Victor Hugo won ADCC 2026 at +99 kg with four submissions in four matches, pulling guard every time. A month later he sat down with Bernardo to explain the Big Man Flow: why the biggest guy on the mat plays guard, how he trains, and the road from Fortaleza to the top of the sport.

In this episode:

- "Breaking records or breaking limbs": how he stayed loose and had fun through a tournament most people dread

- Why he pulls guard on everyone in training, except wrestlers, and what he gets out of it

- Ultra-heavy matches used to be "bad judo": the strategy he has used since the colored belts

- His training split: drilling, specific training with constraints, then live rounds, built up from blue belts

- The kid from Fortaleza nobody knew: double gold at Worlds as a purple belt, then San Diego with Saulo and Xande

- Dropping out of nutrition school after winning Worlds, and starting jiu-jitsu at 14 with his dad

- Athlete to entrepreneur: running jiu-jitsu schools and learning the business side

- Three ADCCs, Buchecha and Gordon Ryan in the second round, and the joke "I just want to make it to day two"

- The CJI foot lock, "don't confuse better with more", and why "the crown is heavy"

Victor Hugo is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Fortaleza, Brazil, under Saulo and Xande Ribeiro of the Six Blades Association. He is a four-time IBJJF world champion at black belt, including double gold (100 kg and absolute) at the 2023 Worlds, and the 2026 ADCC world champion at +99 kg, where he won all four of his matches by submission in Krakow. He recorded two new instructionals with BJJ Fanatics this week: his guard game, and his offensive game with back attacks.

Chapters

00:00 Four matches, four submissions, pulling guard at +99 kg

00:41 "Breaking records or breaking limbs": having fun at ADCC

01:42 Big guys around the world are pulling guard now: the Big Man Flow

02:29 Why a giant who relies on strength is a gym owner's nightmare

03:56 Pulling guard against everyone in training, and why

05:21 Ultra-heavy matches used to be "bad judo"

06:08 Drilling, specific training with constraints, then sparring

07:24 Build the technique up from blue belts: the leg drag story

07:56 Two new instructionals: guard game and back attacks

08:25 The kid from Fortaleza nobody knew

09:13 Double gold at Worlds as a purple belt, then San Diego with Saulo and Xande

11:08 Dropping out of nutrition school: "the perfect excuse to make my parents mad"

12:05 Starting at 14 with his dad, who is a black belt too

13:07 What's next: super fights and the names he hasn't faced

14:20 Athlete to entrepreneur: running schools, churn and CAC

16:57 The free time pro athletes don't talk about

18:33 Is 14 too late? Competing too early and burning out

20:53 Three ADCCs: Buchecha, Gordon Ryan and "I just want to make it to day two"

21:42 The CJI foot lock and "don't confuse better with more"

22:42 Resilience after the black belt: "the crown is heavy"

24:43 Wrap-up

Connect with Victor Hugo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victorhugojj

Instructionals: https://bjjfanatics.com

Connect with Bernardo Faria

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernardofariabjj

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtXtqlLdZYZm3060qVExXkA

BJJ Fanatics, the largest online jiu-jitsu library: https://bjjfanatics.com

Kojo Fightwear, Bernardo's gear brand: https://kojofightwear.com/?rfsn=9277274.6e01c5

New episodes every week. If this one helped you, follow the show and leave a rating: it is the best way to help the podcast reach more people.

Conan Schafer retired from the Lincoln Police Department at 57 to run a jiu-jitsu school full time. At 63 he co-owns two schools, runs three tournaments a year and still teaches the kids classes himself. Bernardo visited him in Lincoln, Nebraska, to find out how he keeps building.In this episode:- How a police officer looking for something that would "make the job easier" ended up in jiu-jitsu in 2003- Why Conan and Jerad gave up their black belts and started over at white belt when they opened Lincoln BJJ in 2013- Retiring at 57, the pandemic year when 100 students hung on, and the school taking off in 2021- "Kitchen manager and dining room manager": how the partnership with Jerad Downs works- The promise he made himself to always teach the kids classes- Running the Nebraska Jiu-Jitsu Championship, the Nebraska Jiu-Jitsu Federation and the Elite Series super fights- "I haven't beaten one of my black belts in a few years": training, lifting and eating at 63- His advice for older beginners (his oldest student is 72) and for anyone starting a school in their 50sConan Schafer co-founded Lincoln Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2013 with Greg Lawson and Jerad Downs, and has been its head instructor since 2020. He spent 23 years with the Lincoln Police Department and received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Greg Lawson in 2021. The school has two locations, College View and Havelock, and organizes the Nebraska Jiu-Jitsu Championship.Chapters00:00 Former police officer, 63 years old, two schools, three tournaments a year00:53 How a cop looking to "make the job easier" found jiu-jitsu in 200302:46 Giving up their black belts to start over at white belt04:32 Retiring from the police at 57 to take over the school05:15 The pandemic: 100 students who hung on, then the school took off06:22 "Kitchen manager and dining room manager": the partnership with Jerad Downs07:16 Why he still teaches the kids classes himself09:02 Why he started running tournaments in Nebraska10:53 The Nebraska Jiu-Jitsu Federation and refereeing without favoritism12:04 Motivation at 63: "I haven't beaten one of my black belts in a few years"13:37 His routine: the bicycle, lifting in jeans, rolling two or three times a week14:39 Bernardo on removing friction: something beats nothing16:30 Longevity: keto, no drinking, mobility work after a bulging disc18:02 The Elite Series: 10-minute submission-only super fights with a light show19:40 Advice for older beginners: his oldest student is 7221:22 Starting a school in your 50s: "never let your passion become the bane of your existence"23:19 "I refuse to quit"Connect with Conan SchaferLincoln Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center: https://lincolnbjj.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lnk_bjjConnect with Bernardo FariaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernardofariabjjYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtXtqlLdZYZm3060qVExXkABJJ Fanatics, the largest online jiu-jitsu library: https://bjjfanatics.comKojo Fightwear, Bernardo's gear brand: https://kojofightwear.com/?rfsn=9277274.6e01c5New episodes every week. If this one helped you, follow the show and leave a rating: it is the best way to help the podcast reach more people.