This evening’s edition of Fight To Win Pro (F2W Pro 24 to be specific) features several matches that are sure to rank among the most exciting of the year. One of the competitors featured in this competition is a star who has been rising quickly both in the ranks of jiu-jitsu competition as well as in the eyes of fans of the sport. Edwin Najmi has established himself as an electrifying competitor who always goes for the finish and often gets it in surprising and elegant fashion.
I had a chance to chat with Edwin about this evening’s matchup with Nathan Mendelsohn, who stepped up to the plate to replace DJ Jackson
Like many, I was interested in what Edwin’s secrets to success are. The young star has been training for only eight years and has already put himself among the elite of the sport.
No secrets, I just work hard and believe in myself. I think the thing that set me apart from everyone else is that I tried to be different, bring a different game and style to the table. Everyone was trying to play de la riva guard and do 50/50 and stuff. Meanwhile I was already working on the next thing, playing on top, going for submissions people weren’t expecting. I learned this from Romulo [Barral].
Insofar as his upcoming match with Mendelsohn, I was interested in Edwin’s thoughts, especially given that he had been preparing for a very different opponent in DJ Jackson.
I think the opponent change doesn’t change much. I don’t really change my training or game plan depending on the opponent. I like to just train the same and always hunt for the submission, put on exciting fights.
I was looking forward to fighting DJ since I was always a lower belt than him and always watched him fight my teammates, but I’m sure we’ll make that happen soon. I’m excited for this matchup with Nathan as well though, since i haven’t fought him before either.
Given Edwin’s consistent success as of late, I was curious about his future goals and aspirations. Currently the trend in spectator jiu-jitsu has been no-gi contests, and I was interested to see if Edwin has any plans to attack that scene with his wild and dynamic game, but he has other plans!
We’ll see, honestly I barely train no-gi at all. I’m focused on my gi goals. I want that black belt worlds gold medal before anything else. But I plan to start training no-gi more soon to get ready for those challenges. I think it’s important for a jiu-jitsu athlete to be ready to fight in all rule sets.
Edwin’s shout-outs go to his sponsors: Storm Kimonos, Digitsu, Gallerr and Dot Fit.
The Jiu-Jitsu Times looks forward to seeing what Edwin accomplishes in 2017!
