Leather hat and jubilation after winning in London (photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

It wasn’t Terry Etim’s day to dispel his reputation for coming up short against Brazilians. Making his debut in the lightweight division, Reneé Forte was incognizant that he was the underdog, and dominated Etim throughout their three rounds in the UFC on Fuel 7 undercard this past Feb. 16 at London’s Wembley Arena.

Forte, who was coming off a loss, celebrated redemption in the UFC in grand style, wearing a hat that is part of the battle attire typical during the wild frontier days of Brazil’s Northeast.

“I had the best preparations of my life. I acclimated in France, which helped me a lot,” said the Brazilian. “I was really confident and always believed in my potential. I was honored to fight here in England.”

At a range disadvantage, Forte started out using his legs and looking to close the distance. The Brazilian was superior in Round 1, pressing his opponent up against the fencing and managing a takedown. In Round 2, Forte managed to impose his game even more, controlling his opponent and making it to mount, where he punished Etim until the bell rang. The third round was much of the same, with the Brazilian exerting complete control.

When it was all over, three judges award the win to Reneé, his first win in the  UFC.

UFC on Fuel TV 7

Wembley Arena, London, England

Feb. 16, 2013

Renan Barão tapped out Michael McDonald via katagatame at 3:27 min of R4

Cub Swanson defeated Dustin Poirier via unanimous judges’ decision

Jimi Manuwa defeated Cyrille Diabaté via TKO at 5 min of R1 (calf injury)

Gunnar Nelson defeated Jorge Santiago via unanimous judges’ decision

James Te-Huna defeated Ryan Jimmo via unanimous judges’ decision

Matthew Riddle defeated Che Mills via split judges’ decision

Undercard

Reneé Forte defeated Terry Etim via unanimous judges’ decision

Danny Castillo defeated Paul Sass via unanimous judges’ decision

Andy Ogle defeated Josh Grispi via unanimous judges’ decision

Tom Watson defeated Stanislav Nedkov via TKO at 4:42 min of R2

Vaughan Lee defeated Motonobu Tezuka via unanimous judges’ decision

Phil Harris defeated Ulysses Gomez via unanimous judges’ decision

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visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Chapéu de couro e vibração após vitória em Londres. Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Não foi dessa vez que Terry Etim desfez a fama de “freguês” dos brasileiros. Estreando na categoria dos pesos leves, Reneé superou o favoritismo do adversário e, com uma performance tranquila, dominou Etim em todos os rounds da  última luta do card preliminar do UFC on Fuel 7, realizado no dia 16 de fevereiro, no Wembley Arena, em Londres. Forte, que vinha de derrota, comemorou a redenção no UFC em alto estilo, com o mesmo chapéu nordestino simbolizando sua origem cearense que usou para entrar na batalha.

Em desvantagem de envergadura, Reneé começou usando as pernas e buscando encurtar a distância. O brasileiro foi superior no primeiro round, pressionando o adversário contra a grade e conseguindo ainda uma queda. No segundo round, Reneé conseguiu impor ainda mais o seu jogo, controlando o adversário e conseguindo a montada, castigando Etim até o soar do gongo. O terceiro round se desenrolou do mesmo modo, com domínio total do brasileiro. No fim, os três jurados deram o combate para Reneé, que leva sua primeira vitória no UFC.

Após a luta, Reneé comentou a maneira como se preparou para essa luta em novo peso e fez um agradecimento especial.

“Eu fiz a melhor preparação da minha vida. A aclimatação na França (Reneé passou dois meses em Avignong) me ajudou muito. Eu estava muito confiante e sempre acreditei no meu potencial”, declarou o brasileiro. “Fiquei honrado em ter lutado aqui na Inglaterra. Quero agradecer a Jesus e também a todos que não acreditaram em mim. Isso me deu mais força para ganhar”, desabafou o ex-participante do TUF Brasil.

E você, leitor, acha que Reneé Forte se encontrou na categoria dos leves? Comente!

UFC on Fuel TV 7

Wembley Arena, Londres, Inglaterra

16 de fevereiro de 2013

Renan Barão finaliza Michael McDonald no katagatame aos 3min27s do R4

Cub Swanson venceu Dustin Poirier na decisão unânime dos jurados

Jimi Manuwa venceu Cyrille Diabaté por nocaute técnico aos 5min do R1 (lesão na panturrilha)

Gunnar Nelson venceu Jorge Santiago na decisão unânime dos jurados

James Te-Huna vence Ryan Jimmo na decisão unânime dos jurados

Matthew Riddle venceu Che Mills na decisão dividida dos jurados

Card Preliminar

Reneé Forte venceu Terry Etim na decisão unânime dos jurados

Danny Castillo venceu Paul Sass na decisão unânime dos jurados

Andy Ogle venceu Josh Grispi na decisão unânime dos jurados

Tom Watson venceu Stanislav Nedkov por nocaute técnico aos 4min42s do R2

Vaughan Lee vence Motonobu Tezuka na decisão unânime dos jurados

Phil Harris venceu Ulysses Gomez na decisão unânime dos jurados

Erick Silva precisou mostrar raça e coração para escapar de Jon Fitch no UFC Rio 3. Foto: Josh Hedges/UFC

Um banquete para os fãs de Jiu-Jitsu. Assim foi o UFC Rio 3, ou UFC 153, onde a arte suave e o jogo de solo marcaram presença em praticamente todos os duelos, seja sob a forma de ataques letais ou defesas afiadas.

Confira as melhores montadas, armlocks e quedas da edição 153 do Ultimate, pela lente sagaz de Josh Hedges.

[flickr set=72157631785884840]

Anderson Silva e Stephan Bonnar já se viram na coletiva de imprensa do UFC Rio 3. Foto:UFC/Divulgação

Ontem, você conferiu a tradicional coletiva de imprensa pré-UFC aqui no GRACIEMAG.com.

Diante dos jornalistas, estavam os astros Rodrigo Minotauro, Anderson Silva, Glover Teixeira, Fabio Maldonado, Dave Herman e Stephan Bonnar. Hoje é dia de encarar a balança e depois tirar a foto cara-a-cara.

E você pode assistir tudo ao vivo na tela do seu computador. O GRACIEMAG.com transmite a pesagem oficial do UFC Rio 3, a partir das 16h (horário de Brasília

Anderson Silva talks to reporters . UFC publicity photo.

This Saturday the UFC sets up shop at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro for the third time. And with the likes of Anderson Silva, Minotauro, Glover Teixeira, Erick Silva, Demian Maia and more all on the card, the venue is sure to rage at fever pitch.

And you get to watch the traditional pre-event press conference today, here on GRACIEMAG.com, starting at 5 PM GMT.

Click below to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9BMP5JDB3Q

UFC Rio 3
HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
October 13, 2012

Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar
Rodrigo Minotauro vs Dave Herman
Glover Teixeira vs Fábio Maldonado
Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva
Wagner Caldeirão vs Phil Davis
Demian Maia vs Rick Story
Rony Jason vs Sam Sicilia
Gleison Tibau vs Francisco Massaranduba
Diego Brandão vs Joey Gambino
Serginho Moraes vs Renée Forte
Luiz Banha vs Chris Camozzi
Cristiano Marcello vs Reza Madadi

Anderson Silva diante dos repórteres. Foto: UFC/Divulgação

O octógono do UFC desembarcou mais uma vez na Cidade Maravilhosa, e o fim de semana promete um turbilhão de emoções na HSBC Arena. Com Anderson Silva, Minotauro, Glover Teixeira, Erick Silva, Demian Maia e outros, o caldeirão vai ferver na Barra da Tijuca.

A tradicional coletiva de imprensa e as declarações das feras você confere aqui no GRACIEMAG.com, a partir das 13h.

Clique abaixo, e fique ligado no twitter @graciemag_br para saber tudo sobre o UFC Rio 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9BMP5JDB3Q

UFC Rio 3
HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro
13 de outubro de 2012

Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar
Rodrigo Minotauro vs Dave Herman
Glover Teixeira vs Fábio Maldonado
Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva
Wagner Caldeirão vs Phil Davis
Demian Maia vs Rick Story
Rony Jason vs Sam Sicilia
Gleison Tibau vs Francisco Massaranduba
Diego Brandão vs Joey Gambino
Serginho Moraes vs Renée Forte
Luiz Banha vs Chris Camozzi
Cristiano Marcello vs Reza Madadi

Demian Maia at 2010 seminar in São Paulo / Photo by Carlos Ozório/GRACIEMAG

This Saturday, fans who visit Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena will get treated to the third UFC Rio show, and among the stars of the evening is Jiu-Jitsu champion Demian Maia, who takes on Rick Story in a welterweight pairing.

In the following video taken at a seminar of his in São Paulo, Maia teaches how to replace guard. Give it a watch and see if you can pull off one of the moves that helped springboard Demian to UFC stardom.

UFC Rio 3
HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro
October 13, 2012

Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar
Rodrigo Minotauro vs Dave Herman
Glover Teixeira vs Fábio Maldonado
Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva
Wagner Caldeirão vs Phil Davis
Demian Maia vs Rick Story
Rony Jason vs Sam Sicilia
Gleison Tibau vs Francisco Massaranduba
Diego Brandão vs Joey Gambino
Serginho Moraes vs Renée Forte
Luiz Banha vs Chris Camozzi
Cristiano Marcello vs Reza Madadi

Stephan Bonnar: the pioneer from the first Jungle Fight is now a favorite on the UFC roster. UFC publicity photo.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship teeters but doesn’t fall. While losing marquee fights like José Aldo-Frankie Edgar and Quinton Jackson-Glover Teixeira was a hard knock, the biggest MMA event in the world was quick to suck it up and promptly deal with the damage to the card. This Wednesday three new match-ups for the third installment of the October 13 UFC Rio show were announced.

Middleweight champion Anderson Silva will return to the light heavyweight fold to take on TUF 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar. This will be Silva’s third appearance in the weight class above his, having previously fought and beaten by first-round knockout James Irvin and Forrest Griffin. Now Bonnar is riding a three-fight win streak. Check out the hard-nosed American, once trained by the legendary Carlson Gracie, fighting Lyoto Machida in the inaugural Jungle Fight event, back in 2003 in the city of Manaus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdLj52AqBnU

Another bout confirmed for the card has Rodrigo Minotauro taking on Dave Herman. The Brazilian has not fought since an ill-fated encounter with Frank Mir in December 2012, while the seasoned Dave Herman is coming off back-to-back losses, to Stefan Struve and Roy Nelson, but holds 21 career wins.

Now Glover Teixeira, initially scheduled to fight Quinton Jackson, now has Fabio Maldonado ahead of him. Glover made his UFC debut submitting Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 146, while Maldonado holds one win and two setbacks since joining the big league.

Promotional kingpin Dana White was quick to patch up the gaps in the Brazil show, and thanked the fighters for their support. “Much respect for Anderson, Minotauro, Bonnar, etc. Thanks for doing UFC 153. Brazil will be fun! Rio, here we come!” posted White on Twitter.

Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for a behind-the-scenes look at UFC Rio 3.

Check out how the card looks now :

UFC 153
HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
October 13, 2012

Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar
Rodrigo Minotauro vs Dave Herman
Glover Teixeira vs Fábio Maldonado
Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva
Wagner Caldeirão vs Phil Davis
Demian Maia vs Rick Story
Rony Jason vs Sam Sicilia
Gabriel Napão vs Gerônimo Mondragon
Gleison Tibau vs Francisco Massaranduba
Diego Brandão vs Joey Gambino
Serginho Moraes vs Renée Forte
Luiz Banha Cane vs Chris Camozzi
Cristiano Marcello vs Reza Madadi

Stephan Bonnar: o pioneiro do Jungle Fight hoje é um dos queridinhos do UFC. Foto: UFC/Divulgação.

O Ultimate balança mais não cai. Se caíram os combates de José Aldo contra Frankie Edgar e Quinton Jackson vs Glover Teixeira, o maior evento de MMA do mundo tratou logo de remendar os buracos no card. Nessa quarta-feira foram anunciados três novas lutas para a terceira edição do UFC Rio, que rola no dia 13 de outubro, na HSBC Arena.

O campeão dos médios Anderson Silva volta a lutar na categoria dos meio-pesados e vai encarar Stephan Bonnar, finalista do TUF 1. Esta será a terceira luta de Anderson na divisão de cima, onde venceu James Irvin e Forrest Griffin, ambos por nocaute no primeiro round. Já Bonnar vem embalado com três vitórias consecutivas. Veja o raçudo americano, que treinou com Carlson Gracie, em luta contra Lyoto Machida em terras brasileiras, no Jungle Fight 1, realizado em Manaus, no ano de 2003,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdLj52AqBnU

Outro duelo confirmado coloca frente a frente Rodrigo Minotauro e Dave Herman. O brasileiro não luta desde a derrota para Frank Mir, em dezembro de 2011 e o experiente Herman vem de dois revesés seguidos, para Stefan Struve e Roy Nelson, mas tem 21 vitórias na carreira.

Já Glover Teixeira, que enfrentaria Rampage Jackson, agora terá Fabio Maldonado, pela frente. Glover estreou no UFC finalizando Kyle Kingsbury no UFC 146, e Maldonado está com um triunfo e dois infortúnios no octágono.

O manda-chuva do Ultimate Dana White trabalhou rápido para tapar as lacunas da etapa carioca, e agradeceu os lutadores pelo apoio. “Muito respeito por Anderson, Minotauro, Bonnar, etc. Obrigada por entrarem no UFC 153. Brasil vai ser divertido! Rio, aí vamos nós!”, postou o cartola no twitter.

Siga ligado no GRACIEMAG.com para ver mais bastidores do UFC Rio 3.

Confira como ficou o card:

UFC 153
HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro
13 de outubro de 2012

Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar
Rodrigo Minotauro vs Dave Herman
Glover Teixeira vs Fábio Maldonado
Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva
Wagner Caldeirão vs Phil Davis
Demian Maia vs Rick Story
Rony Jason vs Sam Sicilia
Gabriel Napão vs Gerônimo Mondragon
Gleison Tibau vs Francisco Massaranduba
Diego Brandão vs Joey Gambino
Serginho Moraes vs Renée Forte
Luiz Banha Cane vs Chris Camozzi
Cristiano Marcello vs Reza Madadi

Rampage Jackson during pre-UFC 135 open training / UFC publicity photo

September 11 was no easy day for fans, promoters or athletes involved with UFC Rio alike. Besides José Aldo, another of the stars of the night got injured and was pulled from the card. The black belt Mario Sukata, who trained with Quinton “Rampage”Jackson in Recife, Brazil, told GRACIEMAG.com what happened:

“He was training well and felt pain in his elbow on Monday. Yesterday he felt it a lot more, and he couldn’t move it at all. The area was inflamed and hurt a lot,” said the Paraiba native, who also spoke of the American’s disappointment.

“He was in greater shape than ever and really upset, but he made it clear that if Glover will wait for him, he really wants this fight. He’s already flown back to the United States and has a doctor’s appointment scheduled there. Depending on how he checks out, he may recover quickly. He just kept saying he really wants to fight Glover,” he added.

Rampage Jackson durante treino aberto do UFC, na edição 135. Foto: UFC/Divulgação

O 11 de setembro não foi fácil para os fãs, promotores e atletas do UFC Rio, e além de José Aldo, outro astro da noite também se machucou e pulou fora do card. O faixa-preta Mario Sukata, que treinava com Quinton Rampage no Recife, contou o que houve ao GRACIEMAG.com:

“Ele estava treinando bem e sentiu a dor no cotovelo na segunda-feira. Ontem sentiu de novo, mais forte, e não conseguiu fazer movimento nenhum. O local ficou inchado e doendo muito”, disse o paraibano, que também falou sobre a decepção do americano.

“Ele nunca esteve tão bem e ficou chateado, mas deixou bem claro que se o Glover esperar ele quer muito fazer essa luta. Ele já embarcou para os Estados Unidos e tem consulta marcada com seu médico lá. Dependendo da avaliação, a recuperação pode ser rápida. Ele só repetia que quer muito lutar com o Glover”, completou.

Além do cancelamento de Rampage vs Glover Teixeira e José Aldo vs Frankie Edgar, o confere entre Vitor Belfort e Alan Belcher, então penúltima luta da noite, já havia sido retirado. O americano se machucou e Vitor encara Jon Jones no UFC 152, no dia 22 de setembro.

Veja como está o card até Dana White se pronunciar. O brasileiro Wanderlei Silva pode pintar no evento. No Twitter, o mundo do Jiu-Jitsu pediu por Ronaldo Jacaré, do Strikeforce.

UFC 153
HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro
13 de outubro de 2012

Frankie Edgar vs adversário a definir
Glover Teixeira vs adversário a definir
Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva
Wagner Caldeirão vs Phil Davis
Demian Maia vs Rick Story
Rony Jason vs Sam Sicilia
Gabriel Napão vs Gerônimo Mondragon
Gleison Tibau vs Francisco Massaranduba
Diego Brandão vs Joey Gambino
Serginho Moraes vs Renée Forte
Luiz Banha Cane vs Chris Camozzi
Cristiano Marcello vs Reza Madadi

The terror room in Curitiba / Picture originally posted on Twitter

Having taken to Twitter to plead for a spot at UFC Rio, Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cristiano Marcello saw his request fulfilled in the form of a matchup against Sweden’s Reza Madadi at the HSBC Arena this October 13.

The Rio de Janeiro native was a participant on season 15 of the TUF reality show and ended up getting knocked out by Sam Sicilia on what was his octagon debut. Now, he’s seeking his first win in the UFC.

To do so, the former Chute Boxe rep is training balls to the wall in Curitiba, facing a daily rote he has dubbed “the room of terror”.

“I’m training with my physical conditioning coach, who’s turning out to be a great trainer. It truly is a room of terror. Truth is, we’ve been doing some precious work on improving my explosiveness and agility. I’m stoked. Functional training together with weights has been great,” said the Jiu-Jitsu professor.

“I’ve been practicing everything I can—lots of Thai boxing with Bruno Carvalho [an M-1 fighter], wrestling with Marcelo Zulu and grappling with my black belt Ocimar Costa,” added the brown belt bronze medalist at the 1999 and 2000 World Championships.

Always remembered for the triangle he used to subdue an enraged Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennet behind the scenes at Pride FC, Cristiano remains confident in his Jiu-Jitsu, which is useful in any danger situation he may find himself in.

“The truth is that in the dressing room at Pride I believed in my Jiu-Jitsu, and you have to believe you can do it. When you find yourself in an extreme situation, what works is what you trained; it’s your subconscious at work. My whole life I trained refined Jiu-Jitsu, and I managed to impose it in most of my fights; especially during that moment of danger,” he recalled, before explaining how he plans not to get caught off guard at the UFC event in Rio.

“You have to understand that in MMA the fight starts on the feet. Of course I plan to impose my game and take it to where I’m most confident, show my Jiu-Jitsu. Of course that’s what I want, but I’ll have to go through all kinds of turbulence to get there. I just hope I can put him through some turbulence first. He’s got sharp wrestling, doesn’t come from a striking background, but I know he’s going to want to keep it standing. Well I’m not going to avoid that. In the end, though, I want to impose my Jiu-Jitsu and welcome him with my triangle or armbar,” he revealed.

UFC 153 – ALDO VS EDGAR
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012
HSBC ARENA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

José Aldo vs Frankie Edgar
Quinton Rampage vs Glover Teixeira
Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva
Phil Davis vs Wagner Caldeirão
Demian Maia vs Rick Story
Rony Jason vs Sam Sicilia
Gabriel Napão vs Geronimo Mondragon
Diego Brandão vs Joey Gambino
Gleison Tibau vs Francisco Massaranduba
Sergio Moraes vs Renee Forte
Luiz Banha vs Chris Camozzi
Cristiano Marcello vs Reza Madadi