Interview: David Webb, 23 August 2009
Pablo Popovitch became involved in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a precocious 5-year-old. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Popovitch began instruction at Barra Gracie School, where his teachers were the Machado brothers, Rigan, Carlos and Jean-Jacques. “I knew early on that I wanted to be the best” Popovitch said. “I had my first tournament when I was eight. I defeated Carlinhos Gracie [Carlos Gracie Jr., now head of Gracie Barra] in the finals. He and I were really good friends, but we were very competitive on …