The spotlight befalls one of the students of the grappling game, Jose “The Gorilla” Rosado. He is 24 years old from the state of New Jersey. A graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor’s in Business Management. Currently he works as a real estate agent in Fort Lee, NJ. Rosado has a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) blue belt under one of the top instructors in NJ, Jaime Cruz. The Gorilla recently competed in the New York International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championships (NYIPJJC) on March 5, 2016. Winners of each weight class and those who receive a belt from blue or above have the opportunity to qualify for the tournament at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi tournament is the highest level of competition in Jiu-Jitsu with all expenses paid and with cash prizes.

Jose Rosado has been practicing BJJ for three years all together on and off under Jaime Cruz. Rosado thought he was a tough guy during high school and was an avid competitor in all sports. His love for competition led him to BJJ. “Once I began training, I immediately fell in love with it” Rosado said.

Rosado dabbled in Mixed Martial Arts and had one professional fight prior to BJJ. It was a loss via arm bar (popular submission hold in BJJ). The loss and other circumstances led him to transition to BJJ. His thirst for competition is satisfied through tournaments. For this sport, there is at times, a tournament weekly.  “Training is the part that I love the most as it’s different then in a class,” Rosado said “Intensity level is upped to a higher degree. It is about getting faster and better. The tournaments is where I get to have fun.”  The Gorilla trains 10 to 15 hours a week and must maintain a certain weight in order to compete in his category. “The good thing is I know how to cut weight properly for competitions so that isn’t much of an issue for me.

To enter the tournament in New York City, Rosado had to pay $25 for the membership and $85 to enter the tournament. He competed under the 170lbs (77kg) in the blue belt division. The day of the tournament Rosado had a smile on his face and was relaxed as anyone can be. Having been through many tournaments, the butterflies have long since flown out of his stomach. The Gorilla competed and won three matches to be able to qualify to the medal podium. He met defeat in his fourth match and competed for bronze. Taking home the bronze medal as a gift unto himself.  His birthday landed during the week leading up to the tournament. “Afterwards, I was excited to celebrate my birthday,” Rosado said, “The first thing I did when I got home was devour some Tres Leches (sponge cake soaked in three types of milk).”