Flaunting the guillotine he's showed off since the WEC days / Photo: Josh Hedges

In one of the UFC 127 fights broadcast over Facebook, China’s Tie Quan Zhang overcame the USA’s Jason Reinhardt with a guillotine just 48 seconds into their bout.

The slick finish came as no surprise to Zhang’s trainer, black belt Ruy Menezes, who has been living in the capital Beijing for the past two years. He trained under Carlson Gracie and later the BTT.

Coach of China Top Team MMA Ruy commented to GRACIEMAG.com on Zhang and the team’s upcoming challenges.

“Besides being the coach at China Top Team, I team Jiu-Jitsu in Beijing. In fact, Tiequan was just promoted to brown belt,” recounts Ruy. “The team’s next challenge is the Legend FC event, April in Hong Kong. We’re going to fight for the under-66kg belt, with our athlete Yaouhungan. He will face a fighter from South Korea, and we’re confident we’ll bring that belt back to Beijing.”

Bom de guilhotina desde os tempos do WEC. Foto: Josh Hedges.

Numa das lutas do UFC 127 transmitidas ao vivo pelo Facebook, o chinês Tie Quan Zhang surpreendeu e venceu o americano Jason Reinhardt com uma guilhotina em apenas 48s de luta.

Surpresa, claro, para você e para mim, mas não para seu treinador, o faixa-preta Ruy Menezes, que mora há dois anos na capital Pequim. Ele treinou com Carlson Gracie e depois com a BTT.

Técnico da China Top Team MMA, Ruy comentou com o GRACIEMAG.com sobre Zhang e os próximos desafios da equipe.

“Além de ser treinador de MMA da China Top Team, dou aula de Jiu-Jitsu em Pequim. O Tiequan aliás acaba de ganhar a faixa-marrom”, conta Ruy. “O próximo compromisso do time será no evento Legend FC, em Hong Kong, em abril. Vamos disputar o cinturão da categoria 66kg, com nosso atleta Yaouhungan. Ele enfrenta um lutador da Coreia do Sul, e estamos confiantes em trazer esse cinturão para Pequim”.

Vitor at pre-UFC 127 open training session at Mandalay Bay casino. Photo: UFC publicity.

There’s been a lot of chatter about a possible rematch between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, two champions when it comes to worldwide MMA audience. However, this Monday Belfort used his Twitter account to call out a different opponent:

“I’m on my way to the airport to return to Las Vegas and I’m dying to fight (Michael) Bisping. I need to fight soon, I want to keep busy,” said @vitorbelfort.

Bisping won his latest outing, beating Jorge Rivera by knockout this Saturday at UFC 127. Known for his foul temper, he spared no effort in being offensive to his provocateur Rivera and team. He then begged forgiveness from the promotion’s president, Dana White.

“He’s among the top ten in the division,” adds Belfort.

Wand is still in the fighter’s plans, though. According to Belfort, the idea would be to fight Bisping as soon as possible to then have a rematch with Wanderlei at the August 27 UFC-Rio event in Brazil.

Fitch lays the ground-and-pound on BJ. Photo: Josh Hedges.

Brothers Rener and Ryron Gracie often get together to post their assessment of major MMA fights – with a Jiu-Jitsu focus, or course.

On the Gracies’ Youtube channel, The Gracie Breakdown Channel, this time they put some of the fights from UFC 127 under the microscope, mainly the one between black belts BJ Penn and Jon Fitch, the evening’s marquee fight that ended in a draw.

Check out what they have to say about it:

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

Vitor no treino aberto no cassino Mandalay Bay, antes do UFC 126. Foto: Divulgação UFC.

Muito vem sendo falado entre os fãs sobre a revanche entre Vitor Belfort e Wanderlei Silva, dois campeões de audiência no MMA mundial. No entanto, através do seu Twitter, Belfort pediu por outro oponente nesta segunda-feira:

“Estou no caminho do aeroporto para voltar a Las Vegas e estou louco para lutar com o (Michael) Bisping. Preciso lutar logo, quero estar ocupado”, fala @vitorbelfort.

Bisping venceu no último sábado, no UFC 127, Jorge Rivera, por nocaute. Conhecido pelo forte temperamento, não poupou ofensas ao também provocador Rivera e sua equipe. Depois, pediu desculpas ao presidente da organização, Dana White.

“Ele está entre os dez melhores da categoria”, prossegue Belfort.

No entanto, Wand ainda está nos planos do lutador. Seria interessante essa luta o mais rapidamente possível para, segundo ele, fazer a revanche com Wanderlei no UFC-Rio, que acontece no dia 27 de agosto.

Fitch trabalha o ground and pound contra BJ. Foto: Josh Hedges.

Os irmãos Rener e Ryron Gracie costumam analisar de forma descontraída os erros e acertos dos principais combates do MMA mundial, lógico, observações focadas no Jiu-Jitsu.

No canal das feras no Youtube, o “The Gracie Breakdown Channel”, desta vez estão sob análise algumas das lutas do UFC 127, principalmente o combate entre os faixas-pretas BJ Penn e Jon Fitch, luta principal da noite, que terminou em empate.

Confira:

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

Check it all out in photos by Josh Hedges:

[flickr set=72157626156595780]

Confira as imagens disso nas fotos de Josh Hedges:

[flickr set=72157626156595780]

Bisping in photo by Josh Hedges

The fight between Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera was built on provocations from both sides, making it one of the most heavily anticipated at UFC 127, this Saturday in Australia.

However, the tense climate that played out during the press conference and weight-in, carried through till after Bisping had won. The Englishman, who taunted his opponents during the fight and made obscene gestures, besides bickering with Rivera, even went as far as to spit on members of the opposing team, not to mention the illegal kick in the first round.

Rivera too had taken to taunts, having posted a video deriding Bisping on the internet. But the Englishman went too far himself.

While still in the octagon, the controversial fighter reflected:

“I’m a sensitive guy. I ask forgiveness for having lost control. I respect Rivera as an opponent. He talked a lot… I am sorry, Mr. White.

Mark Hunt returns to his winning ways in grand style. Photo: Josh Hedges.

UFC 127, in Australia, paid out 75 thousand-dollar bonuses for the evening’s best.

For best fight of the night, Brian Ebersole and Chris Lytle took the prize for the unanimous decision won by the former.

Now knockout-of-the-night went to Pride FC veteran Mark Hunt, who put down Chris Tuchscherer and left his six-fight losing streak behind him. Best submission was local boy Kyle Noke’s rear-naked choke on Chris Camozzi after just 1:35 minutes of fighting.