Kelly Slater rolling, with Vitor as ref and BJ Penn as judge.

The “New York Times” published it, and ever-astute Brazilian reporter Renato de Alexandrino broke word about it in Brazil on the “O Globo” website.

A surfing world champion 11 times over, icon of the waves Kelly Slater drew comparisons between his sport to the martial art. Addressing who counts among his Twitter followers, Slater named UFC president Dana White, and discussed the similarities between the two sports.

“I didn’t used to like MMA, and now I love the sport. Truth is, surfing is like a martial art,” said Slater. “Good martial artists use the most efficient moves for getting the body to produce more energy. In surfing you have to master the same things – base, balance on your feet, the act of turning, bend and extend your legs. I love watching two guys fighting. It’s like human chess,” concluded Slater, who is known to train with Kron Gracie, Ricardo Arona, BJ Penn and Vitor Belfort.

12/20/2011 | Categories: BJJ, Grappling, Jiu Jitsu, MMA, Nova Uniao | Tags: BJ Penn, Slater, vitor belfort | Comments Off on Kelly Slater rolling, with Vitor as ref and BJ Penn as judge.