Jamie Yager used his takedown skills to good effect. Photos: Mike Colón.

After its successful Samurai Pro Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament debut last Spring, Samurai Pro Sports held its first MMA show, The Samurai MMA Pro 2011, last Friday, October 21 at the Culver City Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, and it was a huge success.

The seven-bout fight card was an exciting one, with The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alumnus Jamie “The Chosyn 1” Yager, headlining the event and tearing up his opposition, Mozzy Arfa, in the cage. With Big John McCarthy referring their match, Jamie had some really nice takedowns but as the first round was ending, he knew he had to close out the fight. “He’s a tough guy,” he says of Mozzy, “I saw in his eyes that he thought he was going to make it to the second round and I had to stop that.”

Jamie had no intention of letting Mozzy get to the second round, so he took him down and began his ruthless ground and pound. “He went down… I got mount,” he says, “we rolled and I took his back and got the choke. He let go. He couldn’t hang on. He thought we were in the same class, but I outclassed him. I just listened to my corner and when I heard them yell to continue with the elbows, that’s what I did.”

Beginning of the end

Jamie says when he first came out of TUF, he was viewed as a striker only. He’s looking to change that perspective and wants to continue to showcase his ground work and his cardio. “I haven’t had one fight go the distance,” he says of his recent fights, “I subbed two opponents and tonight I got the TKO. I want to show the fans that I’m not one-dimensional.”

Jamie trains under Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA, and says it’s made all the difference in his game. “My hard work is paying off,” he says. He’s now looking to pick up some more fights, with the eventual goal of getting into the UFC. “Whatever opportunities come my way, I’m open to taking advantage of them,” he says, “I have my training camp dialed in and I’m doing it the right way. I believe in the system.”

A couple other fighters stood out on the fight card. Fernando Bettega of Kings MMA won the split decision in his match against Gareth Joseph. Gareth coincidentally fought on the Strikefore: Fedor vs Werdum card, but lost to Yancy Medeiros. Fernando also fought in Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu II, but lost in a split decision to Wayne Phillips. He was happy to have the fight against Gareth go his way.

The fight was well matched and the two had a war. “He is a tough guy,” Fernando says, “We were at the same level. I played my game. He didn’t give me the right moment to finish with a knockout or guillotine.” Fernando, who is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, says having his level of Jiu-Jitsu is not always an advantage. “When the punch comes, it changes everything,” he says. Fernando is now going to go back and train his wrestling and cardio more. “I feel so good,” he says, “I’m so relaxed when I’m in the cage. I’m mentally strong.”

Another Kings MMA fighter who really showcased his skills was Beneil Dariush, who also trains at Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Beneil took out his opponent, Dominic Gutierrez in a minute and a half with a rear-naked choke. “I punched and kneed him and then got in a good kick to the head,” Beneil says, “He went down, I got mount. Then we rolled and I took his back and got the choke.”

Beneil readies the fight-ending rear-naked choke.

Beneil wants to make a name for himself on the MMA circuit. He took out his last opponent on the ground in 45 seconds and this time he wanted to show off some of his stand up skills, which he did. “I was able to connect this time,” he says modestly.

Beneil, who is a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu, doesn’t know when his next fight will be, but he’s going to the No Gi Worlds in November. “I won my division last year as a brown belt,” he says, “I came in second in the absolute. I’d only had my brown belt for one month. This year I’m going for double gold.”

The Samurai MMA Pro crowd looked like something seen at a UFC or Strikeforce fight. Many MMA celebrities were there, including MMA legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum, Jose Aldo, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Kings MMA head coach Rafael Cordeiro, Kamal Shalorus, and Jared Hamman, to name a few, as well as a real Hollywood celebrity, Jason “Wee Man” Acuna, of “Jack Ass” fame, who could be seen sitting in the front row, watching the fights with a big smile on his face.

Jason Acuna (left) gets his first taste of live MMA.

It was Wee Man’s first MMA show, but the star wasn’t fazed since his whole reality TV lifestyle is similar to a MMA fight without the cage. He received the Samurai MMA Pro tickets as a gift from a friend at Southbay BMW and says he came to the show because it’s “something to do, something to see.” Asked how he endures his own “ground-and-pound” lifestyle on the set of “Jack Ass” he laughs, “I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. I fell out of a shopping cart at five, cracked my head open and bled all over my mom’s white suede vest. Then I started skateboarding, had an accident and broke my femur. I have an 11-inch titanium rod in my leg.”

From his chair he points to the cage in front of him and says, “I’m glad to be on this side of it,” he smiles, “But pain is temporary… victory is forever!” Up next for “Wee Man” is his upcoming TV show “Monster Man,” which airs in February. He starred and directed it and is excited for its release. “It’s really cool,” he says, “You have to watch it. I don’t want to give too much away!”

Yager poses for photo with Rafael Cordeiro (front), Wanderlei (right) and crew.

Back stage, after the fights, legendary UFC and PRIDE star Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva was mobbed and hugged by many fans and fighters alike. The fighter took it all in stride, being the gracious man he is outside the cage. His fighter, Michael Madrid, defeated Waachiim Spirit Wolf in a splendid display of high kicks and athleticism. “He has a lot of good skills,” Wand says of his student.

Wand helped put the Samurai MMA Pro together with founder and CEO Lucas Pires, who is a champion Jiu-Jitsu competitor and also runs Werdum Combat Team in Marina Del Rey. Wand says it was “a beautiful event” and he was very happy to take part in it.

As for his upcoming fight against Cung Le, Wand says he hasn’t changed his game. He travels back and forth between California and Vegas, training one week at his gym in Las Vegas and one week at Rafael Cordeiro’s Kings MMA in Huntington Beach. He’s been training hard and is ready for the fight. “I haven’t been training anything in particular,” he says, “I’ve just been doing my usual all-around training. I feel good. It will be a good fight… a great show.”

Asked how long he is going to keep fighting, the legend says, “I want to fight as long as I can.” Wand wants to thank everyone for their support. “I hope to make everyone happy with my fight.”

Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum

Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum was also milling around the crowd, taking in the show and hanging out with the other MMA fighters. He was his usual gregarious self, signing autographs, cracking jokes, and generally enjoying himself with his friends and fans.

Fabricio is contracted for four more fights with Strikeforce. He’s been hearing all the talk about him getting picked up by the UFC, but says those are just rumors. “I haven’t talked to anyone in the UFC,” he says, “It’s just a rumor, but it’s the best division in the world and I want to fight the top talent in the world.” He says he thinks his next fight will be in December but he’s not sure. “They’ll tell me who I’m fighting,” he says, “I have no idea, but I’m prepared to fight every day. It’s my life.”

As for his last fight against Alistair Overeem, Fabricio waives his hand and shakes his head in disappointment, “I don’t like the last fight,” he says, “It’s MMA… on the ground or in stand up. He wouldn’t come to the ground with me when I said, ‘Come on!’ If they say to me, ‘Stand up,’ I do it. I ended up pulling guard a lot and I don’t like that.” Fabricio says that loss really hurt him but he’s preparing his mind for December. “I want to fight,” he says, “I’m hungry.”

Lucas Pires says the Samurai MMA Pro was such a success, he and his team have already decided to do it again. “Get ready!” he says, “December 9th we are going to do it again!”

Jamie Yager wins and wants UFC return. Photo: UFC.

Culver City, California, got treated to some prime MMA action this Friday in California. The Rafael Cordeiro- and Lucas Pires-promoted event featured a seven fights.

In the main event, Jamie Yager hunted down and dominated Mozzy Arfa. The TUF 11 contestant ended the bout with a ground-and-pound onslaught before the referee stepped in. James Yager hence brings his winning streak to three.

Brazil’s Fernando Bettega defeated former Strikeforce contestant Gareth Joseph by split decision. Now Gabriel Baino overcame Nolan Ticman via second-round TKO.

Check out the results:

Samurai MMA Pro
Culver City, California, USA
October 21, 2011

Jamie Yager defeated Mozzy Arfa via TKO in R1
Michael Madrid defeated Waacheen Spirit Wolf via unanimous decision
Fernando Bettega defeated Gareth Joseph via split decision
Kevin Casey defeated Daniel Mancha via TKO in R1
Beneil Dariush subbed Dominic Gutierrez via rear-naked choke in R1
Gabriel Baino defeated Nolan Tickman via TKO in R1

Jamie Yager venceu e quer voltar ao UFC. Foto: UFC.

A sexta-feira foi de muito MMA em Culver City, Califórnia, com a primeira edição do Samurai MMA Pro 2011. O evento organizado por Rafael Cordeiro e Lucas Pires trouxe boas lutas para o cercado.

No principal duelo da noite, Jamie Yager, com sua vasta cabeleira, partiu com tudo e dominou as ações contra Mozzy Arfa. O participante do TUF 11 soltou um coquetel de golpes no ground and pound, e obrigou o juiz a interromper o duelo. Com o resultado James Yager chegou à terceira vitória seguida.

O brasileiro Fernando Bettega venceu o ex-Strikeforce Gareth Joseph por decisão dividida dos jurados. Já  Gabriel Baino superou Nolan Ticman por nocaute técnico no segundo round.

Confira os resultados:

Samurai MMA Pro
Culver City, Califórnia, EUA
21 de outubro de 2011

Jamie Yager venceu Mozzy Arfa por TKO no R1
Michael Madrid venceu Waacheen Spirit Wolf por decisão unânime
Fernando Bettega venceu Gareth Joseph por decisão dividida
Kevin Casey venceu Daniel Mancha por TKO no R1
Beneil Dariush finalizou Dominic Gutierrez com um mata-leão no R1
Gabriel Baino venceu Nolan Tickman por TKO no R2

Werdum and Pires planned this event over a year ago. They changed the date a couple of times because of Werdum’s surgery and fight schedule, but finally agreed on the May 8th date. “It was difficult to do, but everybody did really good work,” Werdum says, “We were all here until 2:00 a.m. the night before the tournament getting it ready.”

Werdum honors those who helped him organize the Samurai Pro. Photos: Deb Blyth

Werdum was pleased with the turnout and says he’s happy to have offered such a great family event for his own family and friends, and also to the Jiu-Jitsu community. “It’s a family tournament,” he says, “It’s just my family and friends who helped organize and run it. Lucas (Pires) is the man!”

Werdum says all the “thanks” needs to go to Pires for putting the whole event together. “I’ve been focusing on my training,” he says, “I want to win my upcoming Strikeforce tournament against Alistair Overeem, so Lucas did everything. I think 500 competitors for your first tournament is really good.”

Cobrinha, Demente, Laercio Fernandes and Rehan Muttalib hanging out at the Samurai Pro

Werdum called around to his friends and got over thirty black belts to compete at the Samurai Pro as well. Stars like Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles, Romulo Barral, Joao Assis, Kayron Gracie, Andre Galvao, Clark Gracie, Ricardo “Demente” Abreu, Philipe Della Monica, Marcel “Lapela” Mafra, Bill Cooper, Antonio Braga Neto, Bruno Antunes, Rafael Dallinha, and Diego Herzog to name a few showed up to support their friend and fellow black belt in his endeavor. Throw in $30,000 in cash and prizes, and that is a formula for success.

Jacare dropped by with his baby to support Werdum at the Samurai Pro.

“I got good black belts to come,” Werdum says, “All the black belts living and teaching locally came to show their support and compete. Thanks to them for that. I know how busy they all are, but they are all my friends and I am so happy they were here today. I know they are all tired own, but happy.”

Werdum was also pleased with the kids enrollment numbers. “We had 180 kids here competing today,” he says, “It was really good.” The next tournament, Samurai Pro 2, is slated for October 2011.

Werdum himself was tired and preparing to leave on a flight at 7:00 a.m. the next morning after his Samurai Pro tournament to go to Las Vegas to promote his upcoming Strikeforce fight taking place on June 18th in Dallas. “I fight Overeem in the first round of the (Strikeforce Grand Prix Heavy Weight) tournament,” he says, “I’m prepared for it.”

After the Fedor fight last June, Werdum had to take some time off to have surgery on his elbow, but went back to training a couple of months after that and has not stopped training since. “I feel good,” he says, “I feel confident – just like my last fight against Fedor.”

Werdum says his fight against Overeem is going to be even better than that. “I fought Fedor last June and won and now I’m fighting in June again and am going to win again,” he says, “June is my month! I have the same feeling as before, I have the same training camp, the same guys, and the same energy. I’m training with pro fighters, Babalu, Shogun, Munoz, Miller, and others. Krzysztof Soszynski’s conditioning system is amazing! I’m just spending my life training.”

GB black belts show up to the Samurai Pro to compete.

Werdum’s next goal is to win the Overeem fight and then go on to beat the others in the tournament to win the Strikeforce heavy weight belt, but his biggest goal is the unification title. “Everyone told me it wasn’t possible,” he says, “But it’s what I’ve wanted. Everyone said that Strikeforce and UFC were two different shows so it wouldn’t happen, but now with the Strikeforce UFC deal, it’s possible. When I win the Strikeforce heavy weight belt, I’m going to ask Dana (White) if I can try for the unification belt.” With Werdum, anything is indeed possible.

A-Team takes first place at the tournament. Photos: Deb Blyth

A-Team brought about 18 kids to the tournament and most all of them medaled and made it to the podium. Nine-year-old yellow belt Alyssa Wilson took gold in her division. Wilson is no stranger to the competition circuit. She travels around California and to other states along with with her family competing in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments with other A-Team members. She wins gold regularly.

At the Samurai Pro, her performance proved no different. Wilson only had one match, but says she gave it her all. “I submitted her with my secret move, the OMAR #9,” she says slyly, “But I can’t tell you what it is!” This little spitfire says her favorite Jiu-Jitsu move is “The Paintbrush”. It’s like an americana,” she laughs.

Wilson, who’s been training since she was about four-years-old says her dream is to be a black belt one day. “I love doing Jiu-Jitsu,” she says.

Aalijah Pineda with her dad, Jeff

Seven-year-old Aalijah Pineda has been training Jiu-Jitsu for 1 ½ years. She’s currently a gray belt (equivalent to a yellow/white belt) at Cleber Jiu-Jitsu in Huntington Beach, but her long term goal is to be a MMA fighter. At the Samurai Pro, Pineda had three matches and competed in all of them against boys. The first match she won by points, and the second and third she won by armbar.

“I had a good day,” she says, “I had fun. I had tough opponents.” Pineda’s dad moved her up in weight classes because he says he wants her to get to used to fighting up. “Aalijah fights pankration,” he says, “She just came in second in the States.”

While Pineda trains MMA at Rukkus MMA, her first love is still Jiu-Jitsu. “I love it when people are cheering for me during tournaments,” she says, “I love Jiu-Jitsu the best. I love fighting.”

Kaitlyn Harper with Fabricio Werdum

Kaitlyn Harper of GB Pasadena is an eight-year-old yellow/white belt who’s been training in Jiu-Jitsu for 1 ½ years. This sweet little girl with sparkles dusted all over her head and a pink and white polka dotted bow in her hair turns into another child altogether when she gets on the mats to compete. “She’s all girly off the mats, then she tears the other kids up when she gets on the mats!” her coach Orlando Sanchez says, “I love this girl! She’s so great!”

Harper had two matches on Sunday. She won both with armbars. “We all have fun”, she said. As for competing, she says she doesn’t do it often, but she does like to come and meet other competitors. “I got nervous today,” she says, “I felt like I was going to cry, but once I started competing I felt great.”

Ellie Tsang with her dad, Andrew, and her coach, John Munoz

Ellie Tsang, an 11-year-old white belt from C-Quence Jiu-Jitsu fought two matches, both against the same boy. She won her first match by triangle and her second match by points.

“I like to learn new techniques,” she says, “My favorite move is the armbar.” This was Tsang’s third tournament and she had a lot of fun at the Samurai Pro. “I had fun today,” she says, “But I was nervous.” In her final match she had to come from behind to win. To get over her nervousness, she says, “I just do my thing!”

Tsang’s professor is John Munoz, and he says that Tsang is a tough girl and very technical for a white belt. “She’s always willing to listen and learn,” he says, “She pays attention in class and has a really bright future. Her family is supportive and her dad is really helpful.”

Fabricio Werdum and friend and partner Lucas Pires at California Jiu-Jitsu tournament / Photo: Deb Blyth

Registration for both the Samurai BJJ Tournament and the Samurai Black Belt Pro ends at 12:00 a.m. PST Tuesday night. Registration fees are as follows:

Kids $65.00
Adult Female $75.00
Adult Male $85.00

Andre Galvao, Antonio Braga Neto, Joao Assis, Kayron Gracie, Clark Gracie, Otavio Sousa, and Roberto “Tussa” Alencar have all signed up for the Samurai Black Belt Pro and will be vying for the $3,000 1st place prize.

If you are interested in signing up for this prestigious event, you need to act fast! Sign up here.

Fabricio Werdum and friend and partner Lucas Pires at California Jiu-Jitsu tournament / Photo: Deb Blyth

The last day to register for the Samurai Pro with a discount is this Thursday, April 21st. It is also the final day for black belts to submit their applications to compete in the Samurai Black Belt Pro. The final day of registration for both tournaments is May 3, 2011 or when registration has reached full capacity, whichever comes first. All competitors can register online at www.samuraijjpro.com. Registration fees are based upon date of registration.

Cash prizes totalling $30,000 will be awarded to various winners in the blue, purple, and brown belt open classes, and to the victors of five different categories in the black belt division.

World champion Fabricio Werdum, also known for being the first man to beat Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko in ten years, is looking forward to hosting this celebrated event. “I am very excited to be part of such a great competition,” Werdum says, “With all the cash prizes being given away, I’m sure it will be a memorable event”.

Fabricio Werdum founded Samurai Pro with his business partner and fellow Jiu-Jitsu black belt Lucas Pires.