Tanquinho na final do Mundial Sem Kimono de 2012. Foto: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

Campeão de tudo no Jiu-Jitsu (ADCC, Mundial com e sem kimono), o audaz Augusto “Tanquinho” abriu a caixa de ferramentas e enviou para a equipe GRACIEMAG duas posições para você fazer bonito nos treinos sem paletó.

Nos dojos do estado do Arizona, Tanquinho esmiuça seu estrangulamento que ele adaptou e usou na final do Mundial Sem Kimono 2012, no qual foi campeão após superar JT Torres.

Na sequência, o craque ensina como avançar sobre a meia-guarda do oponente, para finalizar na chave de pé.

Confira e bons estudos.

Tanquinho sofreu a lesão dias antes de sua estreia no UFC. Foto: Divulgação

O brasileiro Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes, campeão mundial de Jiu-Jitsu e também atleta de MMA, teve uma desagradável surpresa no treino de hoje, em preparação para sua estreia no UFC. O faixa-preta lesionou a costela e terá que ficar de fora do evento. As informações são do jornalista Guilherme Cruz, do MMA Fighting.

As informações indicam que Tanquinho ainda não assinou o contrato com o UFC, mas que terá nova chance na organização em um card futuro. Seu adversário, Charles Rosa, agora encara Kyle Bochniak.

Tanquinho estava com luta marcada pelo cinturão peso-galo do Legacy, contra o compatriota Ricardo “Carcacinha” Ramos, mas o chamado do UFC o fez abandonar a disputa do cinturão para tentar a sorte na maior organização de MMA do mundo.

Tanquinho fighting at Legacy FC. Photo: Mike Calimbas

Black belt world champion Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes confirmed to GRACIEMAG.com that he was called by the UFC to make his debut in the promotion this Sunday at UFC Fight Night 81, in Boston.

According to Mendes, who has a 5-0 record in MMA, the call came in Saturday evening, through his coach John Crouch: “He called to say the UFC had invited me to fight in one week. We talked a bit and decided to accept the challenge.”

After accepting the challenge, Tanquinho scrambled to get the paper work in order to make the debut possible: “I had to do a bunch of medical tests and send it over so I could sign the contract.”

Tanquinho was in the early stages of his camp for a title fight at Legacy FC, on Feb.5, against Ricardo Ramos, for the bantamweight belt.

That fight is now off, as Tanquinho confirmed: “I had a clause in my contract with Legacy, which stated that if the UFC ever called, I was free to go.”

Mendes said that the short notice changes his schedule a bit, but not much: “I was already on a diet, but now I had to really cut down to make the weight in one week, despite the new fight being in the featherweight division, 10lb heavier than what I needed to make for Legacy. I was already training three rounds and I was going to add two more rounds further down the road, so the difference is that now I have to get ready for a different opponent.”

Tanquinho’s opponent will be Charles Rosa (10-2), who was supposed to fight Jimy Hettes, out with a knee injury during training.

Mendes also said that he has spoken with his teammate and good friend, former lightweight champion Ben Henderson, who told him a little about the opponent: “Ben told me it’s a good match up. He said the guy has a good ground game, but can also strike.”

Tanquinho fighting at Legacy FC. Photo: Mike Calimbas

BJJ black belt Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes has the biggest challenge in his still young MMA career scheduled Feb. 5, 2016.

Legacy FC announced today that Tanquinho will be facing undefeated Ricardo Ramos (8-0) for the event’s bantamweight title.

The fight will be the main event of Legacy 51, in Hinkley, MN.

Tanquinho has a 5-0 professional MMA record, with four submissions and one TKO.

Tanquinho talked to GRACIEMAG.com about the fight: “Honestly, I was expecting for this title shot. They promised that to me two fights ago. now it’s here and I will be ready to bring that belt home.”

Mendes also talked a bit about Ramos: “I watched a few of his fights. He is a BJJ brown belt with good ground skills. He does not stall the fights and is very aggressive when standing. He is also pretty tall for the weight class. It’s going to be a great fight.”

Who are your favorites for the 2015 ADCC?

The 2015 ADCC is finally here.

Milton Vieira was the last athlete to be confirmed for the -77kg division.

With all the names laid out, we now can go about a brief analysis of each one of the seven weight categories.

Of course, as we still don’t know how the brackets will be drawn, there’s no way of knowing what’s going to be the path to gold medal for each of the athletes.

Therefore, we’re gonna take a look on the names and pick the most likely to be in the semifinals.

We will not pick the most likely finalists, once that is too much influenced by the setting of the brackets.

Here we go.

Male -66 kg

The absence of Rafael Mendes left the division wide open for anyone to challenge the reigning champion Rubens Cobrinha. Augusto Mendes, Gianni Grippo, Ed Cummings, Bruno Frazatto and Justin Rader are the strongest candidates to be in the semifinals alongside Cobrinha, who is the overall favorite.

Most probable semifinalists:Rubens Cobrinha, Gianni Grippo, Ed Cummings, Augusto Mendes

Can anyone dethrone Cobrinha?

1. Rubens Charles “Cobrinha” – Brazil (ADCC 2013 Winner)
2. Asadulaev Surkhay – Russia (1st European Trials Winner)
3. Nicolas Renier – France (2nd European Trials Winner)
4. Tezekbaev Rasul – Kyrgyzstan (1st Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
5. Yuto Hirao – Japan (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
6. Geovanny Martinez – USA (1st North American Trials Winner)
7. Edward Cummings – USA (2nd North American Trials Winner)
8. Renan Sancar Santos – Brazil (1st South American Trials Winner)
9. Gabriel Marangoni – Brazil (2nd South American Trials Winner)
10. Jeff Glover – USA (Invited)
11. Augusto Mendes – Brazil (Invited)
12. Justin Rader – USA (Invited)
13. Bruno Frazatto – Brazil (Invited)
14. Gianni Grippo – USA (Invited)
15. Mark Ramos – USA (Invited)
16. Alexandre Vieira – Brazil (Invited)

Male -77 kg

The absence of Kron Gracie makes things wide open in the division. The runner up in 2013, Otavio Sousa is a strong candidate for another final. Garry Tonon, a surprise in 2013, is now a consolidated talent who has all the tools to make a real run for the title. Lucas Lepri, Gilbert Burns, AJ Agazarm, Ben Henderson and Dillon Danis should also be looked at carefully.

Most probable semifinalists: Otavio Sousa, Garry Tonon, Gilbert Burns, AJ Agazarm

Without Kron, who will reign over the -77kg division?

1. Gamrot Mateusz – Poland (1st European Trials Winner)
2. Abdulkadirov Magomed – Russia (2nd European Trials Winner)
3. Lachlan Giles – Australia (1st Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
4. Young-am Noh – Korea (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
5. Enrico Cocco – USA (1st North American Trials Winner)
6. Vagner Rocha – USA (2nd North American Trials Winner)
7. Davi Ramos – Brazil (1st South American Trials Winner)
8. Gabriel Rollo – Brazil (2nd South American Trials Winner)
9. Garry Tonon – USA (Invited)
10. Otavio Sousa – Brazil (Invited)
11. Lucas Lepri – Brazil (Invited)
12. Ben Henderson – USA (Invited)
13. Dillon Danis – USA (Invited)
14. Gilbert Burns – Brazil (Invited)
15. AJ Agazarm – USA (Invited)
16. Milton Vieira – Brazil (Invited)

Male -88 kg

Barral is back to defend his title, as are Rafael Lovato Jr., Keenan Cornelius and Pablo Popovitch, the other three semifinalists in 2013. Two years later, they are still the top four contenders for the division. Claudio Calasans Jr. and Yuri Simões will fight hard to break into hat club.

Most probable semifinalists: Romulo Barral, Rafael Lovato Jr., Keenan Cornelius, Pablo Popovitch.

Will the same podium repeat itself in 2015?

1. Romulo Barral – Brazil (ADCC 2013 Winner)
2. Zbigniew Tyszka – Poland (1st European Trials Winner)
3. Jesse Urholin – Finland (2nd European Trials Winner)
4. Craig Jones – Australia (1st Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
5. Hidemi Mihara – Japan (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
6. Matthew Arroyo – USA (1st North American Trials Winner)
7. Mike Perez – USA (2nd North American Trials Winner)
8. Claudio Calasans – Brazil (1st South American Trials Winner)
9. Keenan Cornelius – USA (Invited)
10. Rustam Chsiev – Russia (Invited)
11. Pablo Popovich – USA (Invited)
12. Rafael Lovato Jr. – USA (Invited)
13. Ezra Lenon – USA (Invited)
14. Neiman Gracie – Brazil (Invited)
15. Yuri Simoes – Brazil (Invited)
16. Ricardo Ramos De Mesquita – Brazil (Invited)

Male -99 kg

João Assis is another champion defending his title. A quick look on the names in his division makes clear that he’ll have a tougher job than he had in 2013. Rodolfo Vieira, Alexandre Ribeiro, Felipe Pena, Tom DeBlass, Hector Lombard, Cassio Francis are some of the obstacles Assis will have to jump over to make it to the top of the podium one more time.

Most probable semifinalists: João Assis, Rodolfo Vieira, Alexandre Ribeiro, Felipe Pena

Can João make it to his second gold medal?

1. Joao Assis – Brazil (ADCC 2013 Winner)
2. Tomasz Narkun – Poland (1st European Trials Winner)
3. Kamil Uminski – Poland (2nd European Trials Winner)
4. Tobias Green – Australia (1st Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
5. Yukiyasu Ozawa – Japan (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
6. Tom DeBlass – USA (1st North American Trials Winner)
7. Jason Bukich – USA (2nd North American Trials Winner)
8. Roberto Alencar – Brazil (1st South American Trials Winner)
9. Cassio Francis Da Silva – Brazil (2nd South American Trials Winner)
10. Alexandre Ribeiro – Brazil (Invited)
11. Hector Lombard – USA (Invited)
12. Felipe Pena – Brazil (Invited)
13. Rodolfo Vieira – Brazil (Invited)
14. Jimmy Friedrich – USA (Invited)
15. Adam Sachnoff – USA (Invited)
16. Lukasz Michalec – Poland (Invited)

Male +99 kg

Another “championless” division, the +99kg is wide open with the absence of Marcus Buchecha. The 2013 runner up João Gabriel is one of the favorites for sure, but Bernardo Faria, Dean Lister, Vinny Magalhães, Rodrigo Cavaca, Gabriel Lucas and Orlando Sanchez will fight hard to make it to the top.

Most probable semifinalists: João Gabriel, Dean Lister, Bernardo Faria, Vinny Magalhães

Who will succeed Buchecha in the +99kg division?

1. Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen – Finland (2nd European Trials Winner)
2. Lee Hyoung Chul – Korea (1st Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
3. Hideki Sekine – Japan (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
4. Jason Lees – USA (1st North American Trials Winner)
5. Paul Ardila – USA (2nd North American Trials Winner)
6. Leonardo Nascimento Lucio – Brazil (1st South American Trials Winner)
7. Gabriel Lyrio Lucas – Brazil (2nd South American Trials Winner)
8. Rodrigo Cavaca – Brazil (Invited)
9. Joao Gabriel Rocha – Brazil (Invited)
10. Dean Lister – USA (Invited)
11. Vinny Magalhaes – Brazil (Invited)
12. Orlando Sanchez – USA (Invited)
13. Rodrigo Artilheiro – Brazil (Invited)
14. Bernardo Faria – Brazil (Invited)
15. Jeff Monson – USA (Invited)
16. Jared Dopp – USA (Invited)

Female -60 kg

Michelle Nicolini is back to defend her 2013 title. It will be a tougher task than two years ago, as new talents have emerged like Mackenzie Dern and Tammi Musumeci. Bia Mesquita is another big contender for one gold medal she still does not have.

Most probable semifinalists: Michelle Nicolini, Mackenzie Dern, Tammi Musumeci, Bia Mesquita

Will Michelle celebrate again?

1. Michelle Nicolini – Brazil (ADCC 2013 Winner)
2. Kethe Marie Elgesem Engen – Norway (European Trials Winner)
3. Rikako Yuasa – Japan (Asia & Oceania Trials Winner)
4. Tammi Musumeci – USA (North American Trials Winner)
5. Ana Michelle Tavares Dantas – Brazil (1st South American Trials Winner)
6. Mayra Mello Mazza – Brazil (2nd South American Trials Winner)
7. Mackenzie Dern – USA (Invited)
8. Beatriz Mesquita – Brazil (Invited)

Female +60 kg

Gabi Garcia is the favorite once again. Ana Laura Cordeiro, Fernanda Mazzelli and all the others will have to do wonders to take the third gold medal from Gabi’s hands.

Most probable semifinalists: Gabi Garcia, Ana Laura Cordeiro, Fernanda Mazzelli, Amanda Santana.

Can Gabi be stopped?

1. Gabrielle Garcia – Brazil (ADCC 2013 Winner)
2. Sophia Nordenö – Sweden (European Trials Winner)
3. Amanda Santana – USA (North American Trials Winner)
4. Fernanda Mazzelli Almeida Maio – Brazil (1st South American Trials Winner)
5. Jéssica Da Silva Oliveira – Brazil (2nd South American Trials Winner)
6. Marysia Malyjasiak – Poland (Invited)
7. Ana Laura Cordeiro – Brazil (Invited)
8. Alison Tremblay –  Canada (Invited)

Follow the best coverage of the 2015 ADCC right here at GRACIEMAG.com and also on our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Periscope (@graciemag).

A luta rolou na última sexta-feira, dia 14 de novembro, no Legacy 37. Tanquinho, campeão mundial de Jiu-Jitsu no peso-pena em 2013, atua no peso-galo do MMA e encarou Richard Delfin na segunda luta do evento.

Com muita pressão, Tanquinho chegou ao solo com Richard e não demorou muito para fazer o seu jogo. O faixa-preta pegou as costas, golpeou para abrir espaço, passou o braço e finalizou no mata-leão aos 49s do primeiro assalto.

Confira no vídeo abaixo a técnica de Tanquinho para apertar Delfin e chegar invicto em sua terceira vitória por finalização.

The couple Tanquinho and Mackenzie win at Copa Podio. Photo by Deive Coutinho

Tanquinho and Mackenzie, the number one Copa Podio couple, and winners of the 1st couple’s duel just agreed with the organization of the event on accepting new challengers for the title.

Couples of any nationality may apply to the challenge as long as at least one member of the team is a black belt.

In the upcoming days the organizers will divulge more details.

Recalling that, in the 1st couple’s challenge, Mackenzie managed to turn the score of 5 x 2, in the men’s match, to 5 x 8, the final result of the women’s fight.

Tanquinho afia o Jiu-Jitsu de Ben Henderson e treina MMA com a fera. Foto: Divulgação

Confirmado como novo atleta do Legacy, o faixa-preta campeão mundial de Jiu-Jitsu Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes já tem data e adversário definidos para o debute. As informações foram confirmadas hoje por GRACIEMAG com fontes ligadas ao evento.

Tanquinho faz sua estreia no Legacy 37, a ser realizado em Hoston, no Texas, dia 14 de novembro. Seu adversário será o também invicto Bruno Viana.

Tanquinho (2v, 0d) fez sua estreia como profissional em abril deste ano, no Duel for Domination, ao finalizar Xavier Ramirez no armlock. Antes, em dezembro de 2013, Tanquinho fez sua primeira luta de luvas ao lutar um combate amador e também finalizar, na ocasião com um triângulo de mão.  Em seu combate mais recente, ainda no Duel of Domination, venceu Omar Castro com um armlock. Com as vitórias, Tanquinho foi chamado para o Legacy FC.

Seu adversário, Bruno Viana (7v, 0d) vem invicto em sete combates, seis deles terminados no primeiro assalto. Bruno é faixa-marrom de Jiu-Jitsu e treina na Coliseum Team.

O combate entre Tanquinho e Viana será no card principal do evento, que tem na luta principal o combate entre os ex-UFC Leonard Garcia e Daniel Pineda.

E aí, leitor, o que achou do novo desafio de Tanquinho no MMA? Comente conosco!

Augusto Tanquinho parte para nova etapa no MMA. Foto: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

No último sábado, Tanquinho encarou Omar Castro no Duel For Domination 9, e venceu com um armlock no segundo assalto. Cinco dias após a conquista, Tanquinho anunciou que havia assinado com o Legacy FC um contrato de três lutas.

“Estou muito feliz. Eu sei que tenho que continuar treinando e trabalhando duro para aprimorar meu jogo e estar pronto para desafios ainda maiores”, disse Tanquinho ao GRACIEMAG.com.

Ele também falou de sua projeção na nova etapa, sem deixar de obviamente mirar no UFC: “Claro, eu penso nisso também, mas tudo ao seu tempo. O plano é chegar no UFC, mas antes eu tenho que fazer um bom trabalho no Legacy. Eu vou chegar lá no momento certo”.

Tanquinho, que treina no Arizona com o Ben Henderson, ex-campeão peso leve do UFC, espera estrear na organização em novembro. Ele ainda não tem adversário ou evento definidos para seu debute.

Mas e você, leitor, o que acha da chegada de Tanquinho ao Legacy, evento este conhecido por lançar atletas ao UFC? Comente conosco!

Diego Herzog ruled once again in San Jose, at the 6th American Cup

The city of San Jose must one of Diego Herzog’s favorite places in the world.

This Sunday, April 21, he won for the third time in a row the adult male black belt open class division of the 6th American Cup.

He defeated Yuri Simões 7-0 in the final.

The match was at full speed and Herzog built the score with two sweeps and a guarda pass in the end.

“I watched his matches and decided to pull guard. I am glad to have succeeded to kill his game,” said Herzog afterwords.

In the other two fights until the gold, He swept and then caught Elliot Kelly with a foot lock in the semifinal and choked Tryfon Stathopolos from inside his guard.

It was my third title here,” said Herzog, who also won in 2011 and 2012.

Other than the open class, the black belt division crowned the following fighters:

Oswaldo Moizinho won the featherweight. In only one fight, he caught Kyle Cometta in a foot lock for the gold.

Tanner Rice won the middleweight. In twon fights, he defeated local rival Nathan Mendelsohn in the semifinal by one advantage after a 2-2 tie in points. In the final, he caught Marcus Antelante in an armbar after pulling guard and locking a triangle.

Diogo Araujo caught Tryfon Stathopolos on a americana lock for the medium-heavy gold.

Yuri Simões won the super-heavyweight. He defeated Marcel Fortuna 2-0 with a sweep.

Also in one fight, Diego Herzog won the heavyweight. He defeated Elliot Kelly 5-4 in a close fight.

In the adult teams’ competition, the results were as follows:

Male
Ralph Gracie – 90pts
Coalition 95 – 59pts
Caio Terra BJJ – 48

Female
Ralph Gracie – 22pts
Marin MMA – 21pts
Coalition 95 – 16pts

Here is the video of the Open Class final between Diego Herzog and Yuri Simões

Here is the photo galeery of day 2 at the 6th American Cup

[flickr set=72157633301454816]

For the complete coverage, go to http://www.gplus.to/graciemag

American Cup this weekend, April 20-21

Today is the last day to regsiter for the 6th American Cup, to be held next weekend, in San Jose, California,.

Promoter Claudio França is preparing some great novelties for the participants.

You scan still enroll until 11:59PM (PDT) and the cost is $94 for kids divisions and $109 for juveniles, adults and master & Seniors.

The event will feature over 25 black belts, including the recent WPJJC champion, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes. He will also act as a referee.

IBJJF director Alvaro Mansor will also be in San Jose, first teaching a rules seminar od April 19 and then directing the refs at the event.

In the following exclusive interview, França talks about the welcome athletes and spectators will have once they arrive in San Jose. 

Don’t miss out and register for the event and the rules seminar now at americancupbjj.com

GracieMag: What are the new features for this next American Cup?

Claudio França: The big news for this sixth edition of the American Cup will be the Anerican Cup TV, which will be a live broadcast over the internet , on our website www.americancupbjj.com. There , you will find the link to watch the live broadcast . On the American Cup broadcast TV you will be able to watch fights , the tournament’s finals , the main black belt fights , and also interviews , clips , comments etc.. It’s not pay-per-view , it’s a live broadcast online for free . It will be on Saturday, and Sunday  April 20 & 21  , from 9am to 6pm and you can be anywhere in the world , that you can access the internet , and watch the American Cup live online broadscast for free! Other news about the American Cup is that , now , to give an even better experience for the public , we will have two televisions , one towards the mat and another one towards the public. So everybody will be able to follow the punctuation , the time  , the advantages and etc.

How many competitors the 6th American Cup has so far?

Last year we had over 1000 subscribers. This year we are growing . So far, we already surpassed the numbers from last year. I think that we have now around 1100/1200 competitors in our tournament. And from those 1200 competitors, around 400 are kids. So specially for kids, who do not have too many opportunities to compete in tournaments with an international level, this is a great opportunity . Our tournament will be one of the only opportunities in the year for kids to compete in a high level tournament .  There are kids coming from Russia, Europe, Brazil . We like to call the American Cup tournament  “Fun and fair” because it’s fun, but also fair, the kids compete in the same weight, the same age, the same belt. For parents and others,  as I said  before, it is probably one of the last opportunities of the year for the children, to compete in a  high level tournament , with a high level arbitration.

And how is the black belt division ?

The Black belt division is going very well. We have over 25 black belts competing , and I believe that there are more  coming. Among the best known black belt , we have Tanquinho, Nathan Mendelsohn,  Oswaldo Queixinho , Marcel Fortuna, Diego Herzog ,Yuri Simões, Tanner Rice, among others.

Where the event will be held?

The event will be held at Independence High which is a great gymnasium , and it is also ten minutes from San Jose’s airport. So for people who come from outside it’s a great opportunity to compete , since you’ll be ten minutes from the Tournament after arriving at San Jose’s airport. San Jose is one of the largest cities in the United States , you will find everything in San Jose , restaurants, hotels, malls, concerts … It is thirty minutes from the beach , you can come to Santa Cruz , which is one of the most beautiful coasts in the world. In San Jose , you will already be able to enjoy the California weather, this time of year the nights are comfortable.

Watch the American Cup teaser video.

6th American Cup Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Daniel Carettoni on Vimeo.

6th American Cup by Claudio França in San Jose on April 20-21

The 6th American Cup is approaching.

Scheduled for April 20-21, in San Jose, California, the Claudio França event is already a trademark in the gentle art calendar.

If you are thinking of competing there, know that you have until today, April 12, at 11:59PM (PST) to enroll with a big discount.

If you decide to do it, you will pay $75 for kids divisions and $90 for juveniles, adults and master & seniors divisions. If you miss the date, the final deadline for regular enrollment is Monday, April 15.

The 6th American Cup will be broadcasted live over the internet.

Don’t miss out on the chance to join some huge BJJ stars that already enrolled.

Household names such as Augusto Tanquinho, Oswaldo Queixinho, Tanner Rice, Diego Herzog, Nathan Mendelsohn, Marcus Antelante, Yuri Simoes, Marcel Fortuna, Diogo Araujo, among others, already signed up.

Besides the 6th American Cup, you can also register for Alvaro Mansor’s rules seminar, a great opportunity to learn from the IBJJF Referee Director.