After 21 Years, Andre Pederneiras Steps Down As Nova Uniao Leader

Head member of Brazil’s Nova Uniao, Andre Pederneiras has since stepped down from his position with the team. Now the longtime coach has come forward with details on his decision.

Speaking to Combate, Pederneiras offered some details concerning his decision.

“I’m still here at training, giving the same advices to my athletes. But if, for instance, Urijah Faber comes here, I’ll be able to give him the same training, regardless of whether he represents Nova Uniao or not. If the people who are training at that time are bothered, I can just arrange a different time with him, a separate training session.

“Here, I intend to help any type of athlete, make it that he has all the support in training. A jiu-jitsu fighter, for instance, who belongs to a different team and wants to do technical training here.”

Taking to Instagram, the head coach offered a few more words. Check out a translation below:

“Friends,

“Today, it was officially announced that I’m stepping down from Nova Uniao team, and I wanted to share a few words.

“The decision to step down from the leadership of Nova Uniao began after we opened Upper Arena, which has been working as a training center for Nova Uniao for two years.

“My idea is to make Upper Arena a neutral environment for high-level training for athletes from other teams, too, and not just Nova Uniao. I want to put together the biggest and best martial arts training center in the country, helping the sport evolve in Brazil, as well as work on the social side, passing on my knowledge of 30 yeas dedicated to the sport, both in the fighting department and in the administrative side, to those who want to learn.

“It’s been 21 years of many accomplishments and conquests at Nova Uniao. Now I intend to invest in new dreams. I know it may seem crazy to some, but I think everything I did at the beginning seemed crazy. So I count on the support of all of you so that this is a victorious new phase. Not just for me, but for the sport and for this country that I love so much.”

Amigos, Hoje foi divulgado, oficialmente, o meu desligamento da equipe Nova União e eu queria dizer aqui algumas palavras para vocês. A decisão de sair da liderança da Nova União aconteceu após a abertura da Upper Arena, que vem funcionando como centro de treinamento da Nova União há dois anos. Minha ideia é tornar a Upper Arena um ambiente neutro para treinamento de alto nível de atletas de outras equipes também, e não somente da Nova União. Quero montar o maior e melhor centro de treinamento de artes marciais do país, ajudando a evolução do esporte no Brasil, além de trabalhar o lado social, passar meu conhecimento de 30 anos dedicados ao esporte, tanto à luta quanto à parte administrativa, para aqueles que quiserem aprender. Foram 21 anos de muitas realizações e conquistas na Nova União, agora pretendo investir em novos sonhos! Sei que pode parecer loucura para alguns, mas eu acho que tudo que eu fiz no seu início pareceu loucura! Então eu conto com o apoio e com a torcida de todos vocês para que esta seja uma nova fase vitoriosa! Não somente para mim, mas para o esporte e para o nosso país, que eu tanto amo! Um grande abraço, Dedé Pederneiras

A post shared by André Pederneiras (@dede_pederneiras) on

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