Photo: Divulgation

At a meeting held at the Brazilian Embassy in Ireland, professor Henrique Saraiva, counselor César Leite, and ambassador Marcelo Biato signed a partnership to support projects involving Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the European country.

Saraiva, a Jiu-Jitsu teacher based in the capital Dublin for six years, is one of the most active promoters of the sport in Ireland, through his academy, his social projects in schools, and sports competitions he holds.

At the Embassy meeting, the theme was the development of Jiu-Jitsu in Ireland and the rest of the planet in recent years. With the number of teachers that Brazil has exported to the world, the increase in the number of gyms, practitioners, and championships, the martial art has been an important diffuser of Brazilian culture.

The Brazilian community in Ireland today is estimated at 70,000 Brazilians and the Embassy has supported projects that consistently contribute to building solid bridges between Brazilian and Irish cultures. Jiu-Jitsu, like the rest of the world, has established itself as an excellent integration tool in the Brazilian community.

As the son of Orlando Saraiva, a red belt who started in the sport thanks to a social project, Professor Henrique is well aware of the importance of everyone’s support for the sport to put down its roots:

“Everything still seems like a dream, and it’s at the very beginning, but we are working hard to make it come true”, comments Henrique Saraiva.

Vitor Belfort in a classic moment with Master Carlson Gracie / Picture from book “Filho teu não foge à luta” by Fellipe Awi

By Mauro Ellovitch

Most Brazilians identify Rocky Balboa as being “the fighter who gets pounded on the whole fight but wins in the end.” That’s the most commercial image of the character played by Sylvester Stallone, derived from the sequels Rocky 2, 3 and, mainly, 4 – where Balboa overcomes Herculean Russian Ivan Drago right in the middle of the Soviet Union. When we think MMA, it’s none to rare that we classify Rodrigo Minotauro as the “Brazilian Rocky Balboa” because of his durability and incredible come-from-behind wins.

Not a lot of people remember how the character from the original Rocky film (the won that won the Oscar for best movie in 1977) wasn’t that almost superhuman American hero. Truth is, the Rocky from the first movie was a major underdog. With a spotty career, he is relegated to second tier fights and is considered run-of-the-mill by his neighbors, friends and even his own coach. When world champion Apollo Creed’s opponent gets injured during the lead-up to a title fight, without time enough left for another top contender to get ready, Creed decides to give a local fighter a chance to save the event. Rocky is chosen because of his nickname, “The Italian Stallion”, which Apollo feels carries commercial appeal.

Even though he’s aware he doesn’t stand a chance, Balboa accepts the challenge just to prove that everyone who underestimated him was wrong, that he could hold out and keep his feet till the final bell. When it’s all over, Rocky loses on points but is ballyhooed for his performance and backed by the woman he loves (“Adriaaaan!”).

During this week preceding UFC 152, Vitor Belfort’s the one most reminiscent of Rocky Balboa.

Unlike the character in the movies, Vitor never did hit rock bottom. However, because of his inconsistent performances, he’s never been seen as a hands-down favorite by fans, and is always  being underestimated. Vitor had a meteoric rise as his career began, winning a UFC title at just 19 years of age and earning the moniker “The Phenom.”

From there on out he oscillated between impressive wins against great fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland, Heath Herring and Rich Franklin, and apathetic losses to Randy Couture, Kazushi Sakuraba, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

Add to that the unfounded naysaying so common among fans, especially Brazilian ones: calling him “playboy”, saying he’s too hung up on appearing in the media, alleging that he wastes too much time on his famous wife. The one that was went to far was calling him “coward” because he broke his hand in the lead-up to his fight with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147, supposedly to duck the fight. What a crock.

Personally, I’ve never been a big Belfort fan, perhaps because I can’t identify with the excessive political correctness of his banter. But I feel it’s regretful to overlook a fighter as skilled as Vitor is.

Now Belfort has shut the mouths of his detractors by agreeing to face dreaded champion Jon Jones in the weight class above the one where he has been competing. When previous challenger Dan Henderson was struck with injury in the days preceding the big fight and no top contenders agreed to step in to fight the champ with less than a month to prepare, the “underdog” Belfort took up the challenge. Life imitating art.

Clearly, Belfort hasn’t much to lose in this encounter with Jon Jones. If he loses, he faced one of the most dominant champions of recent years at a weight class above his and did the owners of the UFC a favor. If he wins, he sends shockwaves around the world and makes history.

Honestly, the thing I want most out of this fight, win or lose, is for Vitor to make it a tough, impressive fight. Hit hard, get hit, and prove that he shouldn’t be underestimated. I want to see Vitor Belfort standing when the final bell sounds, with the crowd roaring and him screaming his beloved’s name.

More than ever, Belfort needs to model himself on the original Rocky Balboa. That character who only returned in the sixth film (“Rocky Balboa”, 2006), older, again underestimated and the underdog, and who taught his son the following lesson:

“Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aACN03zzWoo

Werdum at pre-UFC 147 open training session in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: the MMA star has made his mark at Jiu-Jitsu World Championships. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images/Publicity

Paraphrasing a famous poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902-1987), the Brazilian writer paid tribute this week at the Paraty Literary Festival, Jiu-Jitsu is a great sport because Fabricio faced Tererê who faced Marcelo Garcia who faced Roger who faced Demian who faced Napão who faced Pé de Pano who faced Werdum.

The proving ground that is Jiu-Jitsu, where to be a monster you have to unseat a whole slew of monsters, is something that motivates athletes to be successful in MMA as well—as is the case with Fabrício.

Take a look back at this ultraheavyweight match from the 2004 World Championship between Werdum and a daring (and feisty) Fernando Tererê. It too was pure poetry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9yrBAVCQ74

Ecuador, a land of landscapes, simple and interesting people, and Jiu-Jitsu / Publicity photo

Find inspiration in the lessons and eyeful images from the Jiu-Jitsu trip championship-winning duo from team Alliance Gabi Garcia and Luanna Alzuguir took to Ecuador, and try to remember: what was the last place you and your Jiu-Jitsu partners visited to compete, teach or learn?

Let us know about your own travel and exchange of experience in the comments field below. That too is what Jiu-Jitsu is about.

Anderson in photo by Josh Hedges

“Fighting in the octagon is a metaphor for man’s struggle to affirm his place in the world, to survive, and to be loved,” says Brazilian movie director Henrique Goldman in an article on the front page of the culture section in today’s “O Globo” newspaper.

Now film producer Gláucia Camargos adds: “MMA is a way to climb the social ladder, like soccer. Underprivileged people can become champions.”

For these and other takes on MMA’s place in the world, the newspaper serves up an article by Mauro Ventura entitled “Cinema de luta” (“Fight Cinema”), which takes a look at dozens of movies, documentaries and works of fiction about MMA that have been produced or are planned for production. “MMA (…) has struck a chord with the Brazilian public and consequently with film makers,” says Ventura’s piece.

Among the full-length features mentioned is the award-winning documentary “Like Water”, about Anderson Silva; docudrama “Minotauro”, about Rodrigo Minotauro; “Os Gracie e o nascimento do vale-tudo” (The Gracies and the birth of MMA); the story of José Aldo (fiction); “Rinha”, about São Paulo’s gambling MMA underworld; “Dias de luta” (Fighting days), about MMA in Rios favelas; the life of Fábio Leão, who spent ten years in jail and found salvation through the martial arts; and Goldman’s own “O cara” (The Man), about a young fighter and an old master.

“It’s violence that saves people. They channel their energy through a healthy path,” says Eduardo Brand, director of “Dias de luta”.

The cultural interest in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA is not limited to the cinema. On the list of keynote speakers at Rio de Janeiro’s prestigious Casa do Saber, amid journalists, sociologists, actresses and psychoanalysts, the date November 4 is reserved for a guy with a law degree who knows the origins of the UFC like few do: its founder, Rorion Gracie.

Jiu-Jitsu night in Lebanon. In the photo: Al Abadi, Daniel Hilal, Rima Saade (from Brazilian embassy cultural sector), consular minister Roberto Gabriel Medeiros and purple belt.

On October 21, the Brazilian embassy in Lebanon promoted Brazilian night in the historic and touristic city of Byblos. The event featured capoeira, samba, and of course, Jiu-Jitsu demonstration.

The art was presented by purple belts Ali Al Abadi and Ghalia Smith.

Contact between the embassy and Jiu-Jitsu was made by Tareq Smith, Ghalia’s husband and an Aikido black belt. Tareq feels it is important that Jiu-Jitsu be represented, as it is an expression of the lifestyle of the Brazilian people.

“Brazil and Lebanon have a very close relationship, since the largest Lebanese colony is in Brazil. The Lebanese adore Brazil, so I feel it is extremely important that the embassy allow us to get to know the gentle art,” says Tareq.

Ghalia demonstrates armbar