Hilo fighters head to mainland

Renato “Charuto” Verissimo made a name for himself in the mixed martial arts world, fighting three times in the UFC and coaching B.J. Penn in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the sport that has become his life’s work.

The 39-year-old retired MMA fighter last fought Jake Shields on an EliteXC card on Oahu in 2007, losing in a first-round technical knockout. His career record is 7-6, including a pair of TKO wins at Rumble on the Rock in Hilo in 2003, when he was starting his career.

He’s from Brazil, but he never left Hilo after hooking up with Penn in 1998. Penn also trained under Verissimo’s teacher, Andres Pederneiras, who founded the Nova Uniao academies.

Verissimo is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor at Nova Uniao Hawaii, which trains at Penn Fitness and Training Center.

He also teaches at other Nova Uniao clubs, including Oahu, California and Guam.

For the first time, a Hilo team, headed by Verissimo with six students, will compete at the Pan Americans International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Championship, which will be held March 29 to April 1 at Irvine, Calif.

It’s the second-most prestigious IBJJF tournament, next to the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship, scheduled for late May in California.

Verissimo gets to see how his instruction holds up when his six students — Taku Ishii, Gustavo Fonseca, Shawn Suga, Keanen Miyasato, Michael Atkins and Christopher Atkins — compete at the Pan Ams, which is a points-based grappling tournament.

There is no striking, and the tourney is available even to MMA fighters with pro experience.

Verissimo will also compete after an 11-year absence. He previously won silver at the Pan Ams and silver and bronze medals at the World championships.

His advice to his students is quite simple.

“I want them to focus on technique. That’s important,” he said. “I want them to keep their minds focused, and I want them to have fun.”

One of his students, Gustavo Fonseca, 30, will be competing for the third time. Last year, he suffered a first-round loss, and in 2010 he took a second-round defeat.

Each trip was as an individual.

He was born in California, raised in New York and moved to Hilo in 2001 to work on a farm.

Four years ago, he rented a Penn video, drove past the training center on Kinoole Street and decided to try jiu-jitsu.

“I don’t want to fight in MMA,” he said. “I’m a pure jiu-jitsu guy. It’s the first martial art I’ve learned. It’s so fun I do it every day, sometimes two or three times a day.

“Sensei (teacher) tells us to have fun and don’t focus so much on winning. He wants us to train hard, visualize and have a good game plan. Since it starts standing, I want to pull guard and work my bottom game. That’s the most effective part of my game.”

Taku Ishii, 21, is a student at Hawaii Community College and got involved with jiu-jitsu because he admires Penn, a jiu-jitsu world champion. He came to Hilo in 2010 and immediately found his way to Penn’s gym.

He must be a quick learner because he captured first place at the Triple Crown Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament last September on Oahu.

Ishii is not exactly a novice. He’s a black belt in judo and has competed in MMA in Japan.

His judo skills translate to jiu-jitsu, which is based on a similar concept of grappling.

“My strength is my judo throws and top position,” said Ishii, who will compete at the Pan Ams for the first time.

For more information about Nova Uniao Hawaii, email novauniaohawaii@yahoo.com.