A alegria de Marcelo com o sucesso de seu filho e dos participantes de seu projeto. Foto: Reprodução

Em busca de expandir as fronteiras do Jiu-Jitsu e abrir portas para uma nova geração dentro do cenário competitivo, o faixa-preta Marcelo Ribeiro, líder da RMA Jiu-Jitsu, idealizou seu projeto de intercâmbio, o Xchange, com apoio da nossa parceira Braus Fight.

Em papo com o GRACIEMAG, o faixa-preta revelou detalhes sobre o método utilizado para selecionar atletas, os desafios de abrir sua própria academia e como a GFTeam auxiliou na execução da iniciativa, gerando frutos que refletiram no Jiu-Jitsu do filho prodígio João Marcelo, que ainda na faixa-roxa vem despontado nos maiores torneios dos EUA. Confira nas linhas abaixo!

GRACIEMAG: Em que momento você migrou com sua família para os EUA? Já foi na intenção de dar aulas de Jiu-Jitsu?

MARCELO RIBEIRO: Viemos para os Estados Unidos em 2006. Sempre tive vontade de migrar para cá, com o objetivo de proporcionar à minha família uma vida mais tranquila. Obviamente, o Jiu-Jitsu também fazia parte desse sonho, sempre almejei trazer o Jiu-Jitsu para a minha cidade e bairro, de forma a aumentar ainda o contato do Jiu-Jitsu comigo e com a minha família.

Quais foram os principais desafios de fundar a sua própria academia?

Abrimos nossa primeira academia em 2011. Focamos em criar a nossa metodologia de ensino, marketing, vendas e, principalmente, entender nosso público. Existe uma grande diferença entre o público brasileiro que pratica Jiu-Jitsu e o público americano. Minha esposa, Renata, que é formada em psicologia aqui nos Estados Unidos, me auxiliou na parte comportamental, que visa compreender a percepção das pessoas em relação a decisões de consumo. Nosso objetivo era ter uma noção sobre como nossos clientes se sentem, o que pensam e como agem em relação à nossa marca, nosso serviço e nossos produtos. A partir deste estudo, criamos cada detalhe da nossa marca, currículo e estabelecemos uma conexão com nossos clientes. Criamos uma empresa que fornece aulas de Jiu-Jitsu customizadas, separadas por idade. Hoje com mais de 400 alunos, em um condado de Nashville, temos a nossa RMA Matriz.

Equipe mirim da RMA Jiu-Jitsu. Foto: Reprodução

Como é sua relação com a GFTeam?

Iniciamos nossa parceria com a GFTeam em 2019. Além de ter sido coordenador de arbitragem da IBJJF por muitos anos, sou amigo e um grande admirador do mestre Júlio César, que lidera a equipe e a quem eu tive a honra de estabelecer uma amizade ainda no Brasil. Depois do grande sucesso que a RMA teve, tínhamos o sonho de patrocinar atletas brasileiros para participarem nas maiores competições aqui dos Estados Unidos. Depois de muitas conversas e análises de planilha, resolvemos iniciar o projeto Xchange, uma iniciativa que visa ajudar jovens atletas a gerir suas carreiras e aprender a língua inglesa. Através deste projeto, trouxemos atletas da GFTeam e assim iniciou nossa parceria e conexão com a equipe.

De onde surgiu a ideia de levar jovens atletas do Brasil para treinar na sua academia?

Inicialmente, seria um projeto pequeno, sem nome, aberto a todas as equipes, mas com somente um atleta por ano. Nosso filho mais velho tinha o objetivo de ir para uma faculdade no sul da Califórnia, então contávamos com uma situação financeira um pouco mais limitada no início do projeto. No entanto, ele recebeu uma oferta com bolsa de estudo em uma excelente faculdade aqui de Nashville, a mesma faculdade em que minha esposa se formou aqui, e decidiu ficar perto de casa. Desta forma, decidimos aumentar o projeto e, em 2019, recebemos o mestre Júlio aqui em casa para dividir ideias e definir objetivos para nossas equipes. Após experiências compartilhadas e outras conversas sobre negócios, definimos que o projeto Xchange seria exclusivo da GFTeam.

E como funciona o processo seletivo dos atletas que irão participar?

Alguns fazem aplicação para participar do projeto no nosso Instagram ou e-mail, enquanto outros chegam até nós por indicação. O processo é árduo e demorado, já que ouvimos e lemos todas as aplicações. É difícil porque são muitas histórias de guerreiros e infelizmente não podemos ajudar a todos. Depois que a seleção final é concluída, o mestre Júlio entra em contato com o professor do atleta ou até mesmo com o próprio, para estender o convite. É importante ressaltar que, apesar de ser integrado ao projeto, o atleta segue representando sua escola e professor. O objetivo do Xchange é trazer uma experiência diferente para este atleta e permitir que ele vivencie a parte de gestão aqui nos Estados Unidos, enquanto se mantém treinando e competindo. Os atletas recebem uma experiência de vida no exterior, convivendo com nossa família e envolvidos no esporte que escolheram. Temos aulas de inglês, preparação física e treinamentos específicos para as competições. Incluímos também viagens a passeio, para que eles possam vivenciar a experiência como um todo.

João Marcelo no pódio do American Nationals. Foto: Reprodução

Quais são os atuais integrantes do projeto Xchange?

O Xchange 2021 atualmente tem três atletas. Temos o Ismael Santos, um faixa-marrom da GFTeam Ceará e aluno do professor Elinor Batista. Recebemos também Luis Fernando Carvalho, um faixa-roxa da GFTeam Merck e aluno do professor Serginho Miranda. E por fim, temos o João Pedro Rodrigues, também aluno do professor Serginho na GFTeam Merck.

Essa troca de conhecimento acaba favorecendo não só os jovens que vão, mas também o seu jovem e ávido atleta João Marcelo, atual campeão do American Nationals. O que mudou no jogo dele e visão do Jiu-Jitsu depois do projeto?

Não só é sempre um excelente treino, mas também uma imensa troca de experiências, cultura e língua. João Marcelo estudou apenas inglês a vida toda e o dia-a-dia com os meninos também o ajuda muito no português. A nossa academia também fez a diferença na carreira dele. Mesmo antes do projeto, ele se preparou para todos os eventos deste ano, incluindo o American Nationals no qual foi campeão peso e absoluto, com nossos alunos da RMA. Diria que as experiências ajudaram não só o João Marcelo, mas a família toda.

O que você, professor e experiente faixa-preta, aprendeu com essas trocas de experiência?

Aprendi que a conexão humana é o que existe de mais poderoso no mundo. Mesmo sendo bem mais jovens, em torno da idade do meu filho, aprendo diariamente com eles. As histórias de vida, os momentos difíceis que passaram e a força incrível que cada um possui para correr atrás de seus sonhos nos ajuda a crescer. Hoje eu assumo o papel de “mestre”, que é como eles me chamam, mas também funciono como uma figura paterna, usando esse período de proximidade para guiá-los em direção ao sucesso. Às vezes, sou um pouco mais duro, assumindo o papel de instrutor e pai, mas minha esposa, tal qual uma mãe, se mostra mais flexível. Conversamos muito e desenvolvemos muito carinho por todos. Essa troca acaba sendo tão especial para nós quanto para eles e sabemos que, apesar do nosso tempo junto aos alunos ser limitado, a amizade e admiração será para sempre.

E quais são os próximos planos para o professor Marcelo Ribeiro e a RMA?

Além de continuar nossa parceria com a GFTeam, que nos auxiliou no processo de desenvolvimento e execução do projeto, pretendemos realizar um camp da Xchange no Brasil, mas ainda estamos definindo os detalhes desta nova aventura.

João Marcelo (à direita) e os participantes do Xchange. foto: Reprodução

Marcelo’s joy with the success of his son and the participants in his project. Photo: Reproduction

Seeking to expand the frontiers of Jiu-Jitsu and open doors to a new generation within the competitive scenario, black belt Marcelo Ribeiro, leader of RMA Jiu-Jitsu, conceived his exchange project, Xchange, with the support of our partner Braus Fight.

In a chat with GRACIEMAG, the black belt revealed details about the method used to select athletes, the challenges of opening his gym, and how GFTeam helped to carry out the initiative, generating fruit that reflected in the Jiu-Jitsu of prodigy son João Marcelo, who is still at purple belt, has been appearing in the biggest tournaments in the USA. Check the lines below!

GRACIEMAG: At what point did you and your family migrate to the US? Was it your intention to teach Jiu-Jitsu lessons?

MARCELO RIBEIRO: We came to the United States in 2006. I always wanted to migrate here, intending to provide my family with a more peaceful life. Jiu-Jitsu was also part of that dream, I always wanted to bring Jiu-Jitsu to my city and neighborhood, to further increase Jiu-Jitsu’s contact with me and my family.

What were the main challenges of founding your academy?

We opened our first academy in 2011. We focused on creating our teaching methodology, marketing, sales, and, most importantly, understanding our audience. There is a big difference between the Brazilian public that practices Jiu-Jitsu and the American public. My wife, Renata, who has a degree in psychology here in the United States, helped me with the behavioral part, which aims to understand people’s perceptions about consumption decisions. Our goal was to get a sense of how our customers feel, what they think, and how they act concerning our brand, our service, and our products. From this study, we created every detail of our brand, curriculum and established a connection with our customers. We created a company that provides customized Jiu-Jitsu classes, separated by age. Today with more than 400 students in Nashville county, we have our RMA Headquarters.

RMA Jiu-Jitsu’s junior team. Photo: Reproduction

How is your relationship with GFTeam?

We started our partnership with GFTeam in 2019. In addition to having been the IBJJF arbitration coordinator for many years, I am a friend and a great admirer of master Júlio César, who leads the team and with whom I had the honor of establishing a friendship while still in Brazil. After the great success that RMA had, we dreamt of sponsoring Brazilian athletes to participate in the biggest competitions here in the United States. After many conversations and spreadsheet analyses, we decided to start the Xchange project, an initiative that aims to help young athletes manage their careers and learn the English language. Through this project, we brought GFTeam athletes and thus started our partnership and connection with the team.

Where did the idea of ​​taking young athletes from Brazil to train at your academy come from?

Initially, it would be a small, unnamed project, open to all teams, but with only one athlete per year. Our oldest son was aiming to go to college in Southern California, so we had a limited budget at the beginning of the project. However, he was offered a scholarship to an excellent college here in Nashville, the same college my wife graduated from here, and he decided to stay close to home. Thus, we decided to increase the project and, in 2019, we received master Júlio at our home to share ideas and set goals for our teams. After sharing experiences and other conversations about business, we decided that the Xchange project would be exclusive to GFTeam.

And how does the selection process work for the athletes who will participate?

Some apply to participate in the project on our Instagram or email, while others come to us by referral. The process is arduous and time-consuming as we hear and read all the applications. It’s difficult because there are so many moving stories and unfortunately we can’t help them all. After the final selection is completed, Master Júlio gets in touch with the athlete’s teacher or even with the athlete himself, to extend the invitation. It is important to emphasize that, despite being integrated into the project, the athlete continues to represent his school and teacher. The goal of Xchange is to bring a different experience to this athlete and allow him to experience the management part here in the United States, while still training and competing. Athletes receive an experience of living abroad, with our family and being involved in their chosen sport. We have English classes, physical preparation, and specific training for competitions. We also include leisure trips so that they can experience the whole experience.

João Marcelo on the American Nationals podium. Photo: Reproduction

Who are the current members of the Xchange project?

Xchange 2021 currently has three athletes. We have Ismael Santos, a brown belt from GFTeam Ceará and a student of Professor Elinor Batista. We also received Luis Fernando Carvalho, a purple belt from GFTeam Merck, and a student of Professor Serginho Miranda. And finally, we have João Pedro Rodrigues, also a student of Professor Serginho at GFTeam Merck.

This exchange of knowledge ends up favoring not only the young people who are going but also your young and avid athlete João Marcelo, current champion of the American Nationals. What changed in his game and Jiu-Jitsu vision after the project?

Not only is it excellent training, but also an immense exchange of experiences, culture, and language. João Marcelo has only studied English all his life and his daily life with the boys helps him a lot with Portuguese. Our academy also made a difference in his career. Even before the project, he prepared for all of this year’s events, including the American Nationals in which he was champion at weight and open weight, with our RMA students. I would say that the experiences helped not only João Marcelo but the whole family.

What did you, teacher and experienced black belt, learn from these exchanges of experience?

I learned that the human connection is the most powerful thing in the world. Even though they’re much younger, around my son’s age, I learn daily from them. The life stories, the difficult moments they went through and the incredible strength that each one has developed to pursue their dreams help us to grow. Today I take on the role of “master”, which is what they call me, but I also function as a father figure, using this period of closeness to guide them towards success. Sometimes I am a little tougher, taking on the role of instructor and father, but my wife, like a mother, is more flexible. We talked a lot and developed a lot of affection for everyone. This exchange ends up being as special for us as it is for them and we know that, although our time with students is limited, the friendship and admiration will be forever.

And what are the next plans for Professor Marcelo Ribeiro and RMA?

In addition to continuing our partnership with GFTeam, which helped us in the development and execution process of the project, we intend to hold an Xchange camp in Brazil, but we are still defining the details of this new adventure.

João Marcelo (right) and Xchange participants. photo: Reproduction

Gracie Barra athletes at the GB Cool Springs In House Tournament. Photo: Personal Archive

Last weekend, on July 26^th, three Gracie Barra schools in Tennessee gathered for an internal event. The GB Cool Springs in house tournament counted with the presence of 100 adults competing in different weight categories and belt levels. Gracie Barra Cool Springs hosted the championship, inviting Gracie Barra Murfreesboro and Clarksville to join.

According to black belt prof. Reginaldo Almeida, who is one of the people responsible for organizing the competition, the essential target for this initiative is socializing and preparing their students to compete in a higher level.

“The main goal with this event was the socialization between schools to form a stronger team and develop the feeling of being one big family. Not to mention the student’s psychological preparation, which have never competed, making them feel a bit of adrenaline.” Said Almeida

Reginaldo who is also an IBJJF referee commented that complied with all the rules of the international organization. “We followed all the IBJJF rules, in which I am also a member, and used electronic scoreboard with LCD TVs to give them the feeling of an official IBJJF event.” Said the black belt

To highlight some of your peers who will compete at this year’s event, here are two people who have set their eyes on the gold. One from another state, and another will travel from northern California down to the UC Irvine Brenn Event Center on March 12-16.

Nicholle placed second at the 2013 Pan Championship as a white belt. Photo: Personal Archive

Meet Nicholle Stoller, a blue belt from Nashville MMA in Nashville, Tennessee. She competes often and will be putting her blue belt rank to the test at the Pans this year. She has been training since 2012 and her dedication for Jiu-Jitsu is proof that her Asperger’s Syndrome has no bearing on her performances. The Autism Spectrum Disorder, sometimes called “high functioning Autism,” is characterized by hyper sensitivity, obsessive behaviors towards specific interests, hindered social skills, ability to recognize patterns and other various behaviors. The obsessive, pattern-finding abilities that Nicholle has actually help her in learning techniques and dedication to training. The Jiu-Jitsu community has also helped her adapt and excel tremendously in her social life as well.

We asked Nicholle some quick questions about her training and expectations for the 2014 Pans:

GRACIEMAG: How often do you compete?

NICHOLLE STOLLER: I make it a goal to compete at least once a month. We don’t have many large tournaments near Nashville, so this usually involves travel – but it’s worth it!

Have you competed at Pans before?

Last year was my first time competing at Pans as a white belt. This year I’m going as a blue belt.

How do you prepare?

I train twice a day and alternate between days focused on rolling and days focused on conditioning. If it’s a day that I’m doing conditioning, I only roll hard in one training session and drill for the other session – conditioning is first thing in the morning. If I’m not doing conditioning, I roll hard in both my morning and evening sessions.

Physical preparation is secondary to my mental preparation. It doesn’t matter how in shape, or in synch I am – if my mindset is not right, I will look like a retarded ape when the referee drops his hand. The closer I get to competition time, the more I hide myself away when I’m not training – I find a combination of meditation, and the proper soundtrack works wonders.

How often do you get to train?

I run my massage therapy business out of my school, so I usually train twice a day and see clients in between training sessions.

——

Devon and his brother. Photo: Personal Archive

Devon Martinez is a blue belt adult featherweight who trains out of the Bay Area at Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu who will also be competing at the 2014 IBJJF Pan. A twenty-four year old personal trainer, he and his family train together. His cousins have a gym, which is where he started training. These days he spends a lot of time at his academy drilling, studying tape, brain-storming ideas, and hanging out.

Here is how his weekly training routine pans out:

Monday – drill in morning, workout in afternoon, drill at night

Tuesday – drill in morning, spar at night

Wednesday – drill in morning, strength training in afternoon

Thursday – spar in morning

Friday – go to Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu headquarters with Dave Camarillo in Pleasanton, and spar in afternoon, spar again in evening.

Saturday – drill/light roll

Sunday – drill and depending on how I feel or how close to the tournament I am determines if I train rounds

——

Now that you’ve seen how a couple of your peers are preparing for the 2014 Pans along with their backgrounds, what do you say? Get motivated and confident to register in your division today.

Head over to www.ibjjf.org to register before Monday, March 3!

Jim Miller alonga durante o treino aberto em Nashville. Foto de Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC.

Esta noite tem UFC, em Nashville, Tennesseee, e a expectativa é por bonitas finalizações. Além da presença no card do bom faixa-preta Fabricio “Morango” Camões, aluno de Vini Aieta e Royler Gracie, o evento fecha com um clássico duelo entre “trocador” e finalizador. O americano Jim Miller, também faixa-preta, testa seu jogo contra o nocauteador Melvin Guillard.

Para deixar a arte suave fluir, Jim pega pesado nos treinos físicos, como este vídeo na academia de nosso colunista Martin Rooney comprova.

Quem vence este duelo principal, nobre leitor? E a finalização da noite, será aplicada por quem? Dê seu palpite abaixo.

UFC on FX 1

Nashville, Tennessee

20 de janeiro de 2012

Melvin Guillard vs Jim Miller
Duane Ludwig vs Josh Neer
Mike Easton vs Jared Papazian
Pat Barry vs Christian Morecraft

Card preliminar (Fuel TV)

Jorge Rivera vs Eric Schafer
Kamal Shalorus vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Charlie Brenneman vs Daniel Robert
Fabrício “Morango” vs Tommy Hayden
Daniel Pineda vs Pat Schilling
Joseph Sandoval vs Nick Denis

Classes offered to the public will include adult, children’s, and women’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu programs. Ribeiro says, “The kid’s program will be huge here in Nashville. There are a lot of families here and we are really excited to be able to bring them such an amazing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program.”

Master Carlos Gracie Jr. and Marcelo Ribeiro / Photo: personal archive

Ribeiro, who has more than just his upcoming three schools to celebrate, is also receiving his third stripe on his black belt from Master Carlos Gracie Jr. in a couple of weeks.

Ribeiro and Feitosa together are powerhouses in the Gracie Barra school system. Not only do they personally have extensive years of experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu itself but together they have created and built numerous successful GB schools around the United States, including in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and now Tennessee.

In North Austin, Texas, for example, Ribeiro and Feitosa were able to build that GB school to 180 members in just under seven months. For more information about GB North Austin, contact Gbnorthaustin.com.

“We are now really looking forward to bringing our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experience and expertise to the Nashville area,” Ribeiro says. For the Nashville, Tennessee area Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy closest to you, please contact: www.Graciebarranashville.com.

Photo: Personal archive

It was a special Sunday for Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in Memphis, Tennessee. Royce Gracie was in town, and yesterday he held a seminar at Chad Chicutt’s Premier Martial Arts.

After teaching a sublime class on stabilizing the mount and several options for attack, white belt David Moulton returned home with something more than some new chokes for his arsenal. He took a special photo that he will never forget. Sporting his GRACIEMAG shirt, the student received his blue belt from the hands of Royce Gracie himself.

“It was a great seminar, as I had expected it would. We studied several submission options from the mount, and most importantly, how to put your opponent in vulnerable situations. And I even ended up with my blue belt. I want to take the opportunity to say thanks for this great magazine. It’s hard to find a magazine that’s just about the gentle art!” said Dave.

Jason Miller, who had won one of his fights on the early card, entered the cage to request a rematch against current champion Jake Shields, who had just defeated Dan Henderson. That was when the confusion began. The live broadcast tried to cut the images, but there was no way (see video below).

Jason Miller has a history of tumult. Against Ronaldo Jacaré, at the Japanese Dream promotion, he landed an illegal kick. The bout ended up as a no contest and the fighter argued with the Brazilian, while still in the ring.

Strikeforce president Scott Coker disapproved of the occurrence.

“There is no room in Strikeforce for this kind of behavior nor to forgive or reward this type of attitude. For a fighter at the highest level, fighting on CBS, Showtime and in Strikeforce there is no room for this kind of behavior,” he said.

“I have no idea why Miller did that. I can tell you no one from my team put him in there. I’ll watch the video to see what happened. It’s not good for our sport, which is just getting started,” added the promoter, who tried to minimize the problem.

“It was an incredible night.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwO9JI_qqq8

Shields and Henderson staredown at weigh-ins. Photo: Esther Lin

Strikeforce this Saturday, in Nashville, Tennessee, proved how strong its roster of fighters is. Jake Shields held on to his middleweight belt against the powerful Dan Henderson, who went into the match riding a wave of fanfare from the UFC, principal competitor to the event.

Shields suffered a knockdown in the opener, getting the worst of the round. In the rounds that followed, however, he recovered using his savvy Jiu-Jitsu game. He managed to get the takedown and work well from the top, making it to advantageous positions, even the mount. His win came by way of unanimous decision.

And the surprises didn’t end there. On a 15-fight win streak, middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi was caught off by the big mouthed and still undefeated King Mo via unanimous decision.

In the third and final title dispute, Gilbert Melendez held on to his belt against Japanese standout Shinya Aoki. His win, too, came by way of unanimous decision.

Check out all the results:

Jake Shields defeated Dan Henderson via unanimous decision

Gilbert Melendez defeated Shinya Aoki via unanimous decision

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal defeated Gegard Mousasi via unanimous decision

Ovince St. Preaux defeated Chris Hawk via TKO in R1

Andrew Uhrich submitted Dustin West via rear-naked choke in R1

Jason “Mayhem” Miller defeated Tim Stout via TKO in R1

Cale Yarbrough defeated Josh Schockman via TKO in R2

Zach Underwood defeated Hunter Worsham via unanimous decision

Dustin Ortiz submitted Justin Pennington via rear-naked choke in R1

Cody Floyd defeated Thomas Campbell via KO in R3

Henderson and Shields face off. Strikeforce poster

Three title bouts promise a great deal of excitement this Saturday, when Strikeforce reaches Nashville, Tennessee.

In the evening’s main event, Dan Henderson faces current middleweight champion Jake Shields.

“Jake is really good at certain things. I’ll be wary of that and avoid those situations,” admitted Henderson at the pre-event press conference.

But things heated up for real when Gegard Mousasi spoke of the fighter challenging for his light heavyweight belt: Muhammad “King Mo”.

I don’t like King Mo as a person. He’s arrogant. I respect any fighter to get in the Cage. But I’ve never faced anyone who talks as much as he does,” said Mousasi.

Another title fight to feature is Japanese idol Shinya Aoki, challenging Gilbert Melendez for the lightweight belt. However controversial, Aoki tends to put on a good show with his elastic Jiu-Jitsu. Melendez respects his adversary.

“Aoki is number 2 in the world for good reason: he does crazy stuff in the ring.”

Check out the card of the event to be broadcast live on CBS:

Strikeforce
April 17, 2010
Nashville, Tennessee

Jake Shields vs Dan Henderson

Gegard Mousasi vs Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal

Gilbert Melendez vs Shinya Aoki

Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs Tim Stout

Zach Underwood vs Hunter Worsham

Josh Schockman vs Cale Yarbrough

Dustin Ortiz vs Justin Pennington

Andrew Uhrich vs Dustin West

Chris Hawk vs Ovince St. Preux

Thomas Campbell vs Cody Floyd

Na sala dos fundos de um teatro na Rua Beale, em Memphis, Tennessee, o pastor John Renken, 42 anos, recentemente liderou um grupo de jovens em sua oração.

“Pai, nós o agradecemos por esta noite”, ele disse. “Nós rezamos para que sejamos uma representação do senhor”.

Uma hora depois, um membro de sua paróquia baixou a guarda e foi atingido por uma série de socos do adversário e Renken lhe deu conselhos que não soavam sacrossantos.

“Socos diretos!” ele gritou da lateral do ringue do evento de artes marciais conhecido como Cage Assault. “Acabe com essa luta! Na cabeça! Na cabeça!”

Leia a reportagem completa aqui.

In the back room of a theater on Beale Street, John Renken, 37, a pastor, recently led a group of young men in prayer.

“Father, we thank you for tonight,” he said. “We pray that we will be a representation of you.”

An hour later, a member of his flock who had bowed his head was now unleashing a torrent of blows on an opponent, and Mr. Renken was offering guidance that was not exactly prayerful.

“Hard punches!” he shouted from the sidelines of a martial arts event called Cage Assault. “Finish the fight! To the head! To the head!”

To read the complete article, click here.