Faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu, Diego Brandão brilha e finaliza Pablo Garza com um katagatame no primeiro round. Foto: UFC/Divulgação

A Ericsson Globe Arena, em Estocolmo, lotou no último dia 6 de abril, para diversas estreias de lutadores no Ultimate e alguns combates interessantes no chão.

Apesar da vitória sonolenta de Gegard Mousasi na luta principal do UFC Suécia 2, o cardápio do evento trouxe nocautes e finalizações marcantes.

Único brasileiro no card, Diego Brandão encontrou a estratégia perfeita para vencer Pablo Garza: o Jiu-Jitsu. Bem mais baixo que o oponente, Diego levou a luta para o solo com bonita queda e finalizou com um katagatame logo no primeiro round. Apesar da finalização, o brasileiro não ficou com o bônus da noite. Os prêmios ficaram para Reza Madadi (melhor finalização), Brad Pickett e Mike Easton (melhor luta),  e Conor McGregor (melhor nocaute).

Na luta principal do evento, o ex-campeão do Strikeforce, Gegard Mousasi fez sua estreia no Ultimate contra Ilir Latifi, adversário definido de última hora, após lesão do sueco Alexander Gustafsson. Os dois fizeram um combate sem muita emoção, mas o restante do card valeu a pena.

Confira em imagens os melhores momentos do UFC Suécia 2:

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UFC on Fuel TV 9
Ericsson Globe Arena, Estocolmo, Suécia
6 de abril de 2013

Gegard Mousasi venceu Ilir Latifi por decisão unânime dos jurados
Ross Pearson venceu Ryan Couture por nocaute técnico aos 3min45s do R2
Matt Mitrione venceu Phil De Fries por nocaute a 1min19s do R1
Brad Pickett venceu Mike Easton por decisão dividida (luta da noite)
Diego Brandão finalizou Pablo Garza no katagatame aos 3min27s do R1
Akira Corassani venceu Robbie Peralta por decisão unânime

Card preliminar

Reza Madadi finalizou Michael Johnson no triângulo de mão a 1min33s do R3 (finalização da noite)
Tor Troéng finalizou Adam Cella no mata-leão aos 3min11s do R1
Adlan Amagov venceu Chris Spang por decisão unânime
Conor McGregor venceu Marcus Brimage por nocaute técnico a 1min07s do R1 (nocaute da noite)
Ryan LaFlare venceu Ben Alloway por decisão unânime
Tom Lawlor finalizou Michael Kuiper na guilhotina a 1min05s do R2
Papy Abedi venceu Besam Yousef por decisão unânime

Raphael throws a high kick at Mike Easton. Photo courtesy of the UFC.

Called up to be part of UFC on Fox 5 on short notice, Raphael Assunção fought a safe and evenly matched fight with Mike Easton this Saturday, and won via decision. It wasn’t the most thrilling of affairs, but it did cause a bit of a stir when a certain fact regarding the events of the tussle was revealed after the fight: Assunção fought two rounds with a broken arm.

“I broke my arm in the first round! I thought it was a muscle spasm, but it was broken,” Assunção posted on the internet. “It’s not an excuse. I’m going to continue and recover.”

The Brazilian was coming off back to back wins, while his opponent, Easton, was eight fights unbeaten.

The fight started out with both swinging on their feet, each responding quickly to the other. Assunção was the better in the first round, but Easton wasn’t intimidated and attacked, himself. Once the three rounds were over, Assunção was awarded the unanimous decision. It was afterwards, via Twitter, that the Brazilian revealed that he wasn’t 100 percent.

Written by Carlos Arthur Jr.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Raphael solta o chute em Mike Easton. Foto: Divulgação/UFC

Escalado com pouco tempo para treinar para o UFC on Fox 5, em Seattle, Raphael Assunção fez um combate seguro e parelho com Mike Easton nesse sábado, e venceu por decisão. A luta não foi emocionante, mas ganhou repercussão após um revés ser revelado após a luta: Raphael lutou dois rounds com um dos braços quebrados.

Raphael vinha de duas vitórias consecutivas. Já seu adversário, Mike Easton, estava há oito lutas sem perder.

A luta começou com ambos trocando golpes em pé, sem deixar o oponente sem resposta rápida. Raphael foi superior no primeiro assalto, mas Mike Easton não se intimidou e buscou ir para cima. Ao final de três rounds, Raphael venceu de forma unânime. Depois, via Twitter, o brasileiro revelou que não estava 100%.

“Quebrei o meu braço no primeiro round! Pensei que fosse um espasmo muscular, mas estava quebrado”, postou Raphael, no Twitter, antes de minimizar a situação. “Não é desculpa. Vou continuar e me recuperar”, finalizou Assunção.

BJ Penn cola a mão na orelha para proteger-se do chute de Rory MacDonald: o jovem canadense elogiou BJ e disse que o havaiano não é um “trampolim” para sua carreira.

Qual foi sua cena favorita no UFC on Fox 5, realizado ontem em Seattle, amigo leitor?

A finalização da noite, o estrangulamento pelas costas de Scott Jorgensen, atleta que estava com a corda no pescoço, e ainda tomou um triângulo arrochado no primeiro assalto?

Ou talvez um cansado BJ Penn aturando os golpes do jovem Rory MacDonald? Rory que, ao fim do evento, na coletiva, elogiou a lenda havaiana: “Foi uma grande oportunidade na minha carreira. Mas BJ não pode ser chamado de ‘trampolim’ (stepping stone, na pergunta do repórter). Ele não é um trampolim”.

Talvez a imagem da noite tenha sido uma das quedas plásticas de Ben Henderson sobre o desafiante Nate Diaz?

Ou a chance, uma das poucas, que Mauricio Shogun teve para surpreender Alex Gustafsson, no chão, na luta que levantou a pipa do sueco?

Relembre as melhores imagens do UFC on Fox 5, realizado no dia 8 de dezembro, e comente com a gente.

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Ben Henderson defends his lightweight belt for the second time, against Nate Diaz this weekend at UFC on Fox 5. UFC publicity photo.

This Saturday, the UFC will pitch its tent in Seattle, Washington, USA, from where a stellar cast will be broadcast around the globe. In the main event, the relentless and well-rounded Ben Henderson puts his belt up for grabs for the second time, when he takes on tough-as-nails Jiu-Jitsu black belt Nate Diaz. And in the co-main event, Brazil’s Mauricio Shogun squares off with Swedish powerhouse Alexander Gustafsson.

Which are the fights you’ll be sure not to miss this Saturday? If you haven’t made up your mind yet, GRACIEMAG.com will make things easy for you, with a synthesis of the fights where first-rate Jiu-Jitsu and MMA are sure to be flowing off the hook.

1. Ben Henderson vs. Nate Diaz

Like at the last event, headlined by GSP and Carlos Condit, the main event should be the best of them all. The defending champion, Ben Henderson, is riding a five-fight win streak; but he’ll have a stern test ahead of him in Nate Diaz, whose skillful boxing, first-rate Jiu-Jitsu and greater reach make him a tough nut to crack. Nate has won his last three outings. Both Nate and Ben are major exponents of gi-clad Jiu-Jitsu, but Ben doesn’t tend to let his back stay in contact with the octagon floor for long. Will he be leaving the cage with his belt? Best not blink, gentle reader.

Prediction: Ben Henderson

2. Mauricio Shogun vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Even after such sterling displays of fistic excitement as his encounters with Forrest Griffin and Dan Henderson, Mauricio Shogun is still trying to convince fans that his gas tank will carry him and that he might still return to the greatness he displayed in his heyday, when he captured the Pride FC middleweight belt in 2010. The acid test is now, against one of the most promising light heavyweights around, and one of the most promising fighters ever to come of European MMA. The Swede has rattled of five wins in a row–including against the likes of Matt Hamill, Vladimir Matyushenko and Thiago Silva. Now Shogun is coming off a win over Brandon Vera at UFC on Fox last August. Gustafsson shored up his Jiu-Jitsu by bringing in Herbert Burns to train with him, while Mauricio called on Leo Nogueira for a No-Gi intensive. Could the ground indeed be the way to go, Shogun?

Prediction: Mauricio Shogun

3. BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald

The veteran BJ Penn is back in the octagon following his brief retirement after losing to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in October of 2011. A father now, BJ claimed he didn’t want his daughter to see his face so banged and bruised. But he doesn’t care about that anymore. “I’m coming back to prove I’m still one of the best of all times in the sport,” said the Nova Uniao black belt. The problem isn’t that BJ’s background isn’t up to snuff, it’s who will be toeing the line at the other end. Rising star Rory MacDonald, 23, is the real deal, comes in off three back-to-back wins, and he knows that victory is vital if he wants to be where his Tristar teammate and countryman GSP is in the near future. Who knows?

Prediction: Rory MacDonald

4. Raphael Assunção vs. Mike Easton

Brazil’s Raphael Assunção lost his promotional debut to Erick Koch at UFC 128 in March of 2011, but he learned from the setback and righted his ship by beating Johnny Eduardo and Issei Tamura in his next two outings. To keep afloat in an increasingly competitive division, he’ll have to make it past a game Mike “Hulk” Easton (13w, 1l), who has three wins in the promotion. Easton, a Lloyd Irvin student, will be looking for the takedown and topward pressure, or even the finish.

Prediction: Mike Easton

5. Dennis Siver vs. Nam Phan

Seasoned Russian-born German Dennis Siver is coming off a win over Diego Nunes last April at UFC on Fuel TV. And he wants to keep his tenure in the featherweight division victorious by beating Nam Phan. His path to victory could be to take it down and bring on the ground and pound. If the actions stays on the feet, things could get tricky for Dennis, as Nam’s striking is plenty deft. Who wins it?

Prediction: Nam Phan

UFC on Fox 5
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington
December 8, 2012

Benson Henderson vs Nathan Diaz
Mauricio Shogun vs Alexander Gustafsson
BJ Penn vs Rory MacDonald
Mike Swick vs Matt Brown

Under card (FX)

Raphael Assunção vs Mike Easton
Dennis Siver vs Nam Phan
Ramsey Nijem vs Joe Proctor
Yves Edwards vs Jeremy Stephens

Under card (Facebook)

Daron Cruickshank vs Henry Martinez
Scott Jorgensen vs John Albert
Tim Means vs Abel Trujillo

GRACIEMAG.com had a chat with Mike Easton

Graciemag.com caught up with UFC bantamweight Mike Easton, recently, and the fighter talked about all things MMA.

“The Hulk” opened up about his upcoming fight with Rafael Assunção at UFC on Fox 5, scheduled for Dec. 8 in Seattle. After another training session at Lloyd Irvin Academy in Camp Springs, Md., Easton broke down Assunção as an opponent, and analyzed how far he is from a title shot in the UFC’s 135-pound division.

Check out our exclusive video interview below …

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Gleison Tibau contra Josh Neer, durante o UFC 104. Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa/UFC

Dia 7 de julho, em Las Vegas, o UFC 148 promete ouriçar os fãs com a revanche mais esperada dos últimos tempos, entre o campeão Anderson Silva e o provocador Chael Sonnen.

No mesmo evento, no entanto, há outras lutas que prometem agradar o praticante de Jiu-Jitsu, que deve ficar de olho em Demian Maia, Fabricio Morango e Mike Easton.

Outro confere interessante é entre Gleison Tibau e o invicto Khabib Nurmagomedov, ainda pelo card preliminar. Em entrevista ao GRACIEMAG.com, o potiguar disse estar na pilha para quebrar a hegemonia do russo.

“É uma luta muito boa para mim, na verdade. Ele está invicto em 17 lutas, sempre dá a vontade de quebrar a escrita, colocar meu nome ali na primeira derrota dele”, disse Tibau, que completou deixando um punhado de lições para nosso leitor/praticante finalizar da guarda.

“O macete para evoluir no armlock é prestar atenção no quadril. Subir o quadril, ajustar bem e puxar, e não querer apenas fazer força e puxar o braço sem estar justo”, ensina o casca-grossa. Confira e comente.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, Nevada, EUA
7 de julho de 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira

Gleison Tibau against Josh Neer at UFC 104 / Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa/UFC

On the coming 7th of July in Las Vegas, UFC 148 will treat fans to the most heavily anticipated rematch of recent times, between middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and the firebrand Chael Sonnen.

At the same event there will also be some other matchups that look sure to please Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, though, with Demian Maia, Fabricio Morango and Mike Easton all in the mix.

And another intriguing bout has Gleison Tibau taking on the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov on the under card. In an interview with GRACIEMAG.com, the Brazilian said he’s dying to put the first blemish on his Russian opponent’s perfect record.

“It’s a good fight for me, to tell you the truth. He’s undefeated in 17 fights, so that will always make you want to put an end to his roll; makes me want to get my name on there as his first loss,” said Tibau, who wrapped up the interview with a few lessons for our readers/practitioners to finish from guard.

“The trick to doing the armbar right is to pay attention to the hips. Bring up the hips, adjust them properly and pull, and not go trying to force it out without having the arm locked in tight,” teaches the burly black belt.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
July 7, 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira

Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at the pre-UFC 148 press conference in Rio de Janeiro / Photo: Wander Braga/UFC

The mood in Las Vegas is one of anticipation of yet another “fight of the century,” when middleweight champion Anderson Silva defends his title from the big-talking Chael Sonnen this coming July 7, right after the United States Independence Day holiday.

In a video released by the UFC, Sonnen restated how his confidence and desire will be enough to overwhelm the champion’s capabilities—and wherever the action may be: standing, striking or in Jiu-Jitsu.

“Make it a boxing bout, I’ll find a way to win. Make it a kickboxing match, I’ll find a way to win. I’m not going to play a dance-off with him, but if he wants to make it a combative, man’s sport, I’ll do it. Make it a Jiu-Jitsu match, make it a wrestling match, make it an MMA fight—it doesn’t matter; he doesn’t have anything that I as an athlete won’t conquer. I am a competitor. I will find a way to win, as I always do,” says Sonnen, who has been brushing up on his Jiu-Jitsu skills with ADCC heavyweight champion Vinny Magalhães of team Gracie Tijuca.

“It has nothing to do with skills. Commentators love to make it about skills, but it’s not. It’s about who’s tougher, who wants it more,” adds Sonnen, who in their first encounter ended up losing via armbar from within a triangle.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, United States
July 7, 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira

Anderson Silva e Chael Sonnen na conferência de imprensa do UFC 148, no Rio de Janeiro. Foto: Wander Braga/UFC

Las Vegas já vive o clima de mais uma “luta do século”, entre o campeão dos médios Anderson Silva e o desafiante falastrão Chael Sonnen, marcada para o dia 7 de julho, logo depois do feriado da Independência nos EUA.

Em vídeo divulgado pelo UFC, Sonnen afirmou que a confiança e a vontade serão sim capazes de surpreender as habilidades do campeão, e no campo que for, em pé, na trocação ou no Jiu-Jitsu.

“Torne isso uma luta de boxe, e vou achar uma maneira de vencer. Torne isso uma luta de kickboxing, e vou achar uma maneira de vencer. Não vou jogar uma competição de dança com ele, mas se ele quiser fazer um esporte masculino de combate, eu farei. Faça uma luta de Jiu-Jitsu, uma luta de wrestling, uma luta de MMA. Não importa. Ele não tem nada que eu, como competidor, não possa conquistar. Sou um competidor. Vou achar um jeito de vencer, como eu sempre faço”, disse Sonnen, que vem afiando seu Jiu-Jitsu com o atual campeão dos pesados do ADCC, Vinny Magalhães (Gracie Tijuca).

“Não tem nada a ver com habilidades. Comentaristas adoram dizer que é sobre habilidades, mas não é. É sobre quem é mais durão, quem quer mais”, completou Chael Sonnen, que no primeiro encontro entre ambos acabou derrotado por obra de um armlock de dentro do triângulo.

Veja o vídeo com as declarações do americano, abaixo, e o card completo do evento a seguir.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, Estados Unidos
7 de julho de 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira

Cruz and "Mighty Mouse" Johnson / Photo: UFC

The party is all set to begin in Washington, USA. UFC on Versus 6 has a bunch of promising matchups lined up for Saturday and weigh-ins just went down, with almost all the fighters making weight without much ado, as reported by our collaborator Junior Samurai. Only Mike Easton’s opponent, Byron Bloodworth, couldn’t make the cut and will be penalized but will fight.

In the evening’s main event, Dominick Cruz defends his bantamweight belt against Demetrious Johnson, who works on his ground game with Lloyd Irvin, while the lumbering Stefan Struve takes on Pat Barry. Now Brazil’s Rafaello “Trator” faces Yves Edwards, who turned 35 today and was already celebrating as he weighed in, with a party hat and whistle and the works.

The height difference in heavyweight bout between Pat and Struve / Photo: UFC.

UFC on Versus 6
Washington DC, USA
October 1, 2011 

Dominick Cruz vs Johnson Demetrious
Pat Barry vs Stefan Struve
Charlie Brenneman vs Anthony Johnson
Matt Wiman vs Mac Danzig
Yves Edwards vs Rafaello Oliveira
Paulo Sass vs Michael Johnson
Mike Easton vs Byron Bloodworth
Shane Rolo vs TJ Grant
Josh Neer vs Keith Wisniewski
Walel Watson vs Joseph Sandoval