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Stiebling Strikes Gold in Venezuela

American Defeats Four Brazilians En Route to International Vale Tudo Championship; Vocal Venezuelan Audience Treated to Evening of Incredible MMA Action
By Aaron Crecy

CARACAS--It was a night of amazing discoveries, as several of mixed martial arts' future stars gleamed brightly. After all was said and done, it was American Alex Stiebling who stood above all others, the winner of the 16-Man Absolute Class IVC Venezuela International Vale Tudo Championship and the accompanying $10,000 purse.

Behind the strength of the submissions -- two heel hooks and a rear naked choke -- and a stunning knockout, Stiebling, of the Integrated Fighting Academy in Indianapolis, succeeded in winning the affection of the once pro-Brazilian crowd as he laid claim to the title of this inaugural event. With half of his hair dyed blue in a patriotic gesture, Stiebling infused energy into the arena with every entrance, dancing his way through a throng of adoring fans and into the ring. Then, he proceeded to electrify the audience with each courageous performance, displaying strong powerful strikes, outstanding wrestling skills, superb submissions and an extremely aggressive, attacking style.

But Stiebling was not the only fighter to impress, as a trio of young Brazilians also raised eyebrows. Runner-up Angelo Araujo -- who was previously undefeated -- delivered a rousing performance, displaying a solid combination ground and standup skills along with extraordinary conditioning and resolve. Meanwhile, semi-finalist Evangelista "Cyborg" Silva Rodrigues performed admirably as well, exhibiting devastating power and unusual strength. Similarly, Jefferson "Tank" da Silva proved to be a force in the ring, with strong standup and ground skills to go with uncommon strength.

To a man, each of the fighters was pleased as the event drew to a close. They produced an evening of action-packed fights that kept the audience on its feet throughout and then mingled with the crowd after the event, signing autographs and posing for photographs. After a week at a five-star hotel, television and radio appearances, dressing rooms overflowing with fruit and juices and an outpouring of appreciation from those in attendance, the fighters -- most of them up and coming -- happily soaked up the star treatment.

Local promoters Mario d' Alfonso and Jesus Santana and IVC representatives Sergio Batarelli and Mauricio Netto are to be commended for putting together a thrilling MMA event. If this venture continues, MMA fans can look forward to tremendous match-ups as the next generation of stars put their skills to the test against one another in various South and Central American venues.

IVC Venezuela Fight Summaries

Alternate fight
  • Carlos Humberto Braga, Brazil, def. Floreriano Fonseca, Brazil, by submission (arm triangle)
    Braga, with a distinct size advantage, took Fonseca to the ground with a bodylock and was able secure an arm triangle just seconds later.
First Round
  • Milton Bahia, Brazil, def. Mike Hunter, Canada, by KO
    Bahia came out swinging and dropped Hunter with two hard rights. Then, a soccer kick to the face that brought the fight to a swift close.

  • Rodrigo Gripp de Souza, Brazil, def. Wellington Wilkins, USA, by submission (arm bar)
    A black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, de Souza advanced behind a flurry of ineffective punches. Wilkins then landed a hard right that dropped de Souza, who fell to his guard. Moments later, de Souza locked up an arm bar that evoked a verbal submission and a tap out.

  • Alex Stiebling, USA, def. Luis Claudio das Dores, Brazil by submission (heel hook)
    Stiebling displayed superior standup skills, opening the fight with a flurry of jabs, knees and rights. After escaping from a guillotine, das Dores ended up with a takedown but Stiebling escaped and attempted a takedown of his own, powering through a guillotine to finish. After a restart, Stiebling landed a hard combination before das Dores scored another takedown. Stiebling gave up his back in order to escape, avoiding a rear naked choke on the way to a reversal. Then, he locked up a heel hook and submitted das Dores. It was a fight that featured continuous action, leaving both fighters exhausted.

  • Leandro Ribeiro, Brazil, def. Antonio Resende, Brazil, by submission, (arm bar)
    Last-minute additions to the card, Ribeiro and Resende engaged in what was essentially a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match. Resende was the more aggressive fighter, scoring several takedowns. However, Ribeiro soon secured an arm bar from the guard and ended the fight.

  • "The Pedro" Otavio, Brazil, def. Jonathan Ivey, USA, by submission (strikes)
    Ivey opened the fight by trying to jump into a knee bar. When The Pedro moved, it became a futile drop kick. The Pedro landed a foot stomp before mounting Ivey and delivering an unreturned salvo of strikes to the face and head. After a restart, Ivey dropped to his guard again, hoping to reverse The Pedro and catch him in a knee bar. It was not to be, as The Pedro landed another barrage of strikes that forced Ivey to submit.

  • Angelo Araujo, Brazil, def. Carlos Clayton Mangueira, Brazil, by judges' decision, 2-1
    The only fight to go to the judges, Araujo and Mangueira maintained an active pace throughout, exchanging strikes in the standup and taking turns scoring takedowns and reversals. Both fighters landed from inside the guard and the side mount when the opportunity presented itself. Mangueira was clearly the worse for wear, yet continued to work, countering Araujo's attacks. In the end, Araujo earned a majority decision by virtue of his advantage in aggression, landing more strikes and scoring more takedowns than Mangueira.

  • Jefferson "Tank" da Silva, Brazil, def. John Renken, USA, by submission (strikes)
    Tank opened with a huge right that just missed and then delivered a big knee as Renken dropped to a double leg. After pulling guard, Renken nearly secured an arm bar, but Tank punched his way free and stood up, allowing the American to return to his feet as well. Tank then delivered two strong kicks to Renken's torso and then sprawled to defend a shot, scoring a takedown. The fight was restarted due to inactivity, and Renken began to score, landing a hard kick and an effective jab when Tank tried another kick. After sprawling to defend another takedown attempt, Tank mounted Renken, who was able to roll to a heel hook before suffering significant damage. After Tank escaped, the fight was restarted, with Renken landing another stiff jab before Tank ended the fight with a huge straight right to the jaw. Though still on his feet, Renken turned away and waved Tank off, concerned that his jaw was broken -- fortunately, it was not.

  • Evangelista "Cyborg" Silva Rodrigues, Brazil, def. Aaron Sullivan, USA, by KO
    Sullivan quickly pulled guard after Cyborg came out throwing bombs. Just seconds into the fight, Cyborg landed several hard blows to the face from inside Sullivan's guard, knocking him out and then waking him up with successive strikes before the referee could intervene.
Quarterfinals
  • Bahia def. Gripp de Souza by submission (strikes)
    Bahia outclassed de Souza in the standup, landing several hard shots before de Souza dropped to his guard. After eating two foot stomps -- the second of which broke his nose -- de Souza attempted a leg lock but could not quite finish the submission. After a restart, Bahia landed more strikes and de Souza pulled guard once again. Bahia followed and began to land from inside de Souza's guard before delivering two controversial headbutts to the sternum. When the referee stopped the fight to warn Bahia, the bloodied and battered de Souza withdrew.

  • Stiebling def. Ribeiro by KO
    Ribeiro opened the fight by charging across the ring for a double leg. Stiebling sprawled, pushed the head down and then knocked Ribeiro out with a kick to the face as the Brazilian tried to re-shoot. Ribeiro was out cold and suffered a cut to his cheekbone.

  • Araujo def. Renken (replacement for The Pedro) by KO
    When The Pedro could not continue due to a problem with his eye, Renken volunteered to take his place. It proved to be a decision he might regret, as Araujo, after avoiding an early heel hook attempt, gained a rear mount and landed a series of blows to Renken's face and head before the fight was stopped. Renken was upset with what he felt were several illegal strikes to the back of his head, but Araujo was declared the winner nonetheless.

  • "Cyborg" Silva Rodrigues def. "Tank" da Silva by KO
    Cyborg def. Tank It was clear that this fight would not go the distance as both fighters came out throwing power shots, loading up on right hands. Cyborg attempted a trip from the clinch, but Tank countered and scored the takedown. However, Cyborg soon reversed him and landed several big knees and elbows before Tank could escape. The fighters then continued to exchange huge shots before Tank ate a hard right and dropped to the ground face-down. Cyborg then finished the affair with a soccer kick to the face and the fight was halted.
Semi-Finals

  • Stiebling def. Bahia by submission (heel hook)
    Stiebling def. Bahia Bahia came out with jabs and hooks, but Stiebling responded with several shots of his own. The fighters clinched and Bahia tried a trip, but Stiebling -- who wrestled in college at NCAA Div. II University of Indianapolis -- was able to counter with a wizzer. As he forced Bahia's head down, Stiebling saw an opportunity for a knee bar and took it, switching to a heel hook when Bahia rolled. Once the heel hook was secured, Bahia tapped in short order.

  • Araujo def. "Cyborg" Silva Rodrigues by TKO
    Araujo def. Cyborg Cyborg came out throwing big shots for the third consecutive fight, putting Araujo on the defensive. Araujo attempted several takedowns but Cyborg sprawled effectively and kept the fight in the standup. Then, Cyborg scored a takedown after countering another Araujo shot, landing punches and knees from the north-south position. Araujo was able to escape to his feet, but Cyborg continued to press the attack and soon scored another takedown off an Araujo shot. The fight was restarted after a brief period of inactivity, with Araujo finally scoring a takedown with a duck under and gaining a rear mount. When Cyborg stood up, Araujo used a suplay to take him back to the ground and then went to a rear naked choke. Unable to secure the choke, Araujo, with both legs in, began landing blow after blow to Cyborg's head. Though Cyborg covered his face with both arms, Araujo was able to connect with approximately 20-30 shots before the fight was stopped.
Finals
  • Alex Stiebling, USA, def. Angelo Araujo, Brazil, by submission (rear naked choke)
    Stiebling def. Araujo Araujo clearly wanted to take the fight to the ground as he opened with a double leg attempt. Stiebling countered with underhooks and threw a couple knees before Araujo dropped to a double again and finished. Araujo then unleashed a wild barrage of punches, most of which Stiebling was able to block. Landing from the bottom, Stiebling succeeded in moving to the ropes, which impeded Araujo's punches and eventually led to a restart. Back on their feet, Araujo shot another double leg, but Stiebling buried his head, spun behind and immediately locked a rear naked choke that caused the Brazilian to submit.
IFA
Complete coverage of the event in the
December 2001 issue of FULL CONTACT FIGHTER,
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