Having moved to his homeland of Brazil to sort out his US permanence some two years ago, leaving his American wife behind in his adoptive home, Glover’s permanency woes are now behind him, as his residence permit came through and he is now free to return to his wife and ply his trade in the major North American events.

“Great news. Glover Teixeira managed his US visa and is free to fight in the UFC,” Pedro Rizzo posted over Twitter.

Glover, who hasn’t tasted defeat since 2006, was invited to fight Fabio Maldonado at UFC Rio 2, but a hand injury got in the way of him making his dreamed-of debut. The fighter is expected to finally perform in the octagon in 2012.

Rizzo with Master Yoshizo Machida at Lyoto's academy in Belém, Brazil / Photo: Marcelo Dunlop

Twice postponed, the fight between Pedro Rizzo and Tim Sylvia was announced this Wednesday, according to our collaborator Junior Samurai. The bout is set to take place at the November 5 Pro Elite event in Illinois.

Not having fought since July 2010, the heavyweight from Rio de Janeiro is riding a three-fight winning streak, two of which came by way of technical knockout – against legends of the sport Gary Goodridge and Kan Shamrock.

Now former UFC champion Sylvia has put a spate of bad results behind him by rattling off four back-to-back wins, all by knockout, but lost to Abe Wagner in his last outing, at Titan 16. Who do you think takes this one, dear reader?

Rizzo held the kick pads for Anderson on Copacabana Beach on Wednesday. Photo: Gustavo Aragão.

Thirteen years ago, Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo was one of the stars of the show. At the first UFC in Brazil, in 1998, the Marco Ruas student brought the crowd to its feet to match sinews with barroom brawler David “Tank” Abbott, and he came out with flying colors. Now working behind the scenes on Anderson Silva’s training team, Pedro doesn’t feel any nostalgia at all.

“It was important. We were trailblazers, but there’s no way to compare it with what the people of Rio are witnessing today, in and out of the ring. It wasn’t just a different reality, it was a different sport,” says Rizzo in analysis.

“There were different rules, different facilities, different purses… In a nutshell, it was a time when Tank Abbott was one of the stars of the UFC. These days not one Tank Abbott would make it into the UFC. The Tank Abbott of today would, perhaps, be Roy Nelson, for his physique. In other words, the Tank of today is much, much better and withstands a lot of punishment too,” he says with a grin.

Royce / Photo: UFC.

After nearly 13 years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be returning to Brazil, the homeland of its founder, Rorion Gracie, and countless athletes who helped build the organization’s history. With its return date approaching, the UFC released statistics on the Brazilians who have taken part throughout the almost 18 years of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

For example, Murilo Bustamante is the first Brazilian champion of the promotion, once the title was accompanied by a belt. Royce Gracie is the one with the most submission wins, Belfort has the most knockouts, and Anderson Silva the winningest, while Wanderlei Silva holds the most losses.

Read on for more:

Brazilian UFC champions

1. Murilo Bustamante
2. Vitor Belfort
3. Anderson Silva
4. “Minotauro” Nogueira
5. Lyoto Machida
6. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
7. Jose Aldo

The "Spider" has been in nine title fights. Publicity photo.

Brazilians in UFC title fights
1. Patino vs Pat Miletich – UFC 18
2. André Pederneiras vs Pat Miletich – UFC 21
3. Wanderlei Silva vs Tito Ortiz – UFC 25
4. Rizzo vs Kevin Randleman – UFC 26
5. Rizzo vs Randy Couture I – UFC 31
6. Rizzo vs Randy Couture II – UFC 34
7. Bustamante vs Dave Menne – UFC 35
8. Bustamante vs Matt Lindland – UFC 37
9. Belfort vs Randy Couture II – UFC 4610
10. Belfort vs Randy Couture III – UFC 49
11. “Babalú” vs Chuck Liddell II – UFC 62
12. Anderson vs Rich Franklin I – UFC 64
13. Franca vs Sean Sherk – UFC 73
14. Anderson vs Nate Marquardt – UFC 73
15. “Napão” vs Randy Couture – UFC 74
16. Anderson vs Rich Franklin II – UFC 77
17. “Minotauro” vs Tim Sylvia – UFC 81
18. Anderson vs Dan Henderson – UFC 82
19. Anderson vs Patrick Cote – UFC 90
20. “Minotauro” vs Frank Mir – UFC 92
21. Anderson vs Thales Leites – UFC 97
22. Lyoto vs Rashad Evans – UFC 98
23. “Pitbull” vs Georges St-Pierre – UFC 100
24. Lyoto vs “Shogun” – UFC 104
25. Anderson vs Demian Maia – UFC 112
26. Lyoto vs “Shogun” II – UFC 113
27. Anderson vs Sonnen – UFC 117
28. Anderson vs Belfort – UFC 126
29. “Shogun” vs Jon Jones – UFC 128
30. Aldo vs Hominick – UFC 129

Wand is the Brazilian with the most losses. Photo: Josh Hedges.

Most wins
1. Anderson Silva 13
2. Royce Gracie 11
3. Thiago Alves 10
4. Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida, Pedro Rizzo, Gleison Tibau 9
5. Demian Maia 8

Most losses
1. Wanderlei Silva 6
2. Thiago Alves, Vitor Belfort, Ricardo Almeida, Gabriel Gonzaga, Pedro Rizzo, Hermes Franca, Gleison Tibau 5
3. Renato Sobral, Fabiano Iha, Jorge Gurgel, Wilson Gouveia 4

Most knockouts
1. Vitor Belfort 9
2. Anderson Silva 8
3. Thiago Alves 7
4. Pedro Rizzo 6
5. Gabriel Gonzaga 5

Demian is one of the Brazilians with the most tapouts. Photo: Josh Hedges.

Most tapouts
1. Royce Gracie 11
2. Demian Maia, Wilson Gouveia 5
3. Renato Sobral 4
4. Anderson Silva 3

First Brazilian UFC champion
Royce Gracie – UFC 1

The Ultimate Fighter who went on to the UFC
Jorge Gurgel (TUF2)
Thales Leites (TUF 4)
Vinicius Magalhaes (TUF8)

Shogun in one of his fights against Lyoto. Photo: Josh Hedges

Brazil vs Brazil
1. Tulio Palhares vs Adriano Santos – Ultimate Brazil
2. Cesar Marsucci vs Paulo Santos – Ultimate Brazil
3. Gabriel Gonzaga vs Fabiano Scherner – UFC 60
4. Diego Saraiva vs Jorge Gurgel – UFC 73
5. Gabriel Gonzaga vs Fabricio Werdum – UFC 80
6. Thiago Silva vs Antonio Mendes – UFC 84
7. Hermes Franca vs Marcus Aurelio – UFC 90
8. Fabricio Werdum vs Junior Dos Santos – UFC 90
9. Lyoto Machida vs Thiago Silva – UFC 94
10. Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites – UFC 97*
11. Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio Rua – UFC 104*
12. Rousimar Palhares vs Lucio Linhares – UFC 107
13. Junior Dos Santos vs Gabriel Gonzaga – UFC on VERSUS
14. Anderson Silva vs Demian Maia – UFC 112*
15. Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio Rua II – UFC 113*
16. Demian Maia vs Mario Miranda – UFC 118
17. Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort – UFC 126*
18. Gleison Tibau vs Rafaello Oliveira – UFC 130

* Title fight

Undefeated in the UFC
Anderson Silva 11-0
Junior Dos Santos 7-0
Tulio Palhares 1-0
Ebenezer Fontes Braga 1-0
Marcello Mello 1-0
Cesar Marsucci 1-0
Rafael Carino 1-0
Edson Barboza 2-0
Maiquel Falcao 1-0
Jose Aldo 1-0
Renan Barao 1-0
Ronny Markes 1-0

Recorde dos brasileiros em estréias
37-58-1, 1 NC

Aldo, Feijão, Rizzo and Glover at Refinaria de Manguinhos oil refinery / Photo: Rodrigo Esposito

At 2pm this Thursday, August 18, an MMA training center will be inaugurated at the Usina de Cidadania goodwill project in Rio de Janeiro. Anyone in the area who’d like to rub elbows with the likes of Pedro Rizzo, Glover Teixeira, Rafael Feijão, and UFC champion José Aldo Junior can check out the opening ceremony at Avenida Brasil 3141, in Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro.

The event is also meant to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the Usina da Cidadania, a charity organization sponsored by Refinaria de Manguinhos oil refinery, involved with the social development of 500 children and adults from 30 communities in the neighborhoods of Manguinhos, Benfica, São Cristovão, Bonsucesso, Caju and Maré.

Besides the aforementioned fight stars, Anderson Silva, Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, Maurício “Shogun” Rua and Maro Ruas are also likely to attend.

Belfort bursts with joy after knocking Wand out. Photos: Juca Martins.

Frank Shamrock, Pedro Rizzo, Ebenézer Braga, Jeremy Horn, Tank Abbott, Pat Miletich, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva – those were the big-name fighters who, that night of October 16, 1998, set foot in the octagon in São Paulo City for UFC Brazil, in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, MMA events ever held in Brazilian territory.

It’s true that the Ultimate Fighting Championship was not the major worldwide promotion it is today but it’s not every day that Brazilian locals get the chance to witness two title fights in the sport’s pioneer organization at Portuguesa gymnasium (packed with 6,000 spectators), see Pedro Rizzo make his debut in the event that launched him to fame, much less watch two of the biggest Brazilian stars of all times go toe to toe with each other – a situation where pretty much anything can happen (and really quickly).

But why did the Ultimate Fighting Championship set up shop in Brazil? Obviously, ever since Royce Gracie first made it big, Brazil has been a breeding ground for MMA talent; but the trip south of the equator also came down to necessity. It happened that, in 1998, MMA was prohibited in much of the United States.

The UFC came into existence as a series of practically ruleless brawls organized into a tournament format. The event was a major success in pay-per-view sales from the outset; but when Senator John McCain – yup, him – saw the recordings of the early tournaments, he took the forefront in a campaign to ban what he called “human cock-fighting” from the United States of America, sending letters requesting the prohibition of such events to every lawmaker in the country.

Thirty-six of 50 states followed suit – even New York, enacting the ban on the eve of UFC 12, obliging the promotion to hastily move the event to Dothan, Alabama, where the show went down on February 7, 1997. With a dearth of places to hold the spectacles at home, in 1997 the Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to Asia, where UFC Japan 1 took place. In 1998, between UFC 17 and 19, it was UFC Brazil’s turn.

Already renowned for his work promoting International Vale-Tudo Championship (IVC) and on close terms with the UFC, Sergio Batarelli was contacted by Bob Meyorwitch, then the president of SEC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s holding company.

“He [Meyorwitz] knew production and filming costs would be cheaper in Brazil, and, as there were a number of Brazilians making waves at the time, they came,” recounts Batarelli, who rolled up his sleeves and got to work to make the show happen: “They had a filming deal in place with Globosat; the lights they brought with them, and the company doing the lighting was theirs. I did the rest: ticketing, publicity, security, we had a top-notch referee from the CBVT (organization that sanctioned the event). We worked as a team. I even changed some of the rules in Brazil, as I felt they weren’t fair to the fighters. I banned wrestling boots here, and as time went by they were banned once and for all.”

Matchmaking

For UFC Brazil, the Ultimate Fighting Championship already had some ready-made matchups, but being in MMA’s birthplace, it was fitting to bring in some up-and-coming local talent. “Belfort vs. Wanderlei was my idea, Ebenézer vs. Jeremy Horn too, as were the prelims between Brazilians,” says Batarelli. But if Batarelli hit the nail on the head with the Brazilian first-timers he stuck on the card, then-UFC matchmaker John Peretti did a fine job of his own, as Pedro Rizzo recounts: “At the time I was living at Marco Ruas’s place in the United States and had some wins at the IVC under my belt. Marco taught in Beverly Hills, where Mark Kerr and Bas Rutten used to train and where Peretti was always around. Peretti knew me from there, and he’s the one who first contacted me to participate at UFC Brazil.”

According to Batarelli, one of the promotion’s concerns was security – images of the pandemonium in the stands at Pentagon Combat one year earlier had made it around the world, despite it taking place one year earlier and in a different city. “They wanted lots of security and the works, and I told them I’d show them we could control everything no problem, that if the fights were good and went according to schedule, we’d have no problem,” remembers the promoter. “And we did, and there wasn’t even a divider separating the crowd from the octagon; everything went smoothly. The only threat was when Wanderlei was knocked out and [José] Pelé invaded the octagon. Things got a little tense, but I personally went to talk to Pelé and Rudimar [Fedrigo], and everything cooled down.”

Following the preliminaries with César Marsucci and Túlio Palhares, who overcame Paulo and Adriano Santos, respectively, it was Ebenézer Braga who kicked off the main card, facing Jeremy Horn. Ebenézer had a respectable 16w-3l record and was making his UFC debut. His opponent, Jeremy Horn, at the time already exhibited the tendency that makes him one of the sport’s most prolific athletes (then holding a record of 12w, 3l, 3d; today he has a ludicrous 112 fights to his name at just 33 years of age).

Horn made his UFC debut losing to Frank Shamrock, the middleweight champion, and although he’s shown himself to be an extremely confident fighter throughout his career, he left the Brazilian octagon with his second loss in a row in the UFC. Ebenézer scored a takedown three minutes into the fight. Horn defended and replied in kind with a double-leg. But he left his neck exposed and the Brazilian made a meal of it – a guillotine with 3:28 minutes on the clock. Besides it being a stellar display from Ebenézer, the fight warmed the crowd up for another Brazilian-American showdown to come later in the card.

In the heavyweight bout, Pete Williams went on the attack but was unable to bring a definitive finish to the fight.

TK pursues the belt

As announced by the UFC Brazil commentators, Randy “The Natural” Couture decided not to defend his heavyweight title, leaving the post vacant. This opened the way for Pete Williams and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka to face off in the octagon for the belt. Unfortunately, the 15-minute fight went by without much of anything going on. TK spent a good chunk of the time trying to sink a kimura, but to no avail. Williams did manage to make it to mount and, near the end, land a high kick that wobbled the Japanese fighter – too little too late, though, and the outcome was left in the hands of the judges, who awarded the unanimous decision win to the Asian fighter.

The very first lightweight champion

If the previous fight didn’t get a rise out of the crowd, how about the second one? After beating Eugênio Tadeu in his octagon debut, Mikey Burnett was set up to fight for the title of the first-ever lightweight champion (a weight division equivalent to the welterweight division of today) against Pat Miletich, already a legend at the time, making his 24th professional appearance. Burnett did try to get things moving in the match but Miletich spent a good part of 21 minutes pulling on his shorts. Burnett managed to land a few takedowns, to which Miletich responded by using his commendable guard not to take any damage.

The fight over, Miletich took a controversial unanimous decision and the belt with it. Burnett would next fight at UFC 18, in 1999, and then take an extended hiatus, only to return to MMA in the fourth season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show.

Rizzo takes on the barroom brawler

Returning some of the crowd’s cheer, Pedro Rizzo vs. David “Tank” Abbott was a barn burner. Not only did it mark a Brazilian’s octagon debut but it put a bona fide MMA icon on the Ultimate Brazil stage. Rizzo recalls the events that make up one of the most memorable nights of his career. “There’s always a lot of pressure when you fight in Brazil, regardless of how they say it’s great to fight at home,” says the Rio de Janeiro native. “It was all nuts. First Royce had that marvelous campaign of his; then Marco Ruas came in and started winning everything; Vitor also came in winning everything, but no one ever imagined there would be a UFC here. And nobody really believed it when they said there would be one, even though the promotion wasn’t as big as it is today. MMA was at a standstill.”

Tank Abbott and Rizzo trading blows

The match was made and Rizzo went to work training to take on the famed street fighter. “I think everyone thought he was going to knock me out,” says Rizzo. “He’s a brawler, but he’s not technical. He weighed 150kg and hit hard – if you watch UFC 6, he got two horrifying knockouts [on John Matua and Paul Varelans] that crumpled the guys. He hit really hard, that’s what garnered him respect. He was never a great fighter, he was always a barroom brawler; but at the time not a lot of people did MMA, and the crowd ate it up. UFC fights lasted one 12-minute round with three minutes of overtime. So I decided I had to move around a lot in front of the fatty. So I started kicking his legs, and he started wearing out. Then I started using my hands till the knockout came around.” Alas, the final combination of strikes was so violent that, besides putting the American’s lights out at 8:07 minutes, it caused him to drop MMA for pro wrestling, only returning five years later.

Knocked out, sure. Sober, no way!

Anyone who thinks a brutal thrashing means the end of a fighter’s night, doesn’t know Tank Abbott. Queried as to the most peculiar stories to come out of UFC Brazil, Sergio Batarelli doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to his favorite. “After the event, there was Tank at a watering hole on Augusta Road guzzling beer, his face all messed up, and surrounded by ugly women,” remembers the promoter.

The day Wand didn’t debut

“It was a really sad night,” is the simple and sincere synthesis of that October 16 evening, according to Rudimar Fedrigo, the leader of team Chute Boxe. Despite the fame the young Vitor Belfort enjoyed at the time, Chute Boxe was taken by surprise with the knockout suffered by Wanderlei, who had already begun to show the qualities that would make him a legend of the sport.

“Everyone including me thought Wanderlei would win by knockout,” says Batarelli. “But the great part of the sport happened – prognostics don’t count, getting your fist in there first does. Vitor dished out a deadly and perfect combination and shut up a lot of people. Wanderlei was knocking everybody out in the IVC, even the foreigners, and the owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship himself felt he’d win. If Vitor had lost, perhaps his purse price would have gone down some.”

Curiously, Belfort almost didn’t make it to the octagon for one of his greatest performances. “Before the event began, the owner of the UFC came to me and said he was having problems with Vitor, who was saying he wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to fight,” recalls Batarelli. “I went to speak with Carlson [Gracie] and Vitor’s mom, and after a slightly stressful situation he calmed down and got in the octagon for a brilliant and stunning performance.”

This time on the wrong side of a brutal knockout, Wanderlei succumbed to his aggressor after just 44 seconds of fighting. To the man who silenced the gymnasium – and dropped weight divisions two fights later after being knocked out by Randy Couture –, there’s only one explanation for such an historic knockout. “Training a lot and fighting,” said Belfort in summary.

Everyone knows the giant Wanderlei would become in the years that followed, but one can imagine how that night, still unknowing of the idol he would later become in Japan, was no small frustration for Wand. “What bugged Wanderlei wasn’t that he lost but that he didn’t get to do anything, that he didn’t get to show his potential,” says Rudimar, the partner who consoled Wand on the bus Chute Boxe rented to take them back to Curitiba.

Shamrock and revenge

Wrapping up the event, Frank Shamrock would defend his middleweight belt against another UFC first-timer – John Lober, who happened to have beat him at Super Brawl 3, in January 1997. But this time the story went differently. Lober spent a good while in the uncomfortable position of having to defend his neck from a guillotine. Unable to finish, Shamrock opted to stand and brutalize his opponent by hacking at his legs with kicks. Now Lober’s attempt to return in kind didn’t turn out so well, as he took a straight right to the face that laid him out on the canvas. Again on his feet, Shamrock dropped Lober for the last time with knees, and this time he followed him to the ground to finish the business – taking a ground-and-pound onslaught against the fencing, Lober gave up at 7:40 minutes. Shamrock kept his belt.

Forgotten octagon

“Something interesting that happened is that they left the octagon at a storage facility at Santos Port,” says Batarelli. “A few years later they called me asking what I wanted to do with it. I didn’t even know; it was all rotten, so I left it there.” From the look of it the UFC didn’t leave its traditional stage there with the intention of returning. It’s a good thing they changed their minds.

Anderson, Rizzo and Nogueira on joyous day in Manquinhos / Photo: publicity

The future champions at heavyweight fighter Pedro Rizzo’s charity project played host to some illustrious visitors on Wednesday the 18th. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and superstar Rodrigo Minotauro met the young participants at the Usina dos Campeões (Champions Factory) project, the brainchild of Rizzo in partnership with Refinaria de Manguinhos.

“I was truly touched by Pedro’s project; he is to be congratulated,” said Anderson Silva in praise. “The kids all came over to hug me and it made me feel really happy. Us athletes should feel obligated to support such initiatives. Again, congratulations to Pedro and the board of directors at Refinaria de Manguinhos.”

Inspired by judoka Flávio Canto’s Instituto Reação, the project benefits 23 communities in the Manguinhos region of Rio de Janeiro. Muay Thai, judo, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and capoeira classes are all offered – all overseen by Pedro Rizzo. All 500 berths in the project were filled up in just three days, but soon more spots will be provided.

“I was blown away by the scale of the effort when I got here,” said Rodrigo Minotauro. “I met a lot of people with great intentions and great projects to do with fighting, but this initiative here will surely yield huge results for society and sport down the road.”

Anderson Silva and Rodrigo Minotauro will star at UFC Rio on August 27 in Rio de Janeiro city. “The Spider” will put his belt up for grabs against Japan’s Yushin Okami, while Minotauro will face the USA’s Brendan Schaub.

Glover and Feijão went to check out the project for themselves, too.

Rizzo was applauded by the children, who also celebrated the presence of UFC champion José Aldo. Other well-known faces from the fight world were also there, like Rafael Feijão, Antoine Jaoude and André Pederneiras, among others.

Check it all out in the videos and photos below:

Rizzo with Anderson nos treinos abertos do UFC. Foto: Carlos Ozório.

Pedro Rizzo will be taking what he likes and knows best to those who perhaps would never have the opportunity. In a conversation with GRACIEMAG.com the fighter comments on his latest innovative project, in Rio de Janeiro.

How did this opportunity come about?

It’s a benefit project I’m doing in conjunction with Manguinhos Refinery called Usina de Campeõs (“Champion’s Factory,” loosely translated) and operates in Usina da Cidadania, a highly decorated effort they started ten years ago. I always dreamed of doing something like this. We got in touch earlier and now it went through. The idea is to provide new opportunities by way of the martial arts – something other athletes are doing, like UFC champions José Aldo and Anderson Silva. We have Jiu-Jitsu, muay thai, wrestling, and judo. The first three make up the base of MMA. Now judo is the martial art that earned Brazil the most medals at the Olympics and at competitions of the type. Among other things, it’s meant to guide the youths’ energy and produce a sense of responsibility and respect for others. The official inauguration is this Thursday at 1 pm. The address is Avenida Brasil 31/41 (Parti).

Is it true that demand has already exceeded expectations?

There’s been great demand. There are twenty-seven needy communities around here and in two days the sign-up ceiling had been reached. Five hundred are registered and 300 are on the waiting list. We’re even thinking of expanding the project. It’s for kids between 7 and 17 years of age, and class is held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Changing subject, you have been appearing constantly as coach and corner to some of Brazilian MMA’s biggest names. Are you considering pursuing this direction.

I was already doing that on our team, but it was never that big. We all help each other. For example, I help Glover Teixeira and he helps me. Now, with Anderson Silva it became more evident. I feel it’s the natural route. We fight, gain experience, and then it becomes a reality. Any friend of mine who’d like some help, I’m there. But I still want to fight, at least for another three years or so. I’m 36 now and I want to fight till I’m 39 or 40. I still have a lot of fight left in me, but I feel being a trainer is a natural progression.

Have you got a fight coming up?

Nothing’s set in stone, but I should fight in June or July. But if something comes up first, I’m in. It will be very welcome, since it’s in the ring that I’m happiest.

Rizzo com mestre Yoshizo Machida na academia do karateca em Belém. Foto: Marcelo Dunlop.

Pedro Augusto Rizzo (19w, 9l) is excited about his upcoming fight with Tim Sylvia (27w, 6l), which should take place in early 2011. There are a number of reasons. First, because the fight was postponed by War on the Mainland’s promoters twice. Second, because of the challenge of facing a striker of the caliber of Tim Sylvia, a former UFC champion now thirty-four years of age. The third reason he, himself, explains:

“Dana White mentioned that the winner should get another chance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship,” said Pedro Rizzo, 36, in a laid back conversation with GRACIEMAG.com, in the North Brazilian city of Belém, where he is training with Glover Teixeira, Lyoto and family until November 6.

“Another good reason for me to do a good job of preparing, if just because Tim is two meters tall and has great reach, and that means I have to change my way of fighting. I can’t stand still, I’ll have to move around the whole time,” reflected the Marco Ruas student.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5pVadS1t_c

“As the date hasn’t been set, it’s just a verbal agreement, so I’m getting back to light training. But I want to have a good performance. Who knows? Maybe I’ll manage a return to the UFC. I feel really comfortable fighting in that Octagon. I feel leaving there was the biggest mistake of my career, my great regret,” he said.

“I left on my own volition (end of 2003), but at that time I felt stagnant and the big heavyweight challenges were in Japan. I always went after the toughest matches, so I had to face the guys in Pride. What to do? It didn’t work out. But today, with Cain Velasquez as champion, the UFC is really well represented. I feel Cain could even take out Fedor Emelianenko,” he said in assessment.

Lyoto's crew in Belém after Saturday training. Photo: Publicity.

Following a two-week stint in California training with Cain Velasquez, the new UFC heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida returned home to Belém do Pará in Brazil, where he is surrounded by hard-hitting training partners.

Along with his father, Yoshizo, and brother Chinzo, the former UFC champion is now training with Glover Teixeira, Pedro Rizzo and boxing coach Ulisses Pereira at Machida academy.

The Lyoto-Quinton “Rampage” Jackson matchup is set for November 20.

“They will stay until November 7. On the 15th I’ll head to the USA,” relates Machida.

Between one punch-packed training session and another (like yesterday, for example), Lyoto, Rizzo, and Glover work on strength and explosiveness.

Still unable to return to fighting in the U.S. because of his visa, Glover Teixeira will fight for the MFC belt November in Canada against Ryan Jimmo, while Rizzo is set to face Tim Sylvia in February 2011.

“I returned to training two weeks ago,” says Rizzo.

Barnett in fight at Pride FC. Photo: Susumu Nagao

Strikeforce has been shoveling big money into signings and officially announced another top fighter for its roster. Josh Barnett is the latest big name to join the heavyweight ranks and stir up a division that has Alistair Overeem as its champion, and Fedor Emelianenko, Fabrício Werdum and Antonio Pezão, among others, on his tailcoats.

At thirty-two years of age, Barnett carries a lot of experience with him. He was the youngest UFC champion at twenty-four, and has a technical knockout win over Randy Couture on his résumé. Also notable are his wins over the likes of Rodrigo Minotauro, Semmy Schilt, Mark Hunt, Gilbert Yvel and Pedro Rizzo, among others.

“Strikeforce is home to the best heavyweights in the world and I’m proud to call it my home now, too,” said Josh in jubilation.

“I’m anxious to compete with the best fighters in the world and to get another world title,” says the fighter riding a six-fight win streak.

The date for his Strikeforce debut has yet to be announced. Check back with GRACIEMAG.com for more news

Ruas is featured on Brazil’s Sensei Sportv TV program this Saturday, where he affirms: “I’ll never train fighters again.”

On the program the champion of UFC 7 recalls, explains and laments the split-up that took place in Team Ruas Vale-Tudo.

It’s old news, but one that still draws attention, from the look of it. Aloisio Dado, Pedro Rizzo and other stalwart fighters polished by Marco Ruas give their versions on what happened to make the team leader give up on training professional fighters.

Renato Babalu, Alexandre Cacareco, brothers Aloisio Dado and Alexandre Baixinho, and Gustavo Ximu switched teams, and RVT lost valuable and numerous members of its cast.

Pedro Rizzo stuck firm with the team, explained his position and evaluated his former partners’ stance: “Each individual has his own take on what is right or wrong, and they did what they felt was right and good for them on that occasion.” Marco Ruas reveals that his greatest professional dream these days is to see Rizzo back in the UFC.

Ruas also stated that he will never again fight for money or a belt. But he would make an exception for Rickson Gracie: “I don’t have what it takes to fight for a belt anymore, but one farewell fight against Rickson Gracie I’d do, to put all the talk to rest once and for all,” says Ruas in provocation, now 49 years old and just having become a grandfather.

Matt Horwich. Photo: Publicity

The inaugural War on the Mainland event this Saturday in Irvine, California, featured a title fight right off the bat.

In the battle for the belt between former UFC fighter Thales Leites and former champion of the now-defunct IFL event Matt Horwich, the André Pederneiras student dominated the first three rounds and looked to be on his way to winning when the American turned things around in the fourth round when a standup exchange ended with Horwich taking the fight to the ground and quickly latching a rear-naked choke on the unwary Thales, who tapped out at the 44-second mark.

In a bout between ex-UFC fighters, Paul Buentello took on former champion Tim Sylvia in a great fight. The “Mainiac” showed his boxing and came up with the knockout with a second-round uppercut. Now the winner is tipped to face another former UFC fighter, Pedro Rizzo.

Jiu-Jitsu coach to Strikeforce beasts Cris and Evangelista Cyborg, Cleber Luciano imposed his slick ground game on Todd Willingham coming up with a rear-naked choke in the second round. Now Gustavo Ximu had his work cut out for him, but eked out a split decision win.

Check out the complete results:

War on the Mainland
Irvine, California
Saturday August 14, 2010

Tim Sylvia knocked out Paul Buentello in R2
Matt Horwich submitted Thales Leites via rear-naked choke in R4
Tony Lopez knocked out Jason Lambert
Diego Garijo submitted Jens Pulver via guillotine
Terry Martin defeated Jorge Ortiz via split decision
Gustavo Ximu defeated Rick Reeves via split decision
Erin Beach defeated João Silva via unanimous decision
Cleber Luciano submitted Todd Willingham via rear-naked choke in R2
A.J. Mathews defeated Sean Choice via technical knockout

(Collaborator: Junior Samurai)

Rizzo against Jeff Monson. Photo: Carlos Ozório

Pedro Rizzo notched his third win in a row by knocking out Ken Shamrock at Impact FC, in Australia. More than the joy of winning, what Rizzo feels is satisfaction for being able to fight more regularly. Ring rust had been putting a damper on the performances of the fighter, who should make his next appearance in October. Rizzo had the following chat with GRACIEMAG.com:

The knockout came just 3:33 min into the fight. Did you expect it to come so quickly?
I was indeed expecting to win in the first round. I saw Shamrock’s recent fights, and he didn’t look so good.

You always complained you suffered ring rust for going so long without a fight. Is that improving?
I think I can fight even better. I was still kind of slow and heavy. I still need to lose a bit of wait to be lighter and quicker. But, for sure, I’ve evolved since the fight against Gary Goodridge and the one with Jeff Monson against Gary Goodridge. I improve my pace with every fight and I think in the next one I’ll be in my ideal state. I have no injuries and I really think the series of fights is helping me to fight better. I’ll repeat, I wasn’t 100% and in my next one, probably in October, I’ll be better.

Photo: Carlos Ozório

What event will you fight in in October?
I’m looking at two, but I’m still finalizing that. I’ll let you know when all the pieces are in place. But I think in October I’ll be at the high level I want to be at to compete with anyone. I’m stoked to be fighting constantly and I’m going to take it fight by fight. We’ll see what happens.

Was the strategy against Ken really to fight standing, the way it actually happened?
They asked me what I expected from Shamrock and I answered that I didn’t know what to expect from him. I saw him trying to strike in recent fight and knew I could defend his takedowns well, but I didn’t know what he was going to try. I just felt out the fight and, when I noticed he really did want to fight standing, I let it rip. I noticed he felt my leg kicks, so I went for the finish. So long as what you do hurts him, you keep doing it.

Rizzo in photo by Susumo Nagao

Pedro Rizzo didn’t give veteran Ken Shamrock a chance at Impact FC this Saturday in Sydney, Australia, where beasts like Paulo Filho, Paul Daley, Glover Teixeira and Murilo Bustamante also were in action.

Check out Rizzo’s performance below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMTKQ64CpGM