Ricardo Pantcho (CheckMat), entre os campeões do Strikeforce Tarec Saffiedine e Dan Henderson. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal

Além da primeira disputa de cinturão feminino, entre Ronda Rousey e Liz Carmouche, o coevento do UFC 157, dia 23 de fevereiro em Anaheim, Califórnia, reserva aos fãs um duelo de titãs, capaz de movimentar a divisão dos meio-pesados do MMA.

De um lado, o brasileiro Lyoto Machida (18v, 3d) traz toda a rapidez de seu karatê shotokan e vitórias sobre Randy Couture, Rashad Evans e Tito Ortiz. Do outro, o ex-campeão do Pride e Strikeforce Dan Henderson (29v, 8d) não fica atrás. O americano vem de quatro vitórias consecutivas – contra Renato Babalu, Rafael Feijão, Fedor Emilianenko e Maurício Shogun, numa peleja época.

Lutador e treinador de chão de Hendo, Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano contou um pouco sobre os treinos do americano que jamais foi nocauteado, e revelou o lado violento do casca-grossa banguela, que perdeu os dentes da frente num treino com Randy Couture, nos tempos românticos do Team Quest.

Confira os melhores momentos e conheça o “instinto animal” de Dan Henderson.

GRACIEMAG.com: Como o Hendo tem encarado os treinos de Jiu-Jitsu?

Ricardo Pantcho: Treino ele desde 2009, e ele gosta de treinar chão, sempre faz os rolinhas dele. O Hendo é um cara bem experiente e tem o estilo dele. Sabe atacar por baixo e por cima no Jiu-Jitsu, só que ele tem aquele instinto animal dele. Ele gosta mesmo é de bater. Mas, se aparecer alguma brecha ele sabe finalizar, não duvidem disso! Ele não tem o costume de treinar como um praticante comum, pensando em pontos ou estratégia, mas ele seria capaz de vencer muito faixa-preta. Ele é bem experiente, treina Jiu-Jitsu há mais de uma década e tem muito conhecimento de chão. Quando vê a gente fazendo um movimento, ele já pede pra eu repetir, faz algumas vezes e já pegou! É um talento.

É o que ele gosta de fazer, né? A preocupação maior em nossos treinos de chão foi justamente este controle das posicões, para ele não perder posições boas por cima e poder desferir os golpes. E ele está batendo muito forte no ground and pound! Mas se a luta embolar no chão, o Dan também não tem medo nenhum de ficar por ali. Ele já lutou muito no chão. Mas, com o wrestling que ele tem, ele cair por baixo não será tão fácil de acontecer. E ele tem muitos recursos para levantar se preciso. É aquilo, ele treina todas as áreas para executar o que estiver a fim ali na hora. A tática é ficar confortável para soltar a mão.

Sobre o que ele conversava com vocês durante os treinos?

Ele é muito forte psicologicamente. O que ele vem comentando é que está com muitas saudades de lutar, após o tempo parado com a contusão. Ele quer fazer esta e mais duas lutas ainda este ano. E quer vencer quem aparecer na frente dele. E o próximo é o Lyoto.

Comente um pouco sobre os treinos nessa reta final. O que chamou a atenção? O bicho é violento?

Só tenho a dizer que duas semanas antes da luta não é uma boa coisa ser parceiro de treinos dele… (Risos). Ele nocauteia a galera até nos treinos! Na luta contra o Babalu, ele me tirou do treino com um soco no fígado. Antes da luta contra o Shogun, ele quebrou meu nariz no aquecimento. Estou me preparando para aquecer no chão com ele para esta luta, mas depois dali eu saio fora. Ele é gente boa, mas quando entra para treinar, dá medo! (Risos)

Qual é o seu pitaco para o resultado?

Henderson por nocaute técnico, no segundo assalto!

CheckMat top-flight during training / Photos and video by Deb Blythe

The CheckMat team is coming into the 2012 Worlds with guns blazing. Jiu-Jitsu black belt stars Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, Lucas Leite, João Assis, Yuri Simoes, Antonio “Cara de Sapato” Carlos, Jr., Marcelo “Lapela” Mafra, Marco “Sharpei” Machado, Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano, Carlos Holando, and brown belt Renato Cardoso were a few of the heavy hitters training on the mats at the CheckMat school in Upland, California, preparing for their upcoming 2012 Worlds matches. With so many champions on the mats at one time, it was no surprise to see them throwing down and going at it like they were competing for the gold at that very moment. Black belt João Assis walked off the mats laughing about it, “There is a lot of testosterone in the room right now!”

João Assis

Although João has no expectations going into the Worlds this year, he’s going to be ready for his super heavy competition, no matter who they may be. “I know everyone in my division is super tough,” he says, “Everyone deserves a lot of attention.” João says he was injured in his recent tournaments, and because of it he hasn’t been able to put forth his best efforts. He still has a couple issues he’s going to be fighting through at the Worlds, but says nothing is going to deter him from working towards his dreams of winning gold. “I’m trying to work on sweeps, takedowns and subs, but you know… you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” he laughs. “I’ve been training every day at CheckMat and also doing a lot of yoga. I’m working on my wrestling and conditioning with the Kings MMA guys. I’ve had the hardest and most intense training of my life there. I feel stronger with all my training. So, all I have to say is, ‘Good luck to whoever I’m going to face, because they’re gonna need it!”

Yuri Simões (on bottom) will be making his debut at black belt after an illustrious run at brown.

Yuri Simões

The exceptionally talented Yuri received his black belt on December 31, 2011, and has already made a statement on the tournament scene, winning his weight at the Pan and defeating world champion Rafael Lovato Jr. in the process. He then closed out the bracket in the open with his friend and mentor Lucas Leite. Then he won both his weight and the open at the Phoenix Open. Tally up all his world class brown belt wins and you know you have a guy who is a threat to everyone in his heavyweight division at the Worlds this year. Although this is Yuri’s first Worlds as a black belt, he is not intimidated in the least. He expects to win gold, and in case you haven’t picked up on it yet, the seemingly undefeatable Rodolfo Vieira is in his division. “Rodolfo is my friend,” Yuri says, “I don’t wish to fight him, but he understands. It’s our profession.” Yuri is excited to compete against so many great athletes at the Worlds. “I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time,” the 21-year-old says, “Rodolfo, Tussa, Tarsis, Lovato…I take their presence in my division as motivation and I will treat every match like it’s a final. I have to because if I don’t, I may lose. I’m very careful with each opponent I face, even if I’ve never seen them before. I’m especially careful with them.” Yuri has been training hard for this upcoming opportunity and says he has never felt better in his life. “I’ve been training Sunday to Sunday,” he says, “For the first time I realize I have a chance to be the best. I’m very motivated and I feel great! This is my main dream in life. To win gold at the Worlds as a black belt.”

Antonio “Cara de Sapato” Carlos, Jr.

Cara de Sapato won silver at the Pan after closing out his division with his world champion teammate Bochecha. He’s currently dividing his time between going to university and training Jiu-Jitsu, and has plans to do MMA soon, but in the meantime he’s focusing hard on his Worlds training and he’s made some adjustments to his game, which he hopes is going to help him this weekend. “I was competing at heavy, but now I’m competing at super heavy,” he says. “The guys have so much power but are slower, and my game is really fast. I’ve changed some of my techniques because of it. My game is on the bottom, and no one does it in super heavy. I’ve been working hard on the details of my game.” Some of the big men in his division include: Xande Ribeiro, Bernardo Faria, Leonardo Nogueira, and his teammate João Assis. This is Cara de Sapato’s second Worlds. Last year he came in third in the heavyweight division, but he had a rib injury, so he wasn’t able to perform at his best. This year he still has some lingering ailments, but overall, he says he feels good. Cara de Sapato says he does study his competitors’ games, but more than anything else, he just tries to focus on his own. “I have so many friends in Jiu-Jitsu,” he says. “I’m kind of a quiet guy. I know everyone and I like everyone. No one wants to fight friends, but I will try to win this year. I will give it my best.” As an aside, the CheckMat team informed GRACIEMAG that “Cara de Sapato” means “shoe-face” as in, “he looks good from far away, but up close, not so much.” For the record, someone named him wrong. He looks just fine from both distances!

Watch the mat wizards in training:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIrQr8owRzc

Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano

Every team needs its “cheerleader.” You know, that selfless guy who leads the team with his passion, his leadership, his coaching abilities, and his dedication to keeping the team cohesive and running smoothly. That guy on the CheckMat team is none other than Ricardo “Pantcho.” Pantcho has been a black belt for many years and can be seen competing at all the tournaments on the circuit, but more than anything else, he can be seen and heard coaching and instructing CheckMat and Team Quest students from white belt up to black. This ultra heavy competitor has had his own taste of glory in life, but feels it’s time to pass the torch to his teammates. That being said, he has every intention of loyally walking side by side with them throughout all their journeys. “I’m going to compete at the Worlds this year for the experience, and to just have fun,” he says. “I’m really going to help my teammates.” Last year at the 2011 No-Gi Worlds, Pantcho came in second place, losing to Roberto Cyborg in the finals. Pantcho works more on his no-gi game than his gi game these days because he is the Jiu-Jitsu coach at Team Quest to UFC #1 light heavyweight contender Dan “Hendo” Henderson. “I’ve been really busy training Dan for his September fight against Jon “Bones” Jones,” Pantcho says. “Dan’s mind is so strong. He believes he’s going to win. He has good hands, his wrestling and ground and pound are amazing. We roll a lot. I work on his guards, escapes and subs. He’s hard to sweep. He’s helped my wrestling a lot.” Pantcho says his takedowns and base have improved tremendously because of his training with Dan, but these days, his focus is simply more on being a good coach and teammate. “I teach a lot now,” he says. “I help my teammates of all belts. I coach everyone and help everyone. It’s not about me anymore. It’s about CheckMat and Team Quest. The CheckMat team has been focused and training a lot. We’ve had a good camp and I expect great results at the Worlds.”

Marco “Sharpei” Machado

Marco “Sharpei” will be fighting at medium heavy at the 2012 Worlds and plans on fighting just in his division. “I’m going to do my best,” he says. “We have the best team, so I know everything will be good for us.” Sharpei doesn’t like to check the brackets before he competes, but in particular he doesn’t at the Worlds because he already knows going in that every match is going to be tough. “All my matches will be difficult, and if everything goes right I will have a lot of them,” he laughs. Sharpei has never won the black belt division at the Worlds. Last year he came in third. However, he won the open class at the 2011 American Nationals and the 2012 Phoenix Open. “My training has been the best it could be for the Worlds this year,” he says, “CheckMat has the best team in the world, so I’m excited to see everyone on the podium this year!”

Renato Cardosa

Renato read GRACIEMAG’s article on the top 10 Jiu-Jitsu athletes to watch at the Worlds and not being on that list has now motivated him to get on it. Renato has flown in from Brazil to make a name for himself in the U.S. because he’s already got a big one back home. The middle division brown belt recently won his division at the Brazilian Nationals – five fights with five finishes, but lost to Orlando Sanchez in the open in the quarterfinals (Orlando made GRACIEMAG’s “top 10” list). However, at the Pan, he had nine fights in his division and the open and he won all nine with subs. As for the upcoming Worlds, Renato says he is going to fight in both his division and the open, and he will be looking for different results in the absolute, putting Orlando Sanchez and all the other brown belts on notice. It should be noted that Benny Dariush, who also made GRACIEMAG’s top 10 list, is in Renato’s division. “I know there are great fighters in my division, but I am ready,” he says. “I’m coming to win. I believe I’m going to finish all my fights. I fight for subs.” Renato says he is not concerned about who is in his bracket, because he plans on fighting his own game. “I expect to do what Bochecha did as a brown belt in 2010,” Renato says, “I’m going to win my weight and the open.”

Hendo (middle) with team and (right) / Photo: Ricardo Pantcho's personal archives

According to UFC president Dana White, the fight between Dan Henderson and Maurício Shogun has joined the list of the greatest showdowns in UFC history. The fight is covered in the issue of GRACIEMAG now in the works. While you wait on yours (if you’re not a subscriber yet, get on board here.), here’s a taster of Henderson’s take on his battle with Shogun.

In the final round, Shogun mounted you and fired off a number of shots. What was going through your head at that moment?

I knew I’d won the fight, so I had to keep moving to make it to the end of the round. I could tell he was too tired to knock me out at that point.

You do your ground training with the Brazilian Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano. How did you put your Jiu-Jitsu to use when you were under fire from Shogun?

I was really tired. If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I might have used Jiu-Jitsu to get out from under him. My strategy there was to not let Shogun get back mount; I didn’t want to risk it, since I knew I’d win the decision. I managed to hang on till the end of the round–that was all I was thinking about.

What does this fight mean to your career?

It was really important to my career. I think this win was enough to earn me another shot at the title. That’s what I’m hoping for, but you never know.

Hendo, no centro, com a equipe e ao lado de Pantcho (D). Foto: Arquivo Pessoal Ricardo Pantcho.

Segundo o presidente do UFC, Dana White, a luta entre Dan Henderson vs Maurício Shogun está entre os grandes combates da história do UFC. O desafio é um dos destaques da edição 178 da GRACIEMAG, que logo estará em todas as bancas. Enquanto isso, como aperitivo, confira o que Henderson achou da batalha contra Shogun:

No último assalto, num momento de sufoco, Shogun montou em você e disparou diversos golpes. O que passava pela sua cabeça nesta hora?

Sabia que tinha ganhado a luta, então precisava me movimentar e chegar ao fim do round. Entendia que, devido ao cansaço, ele não tinha mais forças para me nocautear naquele momento.

Você é treinado no chão pelo brasileiro Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano. De que forma usou o Jiu-Jitsu no momento de sufoco, por baixo do Shogun?

Estava muito cansado e, se não estivesse exausto, talvez teria usado o Jiu-Jitsu para sair de baixo. A estratégia ali foi no sentido de não deixar o Shogun pegar as minhas costas, não queria correr risco, pois sabia que venceria na decisão. Consegui segurar a luta para terminar o round, só pensava nisso.

O que significou esta luta para a sua carreira?

Foi muito importante para a minha carreira. Acho que essa vitória foi o suficiente para me dar novamente a chance pelo cinturão. Torço para isso, mas nunca se sabe!

Henderson em foto de Esther Lin.

O plantel de treinadores de Dan Henderson conta com o faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu Ricardo Feliciano, o Pantcho. E o jiu-Jitsu foi uma arma importante para a vitória de Henderson sobre Fedor Emelianenko, neste sábado, no Strikeforce.

Depois de cair por baixo, Dan deslizou suavemente para as costas de Fedor, de onde abriu espaço para o nocaute. GRACIEMAG.com entrou em contato com Pantcho, que também nos enviou algumas opiniões de Dan Henderson. Na luta, ocorreu exatamente o que esperavam

“O Fedor é um lutador muito duro, uma lenda do esporte. Sabia que ele viria com tudo, mas que eu iria vencer”, diz Henderson.

“Esperava uma luta realmente dura, um grande desafio. Acreditava que ele vinha para tentar me nocautear e usar o seu agressivo ground and pound, mas estava preparado para tudo isso. Tinha que evitar que ele me acertasse o máximo possível e, mesmo quando eu estivesse no ground and pound, tomar cuidado com os ataques dele no meu braço. Sabia que seria uma guerra, mas que iria batê-lo”, completa o veterano, campeão de meio-pesados.

O faixa-preta Ricardo Pantcho. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal.

Pantcho também comenta sobre a luta:

“Sabia que o Henderson iria trocar e que não seria fácil. Planejamos exatamente atacar no ground and pound por cima, mas tínhamos que tomar cuidado com o forte ataque de braço do Fedor. Mas o Hendo tem um ótimo controle por cima, fica difícil de se movimentar e de se levantar. Se você errar por baixo dele, ele cresce e vem sempre buscando uma posição melhor. Sabia que ele estava pronto.”

Outra vitória da equipe foi a de Tarec Saffiedine sobre Scott Smith, por decisão unânime.

“Tarec é um striker, por isso prefere a trocação. Mas não fiquem surpresos quando virem uma finalização dele. Ele melhorou muito no Jiu-Jitsu, vem treinando muito sem pano e também compete de kimono aqui na Califórnia. Inclusive, fez seis lutas no último Pan, tendo perdido apenas na final, por decisão”, encerra Pantcho.

Henderson in photo by Esther Lin

Dan Henderson’s panel of trainers includes Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano. And Jiu-Jitsu was a vital part of Hendo’s win over Fedor Emelianenko at this Saturday’s Strikeforce show.

After ending up on bottom, Dan deftly slid to Fedor’s back, where he cleared the way for the knockout. GRACIEMAG.com got in touch with Pantcho, who also sent in some of Dan Henderson’s opinions. The fight went just the way they had hoped it would.

“Fedor’s a really tough fighter, a legend of the sport. I knew he’d come out guns a-blazing; but that I would win,” said Henderson.

“I expected a really tough fight, a great challenge. I felt he was going to try to knock me out and use his aggressive ground-and-pound game, but I was prepared for all that. I had to avoid getting hit as much as possible and, even when taking his ground and pound, be wary of his armbar attacks. I knew it would be a war but that I’d beat him,” added the veteran and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.

Black belt Ricardo Pantcho / Photo: personal archive

Pantcho gave his take on the fight, too:

“I knew Henderson was going to stand and trade and that it wouldn’t be easy. Our plan was precisely to attack with ground-and-pound from the top, but we had to be careful for Fedor’s armbars. But Hendo has great control from top positions; it’s hard to move and get up. If you mess up when under him, he capitalizes and always looks for a better position. I knew he was ready.”

Another fighter from the team to win Saturday night was Tarec Saffiedine, who overcame Scott Smith by unanimous decision.

“Tarec’s a striker, so he prefers to stand and trade. But I wasn’t surprised when I saw him going for a submission. He’s improved a lot in Jiu-Jitsu, has been training a lot of No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu and even competes in the gi here in California. He even had six matches at the last Pan, only losing in the final, by decision,” said Pantcho in closing.

Hendo displaying Strikeforce belt / Photo: Esther Lin

The forty-year-old Dan Henderson is still at it raining on the parades of all the young fellows in MMA. After beating Renato Babalu and Rafael Feijão both by knockout, Hendo added another belt to his collection: the Strikeforce light heavyweight one.

An interview with the champion tipped to face Fedor Emelianenko in his next outing features on the pages of GRACIEMAG 169, now in bookstores, and of course he addressed his views on the gentle art.

“Jiu-Jitsu to me is key, combined with wrestling. Wrestling is a great foundation with which to control a fight, but you need Jiu-Jitsu or striking to finish the opponent. I love grappling, but the truth is I never put on a gi. I’d be lost in the gi!” remarks Henderson.

To help Hendo with his ground game, black belt Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano spares no effort.

“Henderson would give a lot of guys a hard time if he were to compete in at No-Gi tournaments. He really likes grappling – training on the bottom too. He’d tap out a lot of black belts,” asserts Pantcho.

Find out more about Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson and his ground skills by getting your copy of GRACIEMAG 169, and subscribe to receive future issues, here.

Hendo exibe o cinturão do Strikeforce. Foto: Esther Lin.

O quarentão Dan Henderson segue atrapalhando a vida de muito garoto no MMA. Depois de bater Renato Babalu e Rafael Feijão, ambos por nocaute, Hendo garantiu mais um cinturão à sua vitoriosa carreira, o de meio-pesado do Strikeforce.

O campeão, cogitado para encarar Fedor Emelianenko, está nas páginas da GRACIEMAG #170, em todas as bancas, numa entrevista exclusiva e, claro, não poderia deixar de falar da arte suave.

“O Jiu-Jitsu para mim é uma ferramenta fundamental, combinada ao wrestling. O wrestling é uma ótima base para que se tenha o controle da luta, mas você precisa do Jiu-Jitsu ou da trocação para finalizar o seu oponente. Adoro trabalhar o chão, mas, realmente, nunca boto o kimono. Com o pano, estaria perdido!”, comenta Henderson.

Para ajudá-lo no trabalho de chão, o faixa-preta Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano não poupa esforços.

“Henderson é um cara que, se participasse de algumas competições de Jiu-Jitsu sem kimono, daria muito trabalho. Ele gosta muito de trabalhar o chão, treina por baixo também e iríamos vê-lo fazer muito faixa-preta bater”, declara Pantcho.

Para saber muito mais sobre Henderson e suas habilidades no chão, garanta já a GRACIEMAG #170 e assine as próximas edições aqui.

Henderson em foto de Esther Lin.

Você acha que sofre apenas o lutador, que treina diariamente e põe a cara à tapa em cima do ringue? Engano seu, caro leitor. Sparrings e os treinadores também sentem o peso da mão.

No caso do faixa-preta Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano, que trabalha o Jiu-Jitsu da fera Dan Henderson, isso ficou mais que provado. Ainda no aquecimento para a luta contra Renato Babalu, Henderson provou que estava pronto para nocautear, o que aconteceu ainda no primeiro assalto, em luta pelo Strikeforce.

Mas precisava fazer isso com o amigo, Hendo?!

Veja como foi:

Henderson in photo by Esther Lin.

You think only fighters suffering, taking hard knocks in training and putting it all on the line in the ring? Well, you’re wrong, dear reader. Sparring partners and trainers get their fair share of pain too.

In the case of black belt Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano, who works with MMA juggernaut Dan Henderson on his Jiu-Jitsu, that’s been more than proven. Still just getting warmed up to get in the ring with Renato Babalu, Henderson proved he was all set to knock people out, just like he did in the first round of his Strikeforce fight.

Now did you have to go and do that to your friend, Hendo?

See how it happened for yourself:

Esquito e Dan Henderson. Fotos: divulgação.

O Campeonato Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu Sem Kimono acontecerá no ginásio State University Long Beach, na Califórnia (EUA), no dia 7 de novembro, com grandes nomes da luta mundial. O Amazonas, como sempre, tem seu representante na competição. O faixa preta Carlos Holanda “Esquisito”, como conta o colaborador Arthur Castro, já se encontra em solo americano para aperfeiçoar seus treinos.   

Para essa missão, Esquisito não foi sozinho, ele está acompanhado do amigo Mario Israel. Juntos eles percorrem as badaladas academias de Los Angeles, e dessa vez foram conferir os treinos no CT do lutador do Strikeforce Dan Henderson, que é treinado pelo faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu da CheckMat Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano. 

O campeão de duas categorias do extinto Pride fez um treino com Esquisito e passou dicas do seu poderoso wrestling para o faixa-preta aplicar nas lutas sem pano.  Que reforço! 

Para garantir também a sua vaga no Mundial Sem kimono clique aqui.

Esquisito e Pantcho com Henderson e equipe

Esquito and Dan Henderson. Photos: publicity.

The No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Championship is set to take place November 7 at the California State University Long Beach gymnasium, and a number of big names are in. The Brazilian state of Amazonas, as always, has its rep in the tournament. Black belt Carlos “Esquisito” Holanda, as reported by our collaborator Arthur Castro, is already stateside to step up his training.

Esquisito is not along in his mission, and is accompanied by friend Mario Israel. Together they tour the big academies of Los Angeles, and thus went to check out the training headquarters of Strikeforce star Dan Henderson, who is coached by Jiu-Jitsu black belt from CheckMat Ricardo “Pantcho” Feliciano.

The champion of two divisions of Japan’s now-defunct-Pride FC promotion rolled with Esquisito and provided some potent wrestling pointers for the black belt to incorporate into his no-gi game. That’s worthwhile reinforcement!

To secure your spot at the No-Gi Worlds, click here.

Esquisito and Pantcho with Henderson and team