By Suzanne Schmidt
Staff Writer
LUTZ — From the octagon to the mats of his new academy, Marcio Cruz, world jujitsu champion, never loses his passion of fighting.
Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz is his ring name. Even though most fighters start training at a young age, the Brazilian born fighter started when he was 17. That did not stop him from becoming a six-time Brazilian jujitsu champion, an eight-time Brazilian jujitsu PanAm champion and a five-time Brazilian jujitsu national champion.
“I love to fight,” Cruz said. “If they call me, I fight. I started when I was old but I have a lot of talent for jujitsu. This is my life, my dream to be a fighter. I will keep fighting until my body says stop and I can’t do it anymore.”
Through the World Fighting Organization, Cruz is the current heavyweight champion. He keeps his belt along with his many other medals in his new academy.
In addition to the many championships he has won, Cruz also has fought in the octagon in the Ultimate Fighting Championship against such well-known fighters as Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir.
Instead of building up his fighting experience, Cruz said he went straight for whatever fight he could get, which is why his second professional fight ever was in the UFC against former heavy weight champion Frank Mir. He won the fight against Mir with a total knock out at UFC 57. He said when he wins a fight; his first thoughts are of rest.
“I feel like I completed my job,” Cruz said. “I feel great and then I think I am happy because I can go home and I don’t have to train for a week.”
Even though Cruz has a 3rd degree black belt in jujitsu, he said that is not enough to be a well-rounded mixed martial arts fighter. The martial art of jujitsu focuses mainly on submission holds and groundwork.
“I train in boxing and wrestling,” Cruz said. “I train jujitsu a lot too but since my ground is much better my focus has changed.”
Jujitsu is not just a martial art, it is a way of life for Cruz.
“It is a lifestyle,” Cruz said. “In order to fight, you need to love it. I like to train because when you train, you can forget about your problems.”
Even though good training and conditioning is a big part of competing in MMA, Cruz said the mental side of it is sometimes just as important.
“When a guy has good shape but has a bad mind, he might lose,” Cruz said. “The mental part is so important. When the body and the mind is strong that is the best way to win.”
