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Eleven fights and twenty-two hopes! It's all or nothing this Saturday By Eduardo Alonso 10 editions have already come and gone, now Meca Vale Tudo heads for its 11th show promising the best event ever put together by the promotion. This Saturday, June 5th, 11 fights will celebrate the sport of MMA in the city of Teresopolis, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with a live broadcast for Brazil and Portugal, showcasing both young talents and veterans of the Brazilian MMA scene, as well as bringing the biggest number of international fighters ever in Meca. Like this was not enough, a interesting fact is turning this into an even more important show for the fighters participating, as DSE's representatives Nobuhiko Takada and Mr. Sakakibara are on visit to Brazil and will take the chance to be on hand to watch the show live in Teresopolis. This means the world both to the youngsters starting out that dream of a chance to go to Pride, and also to the veterans of the game that knows this can be their last chance to hit the big show again. All of that, plus the presence of idols such as Wanderlei Silva, Rodrigo Minotauro, Pedro Rizzo, Murilo Ninja, Mario Sperry, Murilo Bustamante among others guarantee that fighters will leave their souls inside the ring, making for even more interesting fights. The creation of shows such as HEAT FC and Jungle Fight naturally raised the level of MMA shows in Brazil and created the need for everybody to make an effort into improving their cards more and more with the course of time. This could be seen at the last Jungle Fight show, that brought a very interesting card, and Meca took the chance with its 11th event to grant their position as the most traditional show in the country unleashing their best fighting card in recent editions. Counting with Yellow cards, to take away points from fighters that do not engage or brake the rules, for the first time ever, the 11th card of the history of the show brings a interesting blend of veterans and youngsters trough its 11 fights, each with their own reasons to try hard. The international presence is one interesting aspect, with Spanish fighter and EVT veteran Antonio Tello putting his Chute Boxe training into test against Brazilian Fabricio Monteiro, with a win for Tello meaning a lot for the development of MMA in Europe. Takada Dojo member Wataru Takahashi comes as courtesy of the Pride's representatives in Brazil, and will be the first Japanese ever to fight in Meca facing Emerson Portilho, from Teresopolis. In a interesting grapplers duel, Suyan Queiroz and Luciano Azevedo promise to show some neat ground skills, as Azevedo was a runner up at the 2003 ADCC Brazilian Trials, and Suyan is no stranger to the mat. Alex Gaze will face Andre Bispo in what can be his last chance at Meca after his loss at Meca 7, and he is well aware of this so hopefully will see his Muay Thai coming to play. Luis Britto comes from a controversial loss to Jorge Patino at the last Meca, as is the favorite to defeat Junior Besouro, while experienced veteran Alexandre "Baixinho" Barros looks to keep his winning streak that started at HEAT FC 1 alive, in a battle against Meca winner Ivan "Batman". However, those are just appetizers, as the we will take a closer look into the show's most important match-ups in this FCF Meca 11 preview: Milton Vieira vs. Jadyson Costa: Already experienced with fights in Russia, Milton Vieira is reported to have a bright future ahead of him, and can be game against any opponent in his division in Brazil. Training with the Brazilian Top Team for over a year already, Vieira has a very good reach for his division and is billed as an extremely tough fighter from the likes of Mario Sperry, Murilo Bustamante and others. His ground game, both in terms of submissions and ground and pound seems to be ahead of what Jadyson can present, however what Vieira can bring to the table in terms of stand up and aggressiveness may be what will determine a win or a lose in this one. Oddly enough, although the show is promoted by Chute Boxe master Rudimar Fedrigo, it'll take place on Terespolis, which bring more of a Brazilian Top Team crowd into it than a Chute Boxe group of supporters. Either way, it's another chapter on the ethernal Chute Boxe vs. BTT rivalry, and this one is up for grabs. Jadyson Costa had a solid run as he started out with Chute Boxe, going trough hell in training to finally achieve recognition inside the team with his performances on shows such as Storm and Meca. Meeting top fighter Takanori Gomi in Bushido may not have been the best for his career in the early stages, as a lose was inevitable. Since this loss Costa has been training hard, and after experiencing the taste of fighting in Japan the kid is surely crazy to be able to comeback. This will be a great test for him, as he comes back straight to a tough situation, facing a solid BTT fighter, in the opponent's home court. How he will emerge from this situation may tell a lot about his future, and imposing a fast-paced aggressive style, hurting Milton with his stand up is clearly his best shot to win this fight. It's almost impossible to predict a winner, but I believe it's going to be an emotional struggle, with a lot on the line for both fighters. Daniel Acacio vs. Eric Tavares: Daniel Acacio was a dangerous fighter even before he joined the Chute Boxe team. A true Meca veteran, with numerous wins in the show, Acacio is used to this ring and feels comfortable fighting in it. A solid wrestling and a lot of aggressiveness are his strongest points. Although his ground game is not great, it's good enough for him to defend himself, and he has been focusing on improving his striking, ever since he got to Chute Boxe. He couldn't be more confident with all the support from Wanderlei Silva and his latest wins, so he is likely to impose his pace to win by TKO as he can feel Pride Bushido getting near his future. Coming from Ruas Vale Tudo Eric Tavares is what can be called a courageous tough kid. He hasn't shown great technique so far in his fights, but according to Pedro Rizzo and Beto Leitao, from RVT, he has been improving a lot lately. Being schedule to fight hot prospect Diego Sanchez recently, in the postponed HEAT FC 3 show, one can imagine that Eric did his homework and will be in top shape to face Acacio. Although Acacio's stand up has been improving a lot, I see the striking game as one of Eric's best chances, due to his strong punch, bigger reach and good chin. Where his technique lacks, he will have to overcome with heart, otherwise it may be a quick fight for him. Coming as the underdog sometimes favors some fighters, so this is bound to be interesting. Tony de Souza vs. Luis Azeredo: A UFC veteran with a good record, Tony de Souza has credentials to give any opponent some worries in his weight division. However, with this outing being his first fight in three years, it's tough to predict what fighter we'll see on the ring, and Azeredo may not be the best fighter to test your skills after such a hiatus. Tony's ground skills are always good, and courage will never be his problem. He has also been training hard for a long time already here in Brazil, so I see his bigger chances on the ground game, and with him fighting from the top position. If he allows Luis Azeredo to impose his pace, he may be in big-time trouble. Luis Azeredo is likely one of the most underrated fighters in his division worldwide. He is not either the best ground fighter you'll see in MMA, or the best striker or neither the best Wrestler, however he is good enough in any of those areas to handle himself well, and then take his opponent out of his game forcing him to fight in a style he isn't very suited for. This is where Luis is more dangerous, he imposes his pace and style in his fights, and tends to slow down fighters that are overly aggressive, or speed-up fights against non-aggressive fighters. With months of training under Chute Boxe, a record with wins over the likes of Anderson Silva, Cristiano Marcelo and Rodrigo Ruas, and the will to impress his new team in his quest to return to Japan, plus a great cardio, I think Azeredo may get a referee stoppage win after two or three rounds, in what can be the best fight of the night. Delson "Pe de Chumbo" vs. Jorge "Macaco" Patino: Extremely explosive, with a fast-paced ground game style and very good submissions, Delson "Pe de Chumbo" is what can be called a very strong fighter. When Delson submitted Nilson de Castro at his hometown of Curitiba, at MECA 8, he showed everybody he was for real and instantly became a threat on his division in Brazil. His stand up still lacks a lot though, and his heart may be questionable after his loss by forfeit to Daniel Acacio. This fight seems to suit him well, and fighting in front of his hometown crowd of Teresopolis, he has the tools to win a ground battle, if he finds a way to impose his game on Patino. Jorge "Macaco" Patino is a true MMA veteran. When lots of today's top fighters weren't even around yet, Macaco was already famous in Brazil. Now, as a member of the Chute Boxe team Jorge has been trying to rebuild his career and add a dangerous striking game to his skills. However, his striking has not been sharp yet, and his ground skills, although very good, aren't up to par with Delson, who is a BJJ World Champ. Where Macaco might have the advantage is in his will! Patino is a very strong-minded individual, and has understood the Chute Boxe "Heart style". Considering "Pe de Chumbo's" heat may leave him in trouble, Patino's best shot will be to use his aggressiviness to turn the fight into a brawl where he will most likely emerge as the winner. Nilson de Castro vs. Gustavo Ximu: Nilson de Castro is one of the most dangerous strikes in the MMA game in Brazil. Although not as aggressive as Wanderlei Silva and not as techincal as Anderson Silva, Nilson manages to be both tecnical and aggressive and most of his wins comes from knockouts. Already a veteran of shows such as K-1, Pancrase, IVC and even Meca, he has been coming of struggles against grapplers, and this is what can give him a hard time against Ximu. His ground game isn't clearly as strong as his Muay Thai, and never before a fight was so important for his career. A win over Ximu keeps him alive for fights abroad, a lose could turn him into nothing more than a journeyman of the sport. With a bigger reach and extremely solid knees, his Wrestling will have to be sharp for him to win this fight. Gustavo Ximu will be fighting for the first time since he left the Ruas Vale Tudo team, and it'll be interesting to see how he will perform without his long time friends and coaches on his corner. Also a very experienced fighter, with fights in RINGS, Meca and HEAT, among other shows, Gustavo is a good well-rounded fighter, with skills standing up, on the ground and also a solid Wrestling. However, his stand up game is nowhere near as sharp as Nilson's and his ground game is not as dangerous as it was the one from some of Nilson's former opponents, therefore Ximu will most likely score takedowns and try to add pressure on the ground with strikes. The more he manages to keep the Chute Boxe fighter with his back against the mat, the bigger his chances are, so unless he tries something crazy, he can be on the way for a judges' decision win on this one. |
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