Statement and superfight request, from Carlos Lemos Jr.

[sprhodes]

As some of you may know, Carlos Lemos Jr. faced Daniel Morales in the finals of the 8 man tournament at the U.S. Submission Championships in Hendersonville, NC. As you may also know, Daniel won that match 4-0.

Carlos just called me, and he is pretty incensed over the whole affair, because:

1. the time limit for the match was changed from 10 minutes, to 8 minutes, right before the match started.

2. The rules sheet that was circulating did NOT show any indication that there would be points for takedowns. Yet all 4 of Daniels points were for takedowns.

3. after getting his 4 points, Daniel refused to aggressively try to attack Carlos for the rest of the match. Carlos initiated every takedown attempt, and every time the match went to the ground, all Daniel would do was hug Carlos and hold on for dear life.

And while this might be good strategy for winning by points, Carlos dislikes this approach to fighting, and does not believe it is an accurate reflection of what Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is about. He instills the philosophy in his students that we would prefer to lose going for a submission, than win on points. He says this is the Gracie Barra way, and thinks playing the "point game" is a cheap way to win.

4. There were supposed to be points awarded for submission attempts, yet Carlos did not receive his points for at least 3 submission attempts he had on Daniel.

5. Daniel never attempted a submission in the entire match. Again, Carlos' philosopy, and the Gracie Barra philosophy is to fight for a submission, not points...

Anyway, the bottom line is this. Carlos wants another match, a superfight if you will, against Daniel, with no time limit, and no points. A fight where somebody has to tap somebody else out, in order to win.

So, if anybody is holding a tournament anytime in the near future, and you are interested in trying to promote this match, please contact me, and I'll put you in touch with Carlos.

Believe me, this is not an idle request.. Carlos is mad as hell, and wants this match very, very badly. So anybody who can be of assistance in helping put this together, PLEASE contact me. My e-mail is mindcrime@cpphacker.co.uk.

[sprhodes]

Hey guys, just got another call from Carlos, and he asked me to clarify a few things.

1. He has nothing against Daniel as a person, and in fact, considers him a friend.

2. He thought that my first message might give the idea that he's just a frustrated loser making excuses, and he wanted everybody to know that he just wants a second fight, with no points or time limit, to prove himself, and prove to the world that he's a good fighter.

3. He thought the referee missed 4 points that he should have had, and does not agree with the 4 points that were given to Daniel.

4. When I say that Carlos is "mad as hell", he wanted everyone to understand that it's the referee and the rules that upset him, not Daniel himself.

5. He thinks that a no time-limit match between himself and Daniel would be a very exciting, entertaining match, that a lot of people would want to see anyway, even if it weren't for the previous match.

So there ya go... Anybody reading this, please understand that I'm listening to what Carlos says, and posting this stuff for him, at his request. There may (and will) be times when I slightly mis-interpret his thoughts or maybe over or under estimate the importance of something.... So I would caution anybody against drawing any conclusions about Carlos, his character, his intentions, etc. from my posts here.... Trust me, if you ever meet the man, you will know that he is one of the most honest, sincere, honorable people you will ever meet.

Again, Carlos considers Daniel a friend, and has nothing against him personally. I can also assure you, Carlos is not being a "sore loser." He just wants a chance to prove himself, in an enviroment where there must be a tapout.

Sore loser.

[JaredExtreme]

Not to be insulting, but should I know who these people are?

[sapatiero]

I'm sure there wouldn't be any offence taken - Carlos is a humble and respectful guy. I'm not writing this on his behalf, but these opinions are mine, as a friend and student of his.

Carlos Lemos Jr. is twice BJJ world champion and has spent the last couple of years travelling the globe promoting BJJ for his master, Carlinhos (Carlos Gracie Jr). He is an instructor at the Barra Academy of the largest BJJ team in the world, Gracie Barra.

And although there may be quotes such as 'sore loser' (and you're entitled to your opinion), Carlos has a number of traditional values and believes a fighter strives to submit his opponent. Does a warrior fight for points, or to win? IMHO there are too many fights where points are gained then a fighter just 'holds on' till the clock runs out - just look at the DVD of the 2005 Pan Ams - there are a few examples there.

I'll jump off the soapbox now - happy rollin'...