Packed with suspense, Saturday night’s event  in Espirito Santo is promising. But make no mistake: the eyes of the MMA world are, today, on the Damm family.

One of the toughest pairs of siblings in Jiu-Jitsu, Rodrigo (8w, 3l) and Carina (14w, 3l) were taken as two major international promises. They made it onto the international stage, but are now at a standstill. Wallid Ismail’s jungle, set on the open beach of Vila Velha, may be the perfect setting to breathe new life into the career of the Damms.

That’s what Rodrigo is banking on, one of the most well-rounded 70kg fighters in Brazil, who hopes to shake the memory of his back-to-back losses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRqA7pR-KM

GRACIEMAG.com: Since your days as a submission grappler, you impressed for your constant movement and incessant arm attacks. Is everything up to speed?

Yes, everything. I trained a lot for this fight, not only Jiu-Jitsu but wrestling and boxing, lots of boxing, which I honed at Minotauro’s gym with the whole team. I respect Ivan Pitbull; I know he’s a really tough Peruvian athlete, but I want to win. Of course fighting is unpredictable, but I’m going to win.

You spent three years undefeated and were considered one of the best fighters up to 70kg. Is the goal to win and pick up your international career where you left off?

Yes, but first I need to win this fight against a tough opponent. I made some good fights out there, a nice win over Ryan Bow, at Bodog Vancouver in 2007, but losses occur. And defeat is defeat, no excuses. There was a fight I had where I fought 15 days after an operation on my appendix, and wanted to test myself even without having training. So now I need to train and put on a show for my friends and family.

When you want to have fun what do you prefer,  beach or forest?

I love the beach, but I also spend my vacation time at the farm in Linhares, at my uncle’s house. So I feel at home anywhere where I’m with friends. For this fight on the beach in Vila Velha, not only will the fans be in my favor, but also the climate, temperature, all in my favor. But I need to be well and show my game.

Dubbed “The beautiful beast” by the international press, your sister Carina is unbeaten in four years. Do you see Jungle as an ideal launching pad for her career as well?

She now signed with Bellator six fights and will certainly do well over there. She’d been doing well in international scene, but happened to get caught for banned substances, so she’ll need to be patient. She took a year off, complied with the punishment and now she’s going to shine with the stars again.Jungle Fight 17
Praia da Costa, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo
Saturday, February 27

Luciano Gadi vs Rogério Bezerra (kickboxing)
Marcelo Guimarães vs Gilmar de Andrade
Roy Parete vs Edilberto Crocotá
Renan Barão vs Sergio Bomba
Carina Damm vs Aline Sério
Erick Silva vs Igor Tokaryuk
Gerônimo Mondragon vs Edson Conterrâneo
Ivan Pitbull vs Rodrigo Damm
Luciano Olho de Tigre vs Oscar Bruno Fuchs (boxing)

“Roy has been training with us at X-Gym for some time. We expect a great bout and hope for a knockout,” says Josuel Distak, the coach responsible for the Israeli’s boxing.

Coming off four wins, the last being over the experienced Fabricio Monteiro for the WFE belt, Crocota will look to be aggressive despite knowing little about his adversary.

The one who guarantees it is Boxing coach Luiz Carlos Dorea: “We don’t have much information about the athlete, but we know he trains on Anderson Silva’s team and that he’s tough. Crocota is an experienced athlete who is dedicated and trains a lot. Regardless of whether it’s on the ground or standing, we’re prepared to put on a show,” remarked Dorea.

Set to participate in the event’s female fight, Carina Damm awaits a response from Claudia Gadelha regarding a possible confrontation. “She said she’d face me in the under-55kg division. Well now I’m at 55, so I hope she doesn’t come up with another excuse,” Carina says in provocation. Beyond the MMA fights on the card, Jungle Fight Vila Velha will have a 75-kg division low-kick kickboxing title dispute between Luciano Gadi and Rogerio Bezerra.

Wallid Ismail made the most of his chat with GRACIEMAG.com to announce the next Jungle Fight event, set for March 20. “We’re already putting together the card for next issue. We’re not playing around.”

Updated card:

Renan Barão (66 kg – Kimura Nova União) vs Alex Nacfur (Constrictor Team)
Ivan Pitbull (70 kg – Peru) vs Rodrigo Damm (70 kg – Minotauro Team)
Gerônimo Mondragon (+93 kg – Bulldog Team) vs Edson Conterrâneo
Roy Parete (77 kg – X-Gym/Israel) vs Edilberto Crocotá (Luiz Dorea/Champion)
Yosdenis Cesdeno (66 kg – MMA Masters USA) vs To be announced
Carina Damm (55 kg- Minotauro Team) vs To be announced
Alexandre Almeida (66 kg – Asle Amazonas) vs To be announced
Erick Silva (77 kg – Minotauro Team) vs To be announced

Rodrigo Damm. Foto: Susumu Nagao

Após revelar o primeiro combate de MMA da edição capixaba do Jungle Fight, entre os atletas Renan Barão e Alex Nacfur, Wallid Ismail revela em primeira mão mais duas lutas. Gerônimo Mondragon enfrenta Edson Conterrâneo na categoria dos pesos pesados. Já entre os leves, o empresário e ex-lutador anuncia o peruano Ivan Pitbull contra o atleta local Rodrigo Damm. O Jungle Fight Championship desembarca na cidade de Vila Velha, no dia 27 de fevereiro.   

 “Até o final da outra semana já espero ter o card fechado. Estamos negociando e, com certeza, vão ter grandes combates. Os lutadores sabem que o que importa é lutar bem. Assim, voltam para o Jungle,” fala o faixa-preta de Carlson Gracie. 

Além disso, o Jungle Fight Vila Velha terá uma disputa de título brasileiro de Kickboxing. Será na categoria 75 kg, entre os atletas Luciano Gadi e Rogerio Bezerra. Gadi é natural de Vila Velha e deve contar com o apoio do público local, enquanto Bezerra é de Maringá (PR), e tem no currículo os títulos da Taça Nacional Paulo Zorello e do Sul-Americano, entre outros. 

Confira os nomes confirmados pela organização do evento: 

Jungle Fight 16

27 de fevereiro de 2010

Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brasil

Renan Barão (66 kg – Kimura Nova União) X Alex Nacfur (Constrictor Team)

Ivan Pitbull (70 kg – Peru) X Rodrigo Damm (70 kg – Minotauro Team)

Gerônimo Mondragon (+93 kg – Bulldog Team Brasil) X Edson Conterrâneo

Yosdenis Cesdeno (66 kg – MMA Masters USA)

Roy Parete (77 kg – X-Gym/Israel)

Antony Rea (93 kg – França)

Carina Damm (55 kg- Minotauro Team)

Alexandre Almeida (66 kg – Asle Amazonas)

Erick Silva (77 kg – Minotauro Team)