Good Vibes at the World Famous 5th St Gym: Marcelo Alfaya, Wanderson & a Day We Will Never Forget
Some training days you never forget. On a bright February afternoon in 2022, five of us walked into the World Famous 5th St Gym on Miami Beach — the ring where Angelo Dundee once shaped a young Muhammad Ali — and spent the day rolling jiu-jitsu, trading boxing rounds, laughing until our ribs hurt, and making a new friend for life. This post is our love letter to that day, to the people in that photo, and to the simple truth behind it all: train hard with good people, then recover well.
The Crew
Left to right: our friend Sean, Alejandra, two Brazilians with real history between them, and Shane on the end. In the middle are Wanderson dos Santos — a third-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and one of our dearest friends and teachers — and the man Wanderson introduced us to that week, his old friend Marcelo “Grilo” Alfaya, a Brazilian mixed martial artist out of the Team Nogueira lineage who turned pro in 2002 and has spent more than two decades in the cage. He fought in Bellator’s very first welterweight tournament back in 2009, has competed from welterweight to light heavyweight, has finished roughly two-thirds of his wins, and has shared the cage with names like Jake Ellenberger. In person he is an easy 220 pounds of pure gentleman, and that week he was staying with us just downstairs.
What Happened on the Mats
Marcelo did not just visit that week — he trained us. He ran us through Brazilian jiu-jitsu, then laced up the gloves and went light boxing rounds with us in the ring. We rolled, we boxed, and Alejandra gloved up and went rounds with a man nearly twice her size who moved with the calm of someone who has done this a thousand times. What stayed with us most was not the skill, though the skill was obvious — it was the kindness. Marcelo was generous with his time, patient with his corrections, and had a laugh that filled the whole gym. That is what greatness looks like up close: it makes everyone around it better. And when the gloves came off, we all went out and celebrated South Beach style. Good training, good food, good people — that is the whole recipe.
A Fighter on the Table: Tui Na for a 20-Year Veteran
The training was only half of it. Marcelo also came to us for bodywork, and the work we chose for him was Tui Na, the hands-on Chinese medical massage built on rolling, kneading, pressing and rocking the body until stuck tissue lets go and everything moves the way it was designed to. Two decades of cage fighting live in a body: the neck and shoulders that absorb punches, the hips and low back that carry every takedown, the forearms and hands that have gripped and struck thousands of times. Tui Na meets a body like that where it hurts — firmly and specifically — and Marcelo loved it. He told us so more than once. More than a client, he became a friend. And he gave Shane something no one can take away: Marcelo was the first person to promote Shane to purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and it was Wanderson, his old friend and our teacher, who tied that belt around Shane’s waist. In jiu-jitsu, the people who promote you are part of your lineage forever, and Shane carries both of these men with pride.
Why Hard Training Feels So Good
A day like this is a masterclass in hormetic stress — the short, sharp challenge that makes the body stronger. Every hard round floods the system with adrenaline and norepinephrine and a brief spike of cortisol that sharpens focus and mobilizes energy. Over time, that kind of demanding training supports cardiovascular fitness, strength, mood, and healthy brain chemistry, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps the brain adapt and learn new movement. And then there is the part science keeps confirming: doing it with people you love. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has followed people for more than 80 years, keeps landing on the same finding — close relationships are one of the strongest predictors of a long, healthy, happy life. A gym full of friends is good medicine.
Recover Like a Fighter
Where hard training winds the nervous system up, skilled bodywork brings it back down. Research by Dr. Tiffany Field and colleagues links massage therapy to lower cortisol and higher serotonin and dopamine — the body’s own calm-and-repair chemistry — and warm human touch has been associated with the release of oxytocin, the hormone of trust and connection. That is exactly why fighters, grapplers, and weekend warriors across Miami Beach come to us after their hardest weeks. (Massage supports recovery and well-being; it is not a cure for injuries, and lasting pain deserves a medical evaluation.) If you liked this story, you will love our tribute to another friend from the mats, BJJ champion Daniel Valverde.
Come Train Hard, Then Come See Us
Whether you are grinding rounds at the 5th St Gym, rolling at an academy across the causeway, or just getting after it at the beach, your body thrives on the same rhythm: work hard, recover well. Explore our full menu of massage services, from Tui Na and deep tissue to sports recovery and pure relaxation, then book your session online or call or text us at (786) 399-0048. To Sean, Wanderson, and Marcelo: thank you for one of the best days we have ever had in a gym. Oss.
— Shane & Alejandra, Miami Massage Therapy · MiamiMassageTherapy.com
