Luciano Azevedo discusses his youth, the way his training has evolved over the years at the esteemed Renovacao Fight Team, and the fighters that inspired him to become the devastating 155 lb. force he is today.  This is Part 2 of the Garv.com exclusive interview.

DW:  Tell me about your childhood, and how it was growing up in Brazil?

LA:  "Until the age of 6 I lived in the State of Ceará (northeast), where I was born, and came to Rio de Janeiro, where I live until today. I had a quiet childhood, thank God."

DW:  Do you feel you were “born as a fighter”, or was there a person or a certain event that inspired you to become a fighter?

LA:  "I feel like I was born a fighter, because there weren’t any influence over me.  I always wanted to follow this career, that’s what I chose."

DW:  At what age did you first begin training? And who was the teacher?

LA:  "I had 11 years when I did my first training. There were a project where I lived and live until today, and the teacher were Sérgio Formiga."

DW:  How has your training evolved/improved over your career?

LA:  " My training evolved when I started facing the sport as a career and consequently the improvement came with the learning of the new skills and techniques of fight, lots of replicates, dedication and discipline, because it’s what I like to do."

DW:  Tell me about training at the great Renovacao Fight Team, and what makes your team unique compared to other camps?

LA:  "I started to train in RFT even before it started, when it was still called MARCIO CROMADO TEAM. I have RFT as my family and I consider that the differential of the team, we were no longer a team, but a family, respecting and doing everything that the impossible becomes possible, besides having a great leader, Marcio Cromado."

DW:  Who were some of the fighters that you admired when you first started, and who are some of the fighters you admire that are currently competing?

LA:  "When I started I used to admire my teacher and specially Cromado, that were a student, because I used to watch him training and on the events that he competed always lead to victory. Nowadays I admire the Minotauro, the Demian Maia, that have a style like mine, that means, always looking the completion. But of course that I can’t forget to mention Anderson Silva."

DW:  Who do you consider the “founding father” of Luta Livre?

LA:  "My master is formed by the Master Eugênio Tadeu, that is formed by Carlos Brunocilla, son of the Gran Master Fausto Brunocilla.  That is of the same school as the Master Tatu as Master Roberto Leitão."

DW:  MMA evolved by combining the positive aspects of many different styles into one. Do you train any elements of BJJ at all, or do you focus strictly on Luta Livre and nothing else, as a Luta Livre “purist”?

LA:  "I don’t train BJJ at all, I’ve never weared a gi (kimono). I train basically the Brazilian Luta Livre, that is known in the USA as No-gi, but I improve to the MMA the upper body with daily trainings of wrestler, muay-thai and boxe."

DW:  From watching your many fights, I feel there are two principals of grappling taught by the great Robert Leitao that you exemplify: a) “an intelligent movement is a continuous movement”, and b) “if you control the space you control your opponent’s actions”. I say this because you keep a very frenetic and nonstop pace, and you seem to smother your opponent like a wave engulfing the shore. Do you agree that you implement those principals very well?

LA:  "I agree that I impose this principles very well, because I consider it fundamental to impose myself in the fight. Cromado always tells me to 'don’t stop', thats it’s necessary to keep the same pace, to stop only when I feel the taps of the opponent, asking to stop. That’s always my fighting objective."

DW:  Discuss how you train specifically to have such great endurance and cardio, since I have never seen you slow down or seem tired in any of your fights?

LA:  "Thanks for the compliment. To obtain a great endurance, I run 9 km daily in 30 minutes along the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and for Cardio, Cromado has a training that works that aspect very well, called the CIRCUIT or CARDIO MMA that consists in repetition of some actions using force and agility and using all the combat moves, in which we work 1h and 20 mins nonstop twicely a week."

DW:  Besides being a phenomenal grappler, you have a very impressive striking arsenal, using both your hands and feet- how have you been able to become such a well-rounded fighter?

LA:  "Yes, I consider myself a well-rounded fighter, because I have a Teacher (Cromado) that charges me a lot of the positions variations. Always been dedicated, disciplined, I listen to my masters, I like to listen such as compliment as criticals, because I think that is missing that we learn. Thank God I had the luck to pass through the hands of great trainers. I’m always looking forward to improve myself."

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