João Derly is present at the Rio Grand Slam

The two-time Champion of the World (2005-2007), João Derly made sure he came to Rio de Janeiro to watch de Grand Slam. Despite being injuried, Derly was paying close attention to the matches of the -73kg category, his new weight since the end of 2009.

“It is important to be aware of you opponents and to watch how the fights are developing with the new rules”, said Derly, who also commented on his long-time adversary Benjamin Darbelet from France “It looks like he is really well adjusted to the new weight. He defeated the Japanese easily”.

Derly is intensifying his physical therapy and work out to come back to the tatami. He already thinks about how will adapt to the new rules:

“I have to change my style of fighting a little, but it really won’t be a problem”, said the judoka.