By: @mafersoria
In the Club Diana Quintana, located at Km 2.5 via Samborondón is the Jiu-Jitsu academy called Predator, where children and adults come to train two hours a day using kimonos weighing 2.5 kg. Ecuador Times interviewed Publio Vasquez, owner of the Predador franchise in Ecuador.
The Predator franchise comes from Brazil and arrived to Ecuador three years ago, now it has three schools in Guayaquil (Garzota, Samborondón and Ceibos) and recently opened a fitness center in Quito.
This academy was named “Predator” because the owner of the franchise in Ecuador, started practicing Jiu Jitsu four years ago, he met Professor Fabrizio Marlos during a trip to Brazil. Marlos is known in the world of Jiu Jitsu as a Predator, “we named the academy after him, because he was Pan American champion three times, and he is a world champion in the team of jiujitsu, he also prepares teachers for all the MMA competitions.”
But Predator is not only an academy that teaches Jiu Jitsu to children, teens and adults, it also specializes in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)., Kick Boxing and Muay Thai and participates in major international competitions since the academy has a selection of “fighters”.
“Our teachers are still undefeated in MMA Championships. We have traveled to Brazil, Argentina, last year in July, we went to the two world championships, including Rio Open. We had 22 athletes who took 21 medals. We brought 30 medals in total.”
“One of our guys won a place to fight in the professional world competition in Abu Dhabi, he leaves to Arab Emirates in April with all expenses paid.”
Predator students are encouraged by their teachers to participate in tournaments and competitions, as there are in different categories, even for the smallest “recently, we went to the Pan-American competition for children, seven kids were able to get to the finals and win medals and another group is to compete in the Pan-American competition for young adults, then we go to the New York Open and then to Brazil again,” says Vasquez.
Competitors are prepared 70% on their physical conditioning through functional training, “it does not need weights, using the same resistance of the body, we use rubber bands and TRX for balance, flexibility, endurance and toning.”
Predator expects to open another academy in Rio de Janeiro later this year, because “Brazil is the home of Jiu Jitsu.” The ones who know Jiu Jitsu in MMA fighting have a “tremendous advantage if the opponent goes to ground” since it is a martial art to submit the opponent on the floor.
