Pictured: Rick Hawn during medal ceremony at 2007 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

HTFU, the sponsor that Bellator’s Rick Hawn said canceled a check to him following his loss to Mike Chanlder last week at Bellator 85, has agreed to pay the fighter, according to reports on Tuesday.

Mark Gingrich, CEO and founder of HTFU, told MMAFighting.com that a new payment has been arranged for Hawn and sent to him today, Tuesday.

“A new check has been issued to Rick,” he said. “It has been mailed today.”

As reported by GRACIEMAG.com, Hawn took to his Twitter account to expose a message sent by HTFU — which wasn’t identified at the time — stating that the lifestyle brand took a chance on the fighter, but that he failed to perform in a way that would justify paying him for wearing the brand during the Bellator broadcast.

“I took a huge chance with him. TV exposure was great…but it only holds weight if he wins or puts on a good show. Neither happened,” Hawn posted, quoting the sponsor. “At the end of the day…not one sole (sp) will run to [my] store and buy product because they [saw my logo and saw] Rick loose (sp) the fight.”

Attempts to reach Gingrich and HTFU representatives by GRACIEMAG.com were unsuccessful at the time of this publication.

Hawn posted in his original message that a lawsuit is pending. There has been no indication if the suit has been dropped at this time.

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visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

(Photo by Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images)

Following his loss to lightweight champion Mike Chandler last Thursday at Bellator 85, Rick Hawn said late Monday that a sponsor decided not to pay him because the fighter lost his last fight.

Hawn went to Twitter to expose a message from an unnamed sponsor, which said the exposure would only hold weight if the fighter won or performed well.

“At this point, a stop payment has been placed on check which cannot be cashed or deposited now,” Hawn posted, quoting the sponsor. “I will not comment on Rick and his fight. That is not my place. But what I will tell you is this: I took a huge chance with him. TV exposure was great…but it only holds weight if he wins or puts on a good show. Neither happened. At the end of the day…not one sole (sp) will run to [my] store and buy product because they [saw my logo and saw] Rick loose (sp) the fight. I’ve made it my career and business to know what nets a return on investment for the brand…and this is the number 1 reason why I DO NOT hand out money or product to fighters.”

According the lightweight, the sponsor is still placing images of him wearing the brand on their website.

Hawn added that a lawsuit is pending, and that more information will be revealed some time soon.

At Bellator 85, Hawn lost by rear-naked choke to the champion Chandler in the second round. The loss was second of his career out of 16 outings.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,
visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Pat Curran contra Joe Warren no Bellator 60. Foto: Bellator/Divulgação.

O Bellator 85 rolou nessa quinta-feira, em Irvine, nos Estados Unidos, e não faltou emoção no cercado cinza. Estreando no canal Spike TV, o evento contou com ótimos combates e não economizou no quesito emoção. Para o Brasil a noite não foi das melhores, com três lutadores no card, apenas Cleber “Tomadinha” Luciano venceu. Depois de três rounds os jurados decretaram o triunfo do brasileiro por decisão unânime sobre Mario Navarro.

Apostando apenas na trocação, Patrício Pitbull acabou superado por Pat Curran, que manteve o cinturão dos penas do Bellator. Sem tentar levar o combate para o chão, o potiguar usou os punhos para acertar o americano, que respondeu na mesma moeda e avariou mais o rosto do brasileiro. Após cinco rounds com muitos socos e chutes, Pat Curran levou por decisão dividida.

Já Renato Babalu vinha bem contra Mikhail Zayats até o minuto final do primeiro round, quando tomou um soco giratório e sentiu o golpe. O russo aproveitou o momento e despejou uma sequência de socos, até o brasileiro cair. No chão, algumas marretadas sacramentaram o resultado.

Ainda na jaula do Bellator, Michael Chandler usou o Jiu-Jitsu e finalizou Rick Hawn com um mata-leão, mantendo o cinturão dos leves.

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

Bellator 85: Chandler vs Hawn
Bren Center, Irvine, Califórnia
17 de janeiro de 2013

Michael Chandler finalizou Rick Hawn com um mata-leão aos 3min7s do R1
Jacob Noe venceu Seth Petruzelli por nocaute técnico aos 2min51s do R1
Mikhail Zayats venceu Renato Babalu por nocaute técnico aos 4min49s do R1
Pat Curran venceu Patrício Pitbull por decisão dividida dos jurados
Aaron Miller venceu Joe Camacho por decisão unânime dos jurados
Jason Lambert finalizou Hector Ramirez com uma chave de braço aos 3min59s do R1
J.J. Ambrose finalizou Brian Warren com uma guilhotina aos 50s do R2
Emanuel Newton finalizou Atanas Djambazov com um mata-leão aos 2min21s do R2
Savant Young nocauteou Mike Guymon aos 48s do R2
Joe Williams venceu Jamie Yager por nocaute técnico aos 4min2s do R1
Cleber Luciano derrotou Mario Navarro por decisão unânime dos jurados

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney (left) stands with lightweight champion Mike Chandler (right). Photo by Erik Fontanez

IRVINE, Calif. — Mike Chander and Pat Curran successfully defended their Bellator championship belts at the company’s debut on Spike TV in Irvine, Calif., at UC Irvine’s Bren Center on Thursday night.

Chandler finished Rick Hawn in the second round by locking on a rear-naked choke at 3:07 of the frame, while Curran went the distance with Patricio “Pit Bull” Freire for a split decision win.

“It was a big night for us,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said during the post-fight press conference. “Man, did [the fighters] deliver … All praise to you guys.”

Chandler looked dominant in his performance, establishing a takedown early in the fight and working actively in the guard to score points with strikes. The champ controlled Hawn for a majority of the opening frame and appeared to win the round.

The Alliance MMA lightweight continued his push in the second round, getting a slam of Hawn in the first 60 seconds on the way to sinking in the submission to finish the contest.

“It hasn’t really all sank in yet,” Chandler told GRACIEMAG.com of his win on Bellator’s first Spike TV broadcast. “I just want to keep getting better, [train] and see how good I can be.”

With the win, Chandler maintains his undefeated record at 11-0, while Hawn drops to 14-2.

Featherweight champion Pat Curran sits with his championship belt. Photo by Erik Fontanez

Curran, the featherweight title holder, and Pit Bull Freire opened the main card with the 145-pound title fight. Both fighters kept a conservative approach, measuring each other before deciding to engage with more offense in the latter stages of the contest.

The champion wasn’t really surprised, he said, that his opponent didn’t come out guns blazing. It’s a five-round fight and the fighters needed to pace themselves, he added.

“If he was going to come at me really hard, I was ready for it,” Curran said at the press conference. “I knew he had to pace himself because he has gotten tired in the past. I knew that was in the back of his head.”

The fighters went back and forth before the fight went to the final round, but it was Curran that landed enough strikes to bloody up Freire’s nose. The contest was scored 47-48, 48-27 and 48-47 in favor of the Curran.

With the win, Curran improves his overall record to 18-4, while Freire drops his tally to 17-2.

In addition to the title fights, Mikhail Zayats and Jacob Noe each scored first-round technical knockouts in their main card performances. Zayats topped MMA veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral at 4:49 of the opening round, and Noe beat Seth Petruzelli at 2:51 of their first frame.

The Bellator 85 prelim results are as follows:

• Aaron Miller def. Joe Camacho via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Jason Lambert def. Hector Ramirez via sub (inverted armbar) at 3:59, R1
• JJ Ambrose def. Brian Warren by sub (guillotine) at 0:50, R2
• Emanuel Newton def. Atanas Djambazov via sub (rear-naked choke) at 2:21, R2
• Savant Young def. Mike Guymon by KO (punch) 0:48, R2
• Joe Williams def. Jamie Yager via TKO (strikes on the ground) 4:02, R1 
• Cleber Luciano def. Mario Navarro by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

For more UFC and MMA coverage,
visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Estima no Mundial 2009, em foto de John Lamonica.

Tão logo o Shine Fights 3 foi cancelado, após uma liminar impetrada pelo clássico promotor Don King, que não queria ver seu atleta Ricardo Mayorga contra Din Thomas, GRACIEMAG.com entrou em contato com o campeão mundial de Jiu-Jitsu Bráulio “Carcará” Estima, que faria sua estreia no MMA na noite deste sábado, contra Rick Hawn na Carolina do Norte.

Em seu primeiro desabafo, Estima vomitou tudo que sentia. Ou quase:

“Estou aqui frustradíssimo. Com vontade de vomitar só de pensar do que tive de abdicar para esta luta, e no fim de tudo terminar assim”, ele diz.

“Treinei pra caramba. Passei por situações complicadas para chegar até aqui. Perdi o primeiro aniversário do meu filho, passei dois dias em casa nesses últimos dois meses. Enfim, eu investi bastante no meu treinamento, e não estou falando em termos financeiros. Abdiquei dos treinos de pano também, e deu no que deu no World Pro. E ainda tem o Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu, agora na Califórnia, em junho, que posso ter posto em risco a troco de nada. Estou tristão. Pelo menos o Roger [Gracie] e o [Ronaldo] Jacaré mandaram bem e salvaram a noite”.

Estima comentou também como foi o clima após o cancelamento do show, em cima da hora.

“O clima aqui era de confusão, ninguém sabendo como e quando dar o próximo passo. As coisas foram aparecendo aos poucos. Pedra por pedra caindo, até a montanha desabar.

“Os promotores falaram que todos os atletas receberiam suas bolsas ainda no ginásio. Depois que seria no lobby do hotel, e que o promotor Devin chegaria às 9h30m da noite.

“Agora falaram que ele está chegando 3h da manhã, num jato particular de Miami, onde foi o julgamento do Don King. Enfim, um clima de revolta e confusão. E ninguém sabe ao certo como isso vai terminar. Os promotores falam que vamos acertar tudo amanhã e que o Shine Fights vai continuar, querem fazer o próximo show em julho.

Bráulio tentou até remarcar sua luta para um evento na Inglaterra, sem sucesso.

“Tentei até remarcar essa luta para um evento que acontece no próximo fim de semana em Birmingham, Inglaterra, só para todo esse sofrimento, todo esse trabalho, não passar batido. Vocês não sabem quanto eu queria ter lutado, quanto me custou esse sofrimento”, desabafou.

So, what don’t we know about Braulio Estima? Is there anything left for him to say? Well, lucky for us, Braulio isn’t done talking. His past is paved with gold, and fortunately, his future is lined with multiple opportunities for him to submit his opponents in his trademark record time, while continuing to teach and train at his own GB Academy in Birmingham, England.

However, lately, Braulio has been perfecting some new moves in his BJJ career. He just finished a whirlwind seminar tour across the United States – 29 GB schools in 6 weeks. Not only does Braulio submit his opponents in record time, but he apparently gives seminars in record time, too. Braulio a “Master of the Guard”, wanted to share his knowledge with all the GB students who don’t have access to him in Europe, “I had a break in my competition schedule, so I decided to take advantage of the time and just do it. I’ve enjoyed seeing the rest of the GB team and getting together with so many friends. Everyone really appreciates the work I’m doing on the mats and at each seminar everyone talks so highly about me. I am so amazed by the way people receive me. I’m very happy they actually catch the picture of who I truly am.”

For those of you who have never met him, Braulio is quite a character. His warmth, good humor and humility come across so apparent to all, you can’t help but instantly like him. He’s friendly and engaging and makes you feel like you’ve known him forever. His extensive BJJ knowledge and excellent instruction skills, along with his world champion status seal it. This guy’s got it all. He is the real deal: a Gracie Barra icon; and you can see it in every student as they listen to him speak, mesmerized by the fact that he actually stands in front of them.

In San Clemente, California, professor Braulio “wowed” his seminar guests with his guard techniques, tricks and tactics. The “wedge” was everyone’s favorite, yet most painful technique learned. Students said they felt sorry for those who missed the event, but who will get to experience their own “atomic wedgie” the next time they had someone in their guards, “I like to try to pull my opponent’s pants up to his throat,” Braulio says to waves of laughter.

Braulio’s seminar elicited much laughter and good times, stellar instruction, and a strong sense of comradary amongst all. When the seminar was over, Braulio didn’t think twice about sitting and signing autographs for students and posing in hilarious pictures with them.

Braulio believes his likableness is based on him being an “everyday man” – no better, no worse than anyone else. Like everyone else, he has had lots of ups and downs in his life and has made many mistakes. The difference between him and many others, though, is that he believes it’s his mistakes that have made him the champion he is, “My Dad used to say, ‘If you fall, stand up to fall again because nobody stays on top forever without making mistakes.’ This is very important for growth. Nothing comes easy. You gotta make a lot of mistakes. Then you need to analyze them to make sure the next time you get into the same situation, things happen the way you want them to. I’ve made so many mistakes to the point that I’ve hurt myself, but I’ve always figured out how to build myself back up again. Every time you make a mistake and learn from it, you pass through all the stages that allow you to have more control over your situation.”

Some think that he’s a “phenomenon” – someone who comes by his skill naturally, but Braulio lives by the motto, “A black belt is a white belt who never gives up.” With every mistake he’s made, he has strategically and systematically perfected it and every other BJJ weapon in his game. Braulio says, “I am a very determined person. I never give up and even when I was young, I believed in myself, so, I set goals for myself. I was always sure I could do better.”

He says that his instructor, Jose Radiola, his brother, Victor, and his friend Roger were all important people in the development of his life and his BJJ game, “You must have the guidance of good people behind you to help you make the right choices along the way. You can’t do it by yourself,” Braulio says.

Braulio says his strategy in a tournament is to “play backwards” during a match, “I like to block the counter of my next move before I do it. I block the person and isolate the part of his body that I think will be a hassle for me later on. I block what could be my next problem before I do my next move. I play backwards, I guess. If I pass through all the barriers, I know I can get to the end and win.”

Even with his newly signed three-fights MMA deal with Shine Fights, BJJ will always be his first love, “I feel responsible to represent GB in MMA. The top GB fighters should be the ones to carry the art on their shoulders and to explode BJJ throughout MMA and show that we are capable of winning. I will never stop doing BJJ. I love to fight because I’m a competitive person. I don’t need to prove anything. I just want to do MMA because I want to represent the art and challenge myself.”

Two other exciting challenges Braulio is currently working on are fatherhood and “husbandhood.” He has a 9-month old son who, of course, will one day follow in his father’s massive footsteps. Braulio says he wants to pass on the values of respect, self-esteem, and humbleness to him, “If you respect the next person they will respect you. I will tell him to take care of people. It’s our choice to be a fighter. It doesn’t matter if you’re a champion or not. It’s just important to try to treat everyone as an equal and appreciate the help people have given you. Appreciate that the most. If you really want to achieve your dreams you can.”

Braulio says he’s working on a new weapon in his arsenal that might just work and one secret no one knows about him, “I am perfecting my cooking skills. My special dish is Spaghetti and Shrimp with pesto and a lot of secret ingredients that I can’t share! It’s good and healthy and tastes amazing. I’m trying to make a special menu as a surprise for my wife. This is part of a new technique to win the next fight with her.”

Braulio….the man, the consummate BJJ professional….the competitive machine.

Braulio "on vacation" in Pernambuco, training. Photo: Personal Archive.

Braulio Estima, 29, is now a citizen of the world. He lives in Birmingham, England, and has been touring the United States teaching seminars. It is little wonder “Caracara” is today recognized as having one of the most technical guards in the world.

Even so,  now and then the Ze Radiola student shows that he will never stop being that guy from Recife, Pernambuco, one of the poorest big cities in Brazil.

“Brother … I’m in the middle of a flight! And connected speaking to you. I love technology,” the ADCC absolute champion of 2009 said vibrantly.

Carcará made the most of the flight to comment on his first MMA opponent, in the 80kg category of Shine Fights. His debut will be on May 15.

“So then, I know Rick Hawn is a judo champion, was three-time U.S. champion and even went to the Olympics. It seems he placed ninth at the Athens Games in 2004. And he already has five wins in five fights in MMA. If I remember correctly, he will fight tonight for the sixth time (yesterday). I’ll stay tuned!” he says.

“Surely he won’t want to land under me at all, and will rely on his extra experience in the striking department. Little does he know that I am practicing a lot of stand-up.  My jab is sharp already (laughs),” he added.

Despite the commitment in May, Braulio wants to fight Jiu-Jitsu in April to keep active. “I’ll fight at the World Pro in Abu Dhabi.  There’s no way I’ll miss watching Renzo, Demian and Anderson on the same night! I’ll just stick around there and fight in Abu Dhabi,” concluded the hard-nosed passenger.

“Bráulio Estima vs Rick Hawn on the main card for Shine Fights, May 15, North Carolina.”

Some quick research revealed that Carcará’s opponent is good on his feet. All three of Hawn’s wins came via KO, one being TKO.

At the start of the year Estima signed a three-under-80kg-fight contract with Shine Fights.

More information coming up soon.