I still remember how hard it was the training and how hard I used to get beat at, once I was training just with adults. I miss the old days very much and all my friends and training partners, Sergio Iris, Wander, Fabio Macieira, Walter Soldado, Walter Guimarães, Tuninho, Marcelão Domingues, Pinkuda, Zé Roberto, Arthur Virgilio and his brothers Ricardinho and Julio, Lacerda, Mr. Domingos and so many others that is hard to remember all of them.”
As a young teen, Marcus was already one of the strongest members of the team, due to his very hard weight training for two and half years, but, of course, his technique and conditioning had a lot to improve. So, Marcus started to intensify his jiu-jitsu training, and also to train water-polo, rowing and running. “I remember that I and Rolls Gracie were the only members of the team that worry and used to do conditioning training, something very new in Brazil at that time (1970’s).”