaii! My uncle always dreamed
of living a surfer’s life, and that
he did to a tee, just as my life is
Jiu-Jitsu.
At Bruno
Longman's Academy
“My uncle spent a
few days in Hawaii and ended up
meeting some beasts from Kauai like
Bruno Ewald Longman and his
students. Among there were several
big names of surfing. Through this
contact, I called Bruno, a Gracie
Humaitá black belt. I shot the
breeze with him and set it up to go
to the Honolulu Open.
“Once I go there,
what a trip! Bruno is some kind of
“mayor” of Kauai. Father to Hunter
and Reef, two really tough kids,
there’s even a day for him on the
island. He has really great energy,
as does everybody in his academy. In
just one week I made friends for
life. It felt like I’d known that
crew for years.
Tin Tin, Hawaiian monster!
“From the first
day on, I was treated like one of
them and became part of the group.
Bruno introduced me to Tin Tin, a
way tough Hawaiian. The guy weighs
135 kg, burly, but his heart’s big
as the whole world, really kind.
“Tin Tin took me
to get to know the island. Those
were for sure some of the best days
of my life. I came from the South
Matogrosso wetlands. I lived my
entire life in nature, but for sure,
I left a piece of me on that island,
between the turquoise blue ocean,
the mountains, pristine paradisiacal
beaches, fish of all sizes and
colors. I swam with turtles, sharks;
I climbed mountains; I swam under
waterfalls… What a fantastic place!
Hawaii’s nature is magical and
breathtaking!
At Honolulu Open with team
“Besides that, I
was surprised by the Jiu-Jitsu
there. The guy is first-rate, really
sharp on the ground. I was happy
with the training, one of the
factors that led to my taking the
championship without a glitch. Not
just Bruno, but all the students
have really strong Jiu-Jitsu.
“From white to
black belt, the guys hold their own.
Bruno has been heading this project
for twenty years and has a number of
good fighters on the island. We went
to the event on Saturday, I sported
the Longman BJ gi to compete and it
was awesome competing alongside the
gang from Kauai.
“The event was
great, as were the local fighters,
who displayed excellent technique. I
had a few tough matches, had one at
weight and two in the absolute. And
the absolute final was really good
against Abmar Barbosa, who’s been on
a roll in Jiu-Jitsu. I pulled off a
good performance.
“Winning weight
and open weight in Hawaii was
glorious! I made a number of
contacts, everyone has really great
energy over there and I intend to
visit the gang as often as possible.
I want to get to know the other
islands on the archipelago, too. I’m
already looking into my return to do
some seminars.
“After the event,
I even went around with Matheus
Vulkan and Rodrigo Clark to go
around Oahu, the Mecca of surfing,
where Waimea Bay, Pipeline and
Sunset are, as well as to swim with
the sharks in the bluest ocean in
the world!
“Surely, God made
Hawaii on the seventh day!
Pythagoras said: ‘It’s by traveling
that we find pieces of ourselves
around the world.’ Well, I found a
piece of myself in that paradise!
“Best wishes to
all and aloha!”
Enjoy that? Then
do as Cyborg does. Compete at the
next Honolulu Open and other IBJJF
events around the planet!
