The Brazilian Beat by Eduardo Alonso
Arona vs. Overeem? Ninja Getting Ready for Cage Rage, Shogun USA-bound, PRIDE Las Vegas Possibilities Galore, MMA Super Challenge Debuts Oct. 7

The Brazilian Beat:

Recent happenings in Brazil, such as PRIDE being broadcasted live by a cable channel, are certainly helping to cull interest for MMA in the country. With that, some new promotions are appearing, as well as some old ones improving their standards and coming back to the scene. Now, one may think that it has been a while already since Brazil had a wave of new fighting shows developing around the country. Although that is true, the difference is that this time a number of quality shows are appearing, adding to other famous promotions that had already established themselves as interesting and quality ones, like Jungle Fight, Meca, Storm Samurai and Heat. Maybe the finest example of this is the coming of MMA Super Challenge, which is taking the local market by storm with interesting purses at the local levels, as well as bringing some very good fighters and a nice format to the table in times where fights in the country were somewhat limited to beginners searching for a place in the spotlight.

Obviously, FCF is aware of the process and comes up with news and developments about this "new scene" in Brazilian MMA, with hopes that it will find resources to sustain itself and add a new market for all involved in the sport in South America.

But that's not all, of course, as the main shows are always causing buzz. PRIDE is taking some crucial steps for its first U.S. show, as well as the finals of the Open-Weight GP in Japan before that, and needless to say, plenty is happening in the country related to those shows. So, let's head to the news so you can get your serving of info on Brazilian MMA, as Full Contact Fighter bounces with the Beat loud and clear!
  • With the finals of the PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix coming up, things are busy in the Brazilian Top Team camp with Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira training hard for his coming bout with Josh Barnett, but that's not all the reason for activity going on with the top dogs of the team in Rio de Janeiro. On extended vacation since his loss to Wanderlei Silva at PRIDE's December 31 show, Ricardo Arona is finally on the verge of coming back to action and is training hard for a likely participation at PRIDE's September 10 event. Although nothing has been determined as of yet, chances are good that his opponent may be Dutch fighter Alistair Overeem. In the meantime, Arona just made his debut as a writer. The PRIDE veteran is now writing his own column for a Rio de Janeiro newspaper called "O Fluminense," where Arona speaks about fighting and sports in general.

  • Speaking of BTT, patriarch Mario Sperry is still recovering from injuries sustained from his last PRIDE bout against Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kosaka. Sperry had a knee injury and a broken hand from the bout, which led him to surgery on both body parts that forced him to the sidelines. However, while he was recovering the "Zen Machine" had osteomyelitis (a bone infection) diagnosed in his hand and had to go though surgery yet again. Now, after 44 days of heavy medication Sperry is recovering fine, and is expected to get back to training soon. Sperry's knee is already in perfect condition, and it's only a matter of time before his hand is healed as well.

  • Possibly the biggest MMA card assembled for 2006, MMA Super Challenge is in the works and finally some of the names involved in the show are being revealed. Scheduled for October 7 in the city of Barueri, right next to Sao Paulo, the show will feature two eight-man tournaments, one up to 73kg and another at up to 83kg (183 lbs), to run through the course of two shows. In the up to 73kg tournament, names like PRIDE veteran Milton Vieira from Brazilian Top Team, RFT sensation and Jungle Fight winner Luciano Azevedo, BJJ master and Heat FC veteran Vinicius Draculino, and Nova Uniao jiu-jitsu standout Leo Santos are already confirmed names in the eight-man field. The same can be said about IFL veteran Gustavo "Ximu" Machado and BJJ champion Demian Maia in the up to 83kg tourney. More names are expected to be announced soon, including Chute Boxe representatives in both tournaments, as well as some of the show's single matches that will include the grudge match between Jorge "Macaco" Patino and former business partner and jiu-jitsu representative Roberto Godoi. FCF will keep you updated in what is shaping up as the most awaited and intriguing MMA show on Brazilian soil this year.

  • Brazilian fighting gear company NO GI, not to be mistaken with the American brand with the same name, is reported to be on the verge of changing its ownership or finishing its operations. The company that has helped many MMA shows in the country and sponsored fighters like Vitor Belfort, Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Nino Schembri, Pedro Rizzo and Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro among others, has been finishing their sponsorship agreements and at this point it's not clear whether they'll come back to business under new ownership soon, or simply cease their activities once and for all. This may cause an impact on the scene, as a number of top-notch fighters will now be available for sponsorship deals once again.

  • Yet one more new MMA show took place in Brazil this past August 2. Top Fighter MMA had its first event at Castelo das Pedras in Rio de Janeiro. Promoted by active fighter Gustavo "Ximu" Machado, the show had a number of Gracie Barra Combat Team and BTT fighters on a card that featured three Muay Thai bouts and eight MMA fights. GBCT Danilo Motoserra did as expected, winning his fight against Cosme dos Santos by knockout, while the biggest surprise of the show came in UFC veteran Flavio Moura being stopped via TKO by underdog Leandro Batata. In the most anticipated match of the night, Deep veteran Fabricio Monteiro continued his run by submitting BTT's own Paulo Boiko by rear-naked choke. Here are the MMA bouts' results:
    • Erinaldo "Pitbull" def. Cristiano "Bananada" - Decision
    • Wendell "Negao" def. Ricardo Petruccio - Decision
    • Marcos Maciel def. Leonardo "Tangerina" -Decision
    • Eduardo Pachu def. Leandro "Mun-ha" - KO
    • Luiz "Beicao" def. Mauricio Reis - Decision
    • Danilo "Motoserra" def. Cosme dos Santos - KO
    • Leandro "Batata" def. Flavio Moura - TKO
    • Fabricio Monteiro def. Paulo Boiko – Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

  • It'll be the city of Sao Paulo's turn to receive a quality MMA show in mid-August, as the Ibirapuera arena will be holding the second edition of Predador FC, this time in a much bigger fashion than in the promotion's first venture. On its menu, the show will present a women's boxing match, one jiu-jitsu encounter as well as a submission wrestling outing and one Muay Thai clash, not to mention the main ingredient of nine MMA bouts, with the most awaited ones being Rafael Mantega facing Chute Boxe's own Mauricio Veio, Silvio "Silvăo" Santos facing jiu-jitsu standout Marcio Corleta, Fabio Negao fighting Gabriel Gladiador, and the main event between jiu-jitsu representatives Eduardo Telles and Rubens Macula. Some famous MMA names will be on hand, including the show's referees - PRIDE veterans Paulo Filho and Carlos Barreto, and former Shooto champion Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro.

  • PRIDE veteran Murilo "Ninja" Rua is training hard for his Cage Rage debut this coming September 30, in London, England. With his bout against UFC and PRIDE veteran Mark Weir being at a weight limit of 84kg, Ninja has already started to cut weight and is reported to be training very hard in Muay Thai at Chute Boxe and is at 90kg already. As the older Rua brother, Ninja understands the importance of this bout, and is considering not going to Japan for his brother's possible fight in PRIDE on September 10 in order to keep training for Weir.

  • Meanwhile Ninja's younger brother Mauricio "Shogun" Rua continues to train hard waiting for confirmation on his PRIDE bouts in September and October, the first in Japan and the second in PRIDE's first-ever event on U.S. soil. At this point, his participation on those cards hasn't been confirmed, let alone his opponents, although a rematch against Mark Coleman in PRIDE's October U.S. show is a strong possibility. In the meantime, Shogun will be visiting the U.S. from August 15-19 for promotional activities, and will be in Sao Paulo next week to watch Predator FC 2.

  • Back to the PRIDE USA subject, Brazilian Top Team will also have its representatives in the Las Vegas scheduled show, and as always, although nothing is set in stone, two fighters are emerging as likely candidates to be on the card. Former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante, due to his reputation in America for being a former UFC title holder, as well as his fighting skills of course, has strong chances to be a part of the card, as well as his teammate Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira.

  • In addition to being a top MMA fighter, BTT heavyweight, and PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix Semifinalist, Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira continues his career as a promoter, as the fourth edition of his show Minotauro Fights just took place this past August in the city of Salvador, capital of the sate of Bahia. This time the show hosted an eight-man tournament, plus five single matches, always giving opportunity to new Brazilian talents. Two Minotauro Fight veterans, Ediberto Crocota and Eder Jones made it to the final of the tournament and curiously their bout was ruled a draw, likely leaving things set for a future rematch to determine the true winner. In maybe the most important single match of the evening, BTT representative and Meca veteran Marcelo "Bocao" was surprised by Nova Uniao fighter Marlon Sandro, who won a judges' decision. Here are the results from the show:

          Single Fights:
          -Eric Barbosa def. Jivago Aquino - KO R1
          -Kleber "Samurai" def. Jurandir Sardinha - Decision
          -Luiz "Buda" def. Ismael "Guerreiro" - Decision
          -Renato Velame def. Wadson - TKO R1
          -Marlon Sandro def. Marcelo "Bocao" - Decision

          Tournament Quarterfinals:
          -Ediberto Crocota def. Paulo Santos - Triangle Choke R1
          -Fausto "Black" def. Cristiano –TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R1
          -Julinho Cabral def. Rodrigo Tigre - TKO R2
          -Eder Jones def. Italo Arona - TKO R2

          Tournament Semifinals:
          -Ediberto Crocota def. Fausto "Black" - KO R1
          -Eder Jones def. Julinho Cabral - TKO R1

          Tournament Final:
          -Ediberto Crocota vs. Eder Jones - Draw

  • Coming back to jiu-jitsu competition after five years off, PRIDE veteran and former BJJ world champion Nino "Elvis" Schembri is now enjoying a small vacation in his hometown city of Rio de Janeiro, and will be returning to Curitiba to resume training at the Chute Boxe academy shortly. Schembri lost in the semifinals of this year's BJJ World Championship, after winning two bouts and showing he can still be competitive after five years without competing with the gi on. Now back to training, Elvis will begin to prepare himself for a series of submission wrestling fights and will soon be visiting the USA for a series of grappling seminars.