Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter carries Hong Kong hopes at Pan American Championship
- Rodrigo Caporal is eyeing gold at this month’s event to go with his European title
- The Brazilian will then travel to Vegas in August for World Championship, joined by local and international fighters from his Hong Kong gym
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter based in Hong Kong hopes to take a step towards conquering the world this month as he targets gold in one of the sport’s four grand slam events.
Rodrigo Caporal is heading to Kissimmee, Florida from March 19 to March 24 to compete at the Pan American Championship, the largest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournament in the Americas.
He and other local and international fighters from his Espada Studio gym will then turn their attention to the World Championship in Las Vegas in August.
Caporal, Espada’s Brazilian head coach, told the Post he was aiming for the top prize in Florida to go alongside his gold in the medium heavy division at the European Championship in Paris in January.
“I always strive for number one, but the competitions are very tough and I have to fight five or six times every day,” the 40-year-old said.
He and Nosherwan Khanzada, the gym’s Pakistani general manager and coach, are taking seven athletes, a mix of Hongkongers and foreigners, to Vegas.
“We’ve got fighters from Hong Kong, France, America, the UK and Australia, and we are hoping everyone can win,” Caporal said.
Caporal comes from Caraguatatuba, on the Brazilian coast east of Sao Paulo, and competes in both mixed martial arts (MMA) and BJJ.
Having only started BJJ when he was 16, Caporal has risen to the top of his sport. He is a former purple belt world champion and won world bronze as a black belt in 2013.
He fights for the renowned Brazilian academy Atos Jiu-Jitsu and came to Hong Kong in 2009 to take up coaching at the Versus gym. From there, he moved to Jab MMA and then branched out to open Espada Studio in 2016.
“When I was a kid, I tried everything – soccer, capoeira,” he said. “Then one day, I saw a guy wearing a gi [martial arts uniform] in the street and I asked him what it was. He told me, and I wanted to try.”
From that moment, Caporal was hooked on combat sports. He was awarded his black belt in 2009, having started training in MMA in 2005. He even had a professional boxing match in Shanghai, winning on points despite what he called dubious refereeing.
“I almost knocked him out in the first round, but the referee gave him a really slow standing eight count.”
Caporal trains for his professional fights alongside Khanzada, 33, who competes in BJJ, MMA and Muay Thai.
Espada, a fitness studio in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan neighbourhood that specialises in martial arts, is not just an exclusive club for fighters. It also welcomes those looking for a new hobby or a way to stay fit.
Despite success in the ring, the gym struggled through the Covid-19 pandemic because of strict restrictions on gathering and working out in closed spaces.
“We saw our regular customer base drop from 300 to about 150,” Khanzada said. “Since then, we’ve recovered to about 70 per cent.”
The gym is decorated with the pair’s title belts, medals and trophies from competitions around the world. They run classes from 6am to 8pm every day, then start their own fight training.
“When the gym is closed, me and [Khanzada] do our training, and we go hard on each other,” Caporal said.
Khanzada came to Hong Kong from Peshawar in 1999.
“I started training in Muay Thai and MMA with my brother and wanted to work on my ground game, so I started doing BJJ,” he said. “I got to know Rodrigo and after years of training together, he said he was going to open his gym and asked me to work together.”
Khanzada said fighting not only made him fitter but “saw my life improve”.
“It makes you more disciplined. I became more social and more open towards other people. It positively changed my life.”
