Victor Genovesi was born with a rare disease, bullied at school for years, and raised inside Alliance by one of its founders. He tells Bernardo why he was jealous of jiu-jitsu as a kid, how the mat became his safe place, and what the Alliance split looked like from his house.
In this episode:
Born with a rare genetic bowel disease: five surgeries between birth and age 13, and a doctor who said jiu-jitsu was out of the question
Bullied from kindergarten until 15, and why the mat was the one safe place
The fight after school that ended the bullying for good
Advice for parents: find a safe place and a teacher who cares, in jiu-jitsu or anything else
Competing with the disease: more injuries, hospital trips and weight cuts he could not make
Rio vs São Paulo: why he thinks the best jiu-jitsu left Rio after 2000
Jealous of jiu-jitsu: a father who gave his time to his students, and Tererê living in the house
The Alliance split seen through a kid's eyes, down to the faces he scratched out of GracieMag
His career: the line he was not willing to cross, luck, COVID and stepping aside for a teammate
Victor Genovesi is the son of Alexandre "Gigi" Paiva, who founded Alliance with Romero "Jacaré" Cavalcanti and Fabio Gurgel. In 2012 he won the IBJJF World Championship at brown belt, beating Gianni Grippo in the featherweight final, and today he teaches at Alliance East Boise, in Idaho.
Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:39 Meet Victor Genovesi, son of Alliance co-founder Gigi Paiva 01:14 Born with a rare disease: five surgeries by age 13 02:29 "Jiu-jitsu was my salvation", even when the doctor said no 03:46 Bullied from kindergarten to 15 05:37 The fight after school 07:19 Why a jiu-jitsu kid can still get bullied 09:20 Advice for parents: a safe place and a good teacher 10:42 The best gift his father gave him: the gym 12:34 A rare disease in a pro athlete: injuries and weight cuts 13:53 Rio vs São Paulo: where the best jiu-jitsu went 17:24 Carnival in Rio: empty classes, so he traveled to train 18:29 Growing up inside Alliance and jealous of jiu-jitsu 20:21 The Alliance split, seen from his house 24:06 Scratching faces out of GracieMag 24:36 His competition career: the line he wouldn't cross 26:54 Luck, his condition, COVID and a teammate's last run 28:51 His first BJJ Fanatics instructional
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Bernardo Faria. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Bernardo Faria och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
