Lucio "Lagarto" Rodrigues vs Noah Spear 2003, Botofogo, Brazil - Brown Belt Open Weight

"Humble pie tastes bitter, but it's so good for you." - How getting my ass handed to me helped me win the world championships. - Noah Spear
In 2003 I won the IBJJF Masters World Championships as a Brown Belt. Needless to say, this was an amazing experience in my life. But, I had an unexpected tournament 3 days before the actual Worlds, and this is the footage from that tournament.
The morning that I arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, three days before I was to compete in the world championships, my teammates informed me that they had signed me up for a tournament that day in Botafogo. Honestly this surprise was the last thing I wanted or expected. I had my mind set on the world championships, felt awesome, and wanted no distractions leading to it.
I went and fought anyway, and had one fight. My opponent was Lucio “Lagarto” Rodrigues of Gracie Barra. He was a weight class above me, and known to be an absolute killer with submissions. He kicked my ass. But good! As you can clearly see in the video.
That match totally shook my confidence to have any chance in the Worlds a few days later.
However, the ass kicking put me in my place. Reminded me to stay human, and humble. Reminded me that it’s all about the fight, and the gods will do the rest. This ass kicking helped me through the adversity of my Worlds matches three days later, which are a story of adversity on their own.
As I watch this match now, I think that my escapes are impressive, I admire my will to keep fighting, and I know that Lagarto just by being so tough, helped me later to win the worlds.
( The arm lock escape at 7:36 I think is awesome, lol. Talk about last ditch effort!)