Watch here the official weigh-in for UFC 190, life from Rio de Janeiro.

The main event of the PPV card features bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey fighting #5 contender Bethe Correia.

The weigh-in starts at 5PM/2PM (ET/PT).

Godofredo Pepey tries landing a fist on Rony Jason in the TUF Brazil final, at UFC BH. Publicity photo.

A Jiu-Jitsu black belt with eight wins and a lone loss on his MMA record, Godofredo Pepey already knows when he’ll next be stepping into the octagon. The native of the Brazilian state of Ceará will take on the seasoned Milton Vieira at the January 19 UFC Brazil show, the location for which has yet to be announced.

Pepey, a finalist on the inaugural season of TUF Brazil, has been training ialongside his brother Godofredo Claudio and black belts Tiago Marques and Rafael Gárgula at MG Pepey headquarters, in Fortaleza City’s Damas neighborhood. “I’m still training at the same, always-intense pace. But it’s going to get even tougher; in November I’m heading to Curitiba to train with [Mauricio] Shogun, André Dida and Sérgio Moraes,” said Pepey.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s promoters have also confirmed that Iuri Marajó will be dropping a weight class to bantamweight to take on Johnny Eduardo for the January show. Where will this UFC event take place, gentle reader? What’s your prediction?

Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for all things Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

When GRACIEMAG.com first broke the news the Ultimate Fighting Championship was set to touch down in the Barra da Tijuca borough of Rio de Janeiro for the first time, in 2011, UFC president Dana White sought to throw us off track.

Today, however, Riotur, the Rio de Janeiro Municipal tourism enterprise overseen by the city’s Secretary of Tourism, confirmed for this report that GRACIEMAG.com had it right yet again.

According to City Hall, the Octagon is set to arrive at the HSBC Arena in August of next year. To the Secretary of Tourism, UFC Brazil is already considered the city’s big event of that month.

The Riotur agenda was released last weekend by president of Riotur Antonio Pedro in Joaquim Ferreira dos Santos’s Gente Boa column in Globo newspaper.

It will be the second UFC to take place in Brazil. In 1998 the show was held in São Paulo, with fights like Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva.

Wand and Rafael Cordeiro. Photo: Publicity.

Wanderlei Silva’s desire to face Vitor Belfort is nothing new. The two fought at UFC Brazil, in 1998. On the occasion, Belfort knocked Wand out in just forty-four seconds. The fighter from Curitiba has been craving revenge ever since.

Waiting on word about his next fight, Wanderlei is nostalgic about the old days of Pride:

“You know, I felt something was missing. Then I discovered what it is: I need a rival. I’ve never trained as hard as I did during the days of Arona,” he said over Twitter.

Nevertheless, soon thereafter he fired off:

“But now I want to get my hands on Belfort. I’m training for you. I’m going to get you, you’ll see.”

Check out the first time the two faced each other:

Victor Belfort vs Wanderlei Silva 1998

The classic Octagon should land in Rio de Janeiro next year. Photo: Josh Hedges.

After thirteen years, the UFC will make its return to Brazilian soil in 2011. According to GRACIEMAG.com sources, Ultimate Brazil will be held in November of next year, in Rio de Janeiro.

The venue, according to sources, will be the HSBC Arena, in Barra da Tijuca, where sporting events and concerts by bands like Green Day, Bob Dylan, and R.E.M. have performed in the past. The UFC crew, including Dana White, has already approved of the location, after visiting Rio some months ago.

UFC Brazil first took place in 1998, at Portuguesa gymnasium in São Paulo, with classic fights like Vitor Belfort’s win over Wanderlei Silva, and performances from Frank Shamrock, Ebenézer Braga, Pat Miletich, Pete Williams, Pedro Rizzo, and Tank Abbott.

What about you, reader, what would be your perfect main event to bring UFC Brazil to a close in 2011? Comment below and help White set up an unforgettable event, this time on Brazilian turf.

The HSBC Arena, likely venue for UFC in Rio. Photo: Publicity.

Vitor contra Wand no UFC Brasil. Foto: Josh Hedges

O primeiro a entrar em cena é Wand. O “UFC Sem Limites” deste sábado, programa transmitido na Rede TV, exibe um especial com o ídolo. Os amantes de MMA poderão rever a atuação do lutador em combates de tirar o fôlego nas edições 20, 79 e 84 do Ultimate Fighting. São combates contra Tony Petarra, Chuck Liddell e Keith Jardine, respectivamente. O programa tem início às 23h30min.

Já o faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu Vitor Belfort estará nas telinhas no domingo, na segunda parte do programa “Domingão do Faustão”, da Rede Globo. Belfo vai contar um pouco sobre o retorno com vitória na gaiola americana do Ultimate e a preparação para o combate contra Anderson Silva, válido pelo título de médios, no UFC 112, que acontece no dia 10 de abril, em Abu Dhabi.

Na disputa contra Wanderlei pelo UFC 17,5, que aconteceu no Brasil, em 1998, Vitor levou a melhor por nocaute. Vamos ver como os dois se saem na briga pela audiência.

(Colaborou Junior Samurai)