[November 4th 2018] Today, Milovan ‘Misha’ Janjic was promoted to black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by Marcos Flexa (black belt 5th degree) of Carlson Gracie Amsterdam. He is the fourth person ever to be awarded this prestigious rank. Misha is a dominant competitor and dedicated instructor, and he joins the black belt ranks with Daniël Bertina, Desmond van den Berg and Olga Lyashevska. Misha is also the first international black belt affiliate of Marcos Flexa, running the successful BJJ Caminho Team in his hometown of Kragujevac, Serbia.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Amsterdam
Misha walked into Carlson Gracie Amsterdam somewhere in the late 2000’s. Due to his line of work, he would visit Amsterdam for business every couple of months and he joined the classes whenever possible. Being an athletic specimen and former soldier in the Serbian military, at first glance he seemed to be an intimidating fellow, but due to his warm personality and great sense of humor he made friends right away.
Mat Monster
He dedicated himself to learning the art and started his own training group in his hometown of Kragujevac, Serbia. Thanks to his commitment Misha quickly became a monster on the mat, racking up medals in almost every competition he entered. Recently he added double golds (brown belt division and open) at the IBJJF Zurich Open and IBJJF Amsterdam Open to his long list of accomplishments.
Close Combat
Misha first came into contact with martial arts at age 14, when he started experimenting with boxing, kickboxing and wrestling. Misha: “The first serious training in martial arts started at age 19, when I was drafted into the army during the war in 1993. We got tough training in close combat, and I got my first exposure to judo and jiu-jitsu.”
Surprise
“My most memorable experience in my journey with Marcos Flexa so far was the moment he gave me the brown belt. It happened in Lisbon, one day after my victory in the open class of the IBJJF Europeans 2016 (purple belt, master 3). It was a complete surprise. We were having dinner with the whole team and all the instructors, and suddenly I got promoted. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life.”
Heavy Pressure
“When it comes to training and learning under master Flexa, I can say that the most important thing that I’ve learned is how to put pressure on my opponent from any position, especially while passing guard. That heavy pressure game is something I plan to master even more in the future. My goals are very simple: train even more then I do now – if my body doesn’t break, and put more energy and time in my BJJ Caminho Team. And of course, to compete for as long as can…”
“Tempo ruim o tempo todo. Quem não morre, não vê Deus.” – Carlson Gracie / Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Amsterdam
Text by Daniël Bertina