The USA can now look forward to the end-of-the-year premier of full-length movie “Warrior” (with cameos from Nathan Marquardt, Yves Edwards and Roan Jucão!), where two brothers dispute a title belt (see below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54vrgCP5nlc

Now around here, news about MMA and Jiu-Jitsu movies is breaking every week.

There are already projects underway to produce a movie about Rickson, one on Minotauro, and recently the director of the movie “Jean Charles”, Henrique Goldman, said he is getting ready to produce “O Cara” (“The Man”), to be shot in Brazil, the USA and Japan. The movie will be a work of fiction, “but anchored in reality,” Henrique is quoted as saying in the “Gente Boa” column of O Globo newspaper. “These guys have amazing life stories – stories of overcoming hardships,” he added.

It was in Canada, though, that the first feature film of this new genre made some noise, at the documentary festival Toronto Hot Docs. “Fightville” tells the tale of the hard lives led by athletes who may never make it to stardom, but live and breathe fighting. Check it out, and for more on what goes on behind-the-scenes in the underbelly of MMA, check out the current issue of CHOKE, GRACIEMAG’s MMA supplement, now in bookstores.

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

Nos EUA, a expectativa é pela estreia no fim do ano do longa de ficção “Warrior” (com pontas de Nathan Marquardt, Yves Edwards e Roan Jucão!), onde dois irmãos disputam um cinturão (veja abaixo).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54vrgCP5nlc

Já aqui, notícias de filmes sobre MMA e Jiu-Jitsu pipocam toda semana.

Já há projetos para um filme sobre Rickson, sobre Minotauro, e recentemente o diretor de “Jean Charles”, Henrique Goldman, disse estar preparando “O cara”, a ser rodado no Brasil, EUA e Japão. Será um filme de ficção, “mas ancorado na realidade”, disse Henrique na coluna Gente Boa de “O Globo”. “Esses caras têm histórias de vida maravilhosas, de superação”, completou.

Foi no Canadá, porém, que o primeiro filme dessa nova safra já fez algum barulho, no festival de documentários de Toronto Hot Docs. “Fightville” procura mostrar a vida dura dos atletas que possivelmente nunca vão chegar ao estrelato, mas que comem e respiram luta. Confira, e para ver mais sobre os bastidores e o submundo do MMA, confira a próxima NOCAUTE, com uma reportagem especial sobre o tema nos EUA.

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

Nate Marquardt at weight-in / Photos by Dan Rod

It was a UFC event where seven fights were decided by the judges, but there was no lack of excitement in New Jersey, technique abounded.

Middleweight star Nate Marquardt overcame Dan Miller yesterday at UFC 128 and signaled how victory reinvigorates in MMA. “I really feel reinvigorated with this win. I really wanted to get in there and show I’m a new Nate Marquardt,” said the American.

“I didn’t expect Miller to be so quick, and from the beginning of the fight I saw I’d have to be at my peak game to beat him. I had to go for takedowns at chest height because his guillotines are so dangerous, and I knew it,” he said after the fight.

Banha

Another to taste the exhilaration of winning was Luiz “Banha” Cane, who spared the judges further work and brought the crowd to its feet with a brutal knockout.

“I feel reborn as a fighter. I wanted the knockout, to remind me of my first win here in the UFC,” he said. “And you will see more fights like this, because I’m more technical now. I want a shot at the belt, but not now, I want to prove my worth a bit more. I hope to have a chance to fight at UFC Rio, to fight in Brazil. Fighting before our fans would be great,” he pleaded.

Another of the evening’s standouts was Brendan Schaub, who fulfilled his promise to knockout an idol of his. He too remarked on the fight that left Mirko Filipovic laid out on the canvas.

“I’m no fool, I know Cro Cop’s a first-rate kickboxer, so I started with a lot of takedowns. I feel my speed is what made the difference in winning. I noticed Cro Cop lines up his feet before each kick, so I got his timing and fired off my right bomb. This is the second time in a row that I take out a legend (Gonzaga and Cro Cop). It’s a good turnaround in my career,” was his assessment of the evening’s events.

Besides Gleison Tibau, Edson Barboza Junior was the other winning Brazilian on the night. He alleged to have not fought as well as he’d have liked due to injury, even after earning the fight-of-the-night prize thanks to his reverse roundhouse kick to the head. “I’m so happy, but I wanted to strike more in the fight, let my kicks flow, but I had an injury and didn’t manage to. At least I got the chance to use my takedowns and Jiu-Jitsu,” said the fighter from Nova Friburgo, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Tibau

UFC 128
Newark, New Jersey
March 19, 2011

Erik Koch knocked out Raphael Assuncao at 2:32 min of R1

Nick Catone defeated Constantinos Philippou via unanimous decision

Joseph Benavidez defeated Ian Loveland via unanimous decision

Gleison Tibau defeated Kurt Pellegrino via split decision

Mike Pyle defeated Ricardo Almeida via unanimous decision

Edson Junior defeated Anthony Njokuani via unanimous decision

Luis Banha Cane defeated Eliot Marshall via TKO at 2:15 min of R1

Brendan Schaub knocked out Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic at 3:44 min of R3

Nate Marquardt defeated Dan Miller via unanimous decision

Jim Miller defeated Kamal Shalorus via TKO at 2:15 min of R3

Urijah Faber defeated Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision

Jon Jones defeated Mauricio Shogun Rua via TKO at 2:37 min of R3

Jon Jones, with jacket he would throw to crowd at weigh-ins

Nate Marquardt na pesagem. Fotos de Dan Rod.

Foi uma edição do UFC com sete lutas decididas pelos jurados, mas se faltou emoção em Nova Jersey, sobrou técnica.

Estrela até 84kg, Nate Marquardt venceu Dan Miller no UFC 128, ontem, e deu sinais de como uma vitória revigora no MMA. “Me sinto realmente revigorado, após essa vitória. Eu queria muito entrar lea e mostrar que eu sou um novo Nate Marquardt”, disse o americano.

“Não esperava que Miller fosse assim tão rápido, e desde o começo da luta eu percebi que teria de estar no auge do meu jogo para vencê-lo. Precisei atacá-lo com investidas na altura do peito para quedá-lo, pois suas guilhotinas são bem perigosas, e eu sabia disso”, declarou após a luta.

Banha.

Outro que se revigorou foi Luiz Cane, o popular Banha, que poupou os jurados e levantou a galera com um nocautão.

“Me sinto renascido como lutador. Queria o nocaute para lembrar minha primeira vitória aqui no UFC”, disse. “E vocês vão ver mais lutas minhas assim, porque estou mais técnico. Quero uma tentativa pelo título, mas não agora, preciso provar meu valor mais um pouco. Espero ter a chance de lutar no UFC Rio, lutar no Brasil, diante do nossos fãs seria demais”, cavou.

Outro destaque da noite foi Brendan Schaub, que cumpriu o que prometera e nocauteou um ídolo seu. Ele também comentou a luta em que deixou Mirko Filipovic estirado na lona.

“Não sou bobo né, eu sei que Cro Cop é um kickboxer de primeira categoria, então comecei dando muitas quedas. Acho que minha velocidade foi o diferencial na vitória. Percebi que Cro Cop alinha os pés antes de cada chute, então peguei o tempo dele e soltei minha bomba de direita. Foi a segunda vez em sequência que derrubei uma lenda (Napão e Cro Cop). É uma boa virada na minha carreira”, avaliou.

Além de Gleison Tibau, Edson Barboza Júnior foi outro brasileiro a vencer na noite. Ele alegou uma contusão para não ter lutado tão bem quanto gostaria, mesmo depois de conquistar o prêmio de melhor luta da noite graças a uma boa patada invertida. “Estou muito feliz, mas queria golpear mais na luta, soltar mais dos meus chutes, mas tive uma lesão e não consegui. Pelo menos tive mais chances de usar minhas quedas e meu Jiu-Jitsu”, encerrou o lutador de Nova Friburgo, Rio.

Tibau.

UFC 128

Newark, Nova Jersey

19 de março de 2011

Erik Koch nocauteou Raphael Assunção aos 2min32s do 1R

Nick Catone venceu Constantinos Philippou por decisão unânime dos jurados

Joseph Benavidez venceu Ian Loveland por decisão unânime

Gleison Tibau venceu Kurt Pellegrino por decisão dividida

Mike Pyle venceu Ricardo Almeida por decisão unânime

Edson Junior venceu Anthony Njokuani por decisão unânime

Luis Banha Cane derrotou Eliot Marshall por TKO aos 2min15s do 1R

Brendan Schaub nocauteou Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic aos 3min44s do 3R

Nate Marquardt venceu Dan Miller por decisão unânime

Jim Miller derrotou Kamal Shalorus por TKO aos 2min15s do 3R

Urijah Faber venceu Eddie Wineland por decisão unânime

Jon Jones derrotou Mauricio Shogun Rua por TKO aos 2min37s do 3R

Jon Jones, com o casaco que jogaria para a galera na pesagem.

Working over the holidays is not something new for him, and the next fight is very important, since he is coming from his first defeat after 11 victories in a row. Demian talked to GRACIEMAG.com and commented on how his preparations are going for yet another challenge.

Are there any difficulties training hard during this holiday season (Christmas and New Years) when most use it to rest up?
It comes with the job. It’s a little hard to find people to train at the end of the year. People are training well here in São Paulo, but it’s not easy to gather everyone together around this time. This is what I wanted to do, so I have nothing to complain about. I have to fight and take my vacation later. When I chose this, I knew I’d have to relinquish many things. This time it was Christmas and New Years, and last year it was the same.

You worked especially hard to improve the striking part, after the knockout by Nathan Marquardt. How was the experience?
I was in Bahia and it was excellent. I also trained Jiu-Jitsu there, but mainly it was boxing and I was able to evolve a lot. I talked to (Rodrigo) Minotauro about the chance of training boxing in Cuba, and he said to work with Luis Dórea. We trained together, and he offered that I stay in his apartment. The guy (Minotauro) is fantastic and I’ve always liked him.

There was some controversy between you and Anderson Silva, with harsh statements made to the media. However, you are still good friends with the Nogueira brothers, who are friends with Anderson. How does that work?

I had trained with Rodrigo and with Rogério for some time, when I was a brown belt. I had a good relationship with them, but ended up distancing myself. They are close friends with Anderson and, as there was the chance of facing him had I won my last fight, I ended up staying away. As I don’t see a possibility of fighting Anderson so soon, this tie was renewed.

I talked to Minotauro about the chance of training boxing in Cuba” Demian Maia

And what about work in the US? Before the fights, you were also going through a training period there with Wanderlei Silva. Is this still going on?
I’m going to the US around two weeks before the fight. I’ll stay a week in San Diego with Minotauro, Minotouro, and Rafael Alejarra, who is my physical trainer and who now lives there. In the last week I’m going to Las Vegas, and there I’ll likely be with Wanderlei, where more maintenance work will be done.

Are you still training in gi for the MMA fights?
I was training in gi once a week, but now I train more without it, also because it’s hard to find people who train in gi this time of year. The people who come are there to help me. So we train without gi.

What lesson did you learn from your first defeat?
All defeats are lessons. I saw some mistakes I was making during training, even some psychological things, and I’m trying to improve.