Brazilian Notebook: New Year Ushers in New Hopes
Every year begins the same way. While some people evaluate the
previous 12 months, others make plans for the year ahead. In mixed
martial arts not much is different.
Brazilian fighters are dreaming of a 2007 full of victories. New contracts have been signed. Title belts are coveted. And for this, a lot of training sessions are needed.
The party season is over, and now is the time to get ready for the newborn year.
“Minotoro” hopes to reconcile MMA and boxing
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) will have a busy year. Listed among the possible fighters for PRIDE 33, the Brazilian Top Team member is already training hard for the Feb. 24 card in Las Vegas, this despite not having an opponent.
“I’m training a lot of wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and striking skills,” Nogueira said. “I will be well prepared for this fight, whomever my opponent is.”
Without knowing if he would box in the Pan-American games in Rio this July, Nogueira hopes that PRIDE’s calendar allows him to compete in both sports.
"We will see,” he said. “As I train a lot of boxing for my MMA matches, if the dates are not the same, I’ll fight. It would be awesome if I could compete in both sports.”
A highly regarded mixed martial artist who is used to the good money paid by PRIDE, “Minotoro” said he is not deterred by fighting for only a medal in the Pan-American games. Just the opposite, in fact.
"When I fought the South American games in boxing last year, I realized how great it is to represent my country,” Nogueira recalled. “When I got my fighting clothes with the Brazilian colors it was very exciting. I enjoyed it. So this is my motivation, to represent Brazil, and bring a medal for my country.”
According to the calendar announced by PRIDE, there will be a card in July in Japan. This could conflict with the Pan-American games, which takes place July 20-28.
Cordeiro analyzes 2006 and discusses Silva-Henderson II
Chute Boxe’s technical manager Rafael Cordeiro (Pictures) was satisfied with his team’s performance in 2006.
"It was a very good year, when all of our athletes had the chance to fight a lot,” said Cordeiro. "It was an amazing year; we conquered a lot of our goals. We stepped forward into the USA when Mauricio Rua (Pictures) won his fight in PRIDE in Las Vegas. It was a very productive year.”
About the upcoming fight between Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and Dan Henderson (Pictures) at PRIDE 33, Cordeiro warned fans — and Henderson — that Wanderlei will offer his best performance.
“Wanderlei is well prepared. He is ready to show an amazing performance,” stated Cordeiro. "He is anxious about fighting in America — it’s his desire. Henderson will face a super-trained Wanderlei with a lot of will to win. Wanderlei is a warrior. This “Mr. PRIDE” nickname settled on him. Wanderlei will give a great show, and everybody will see the best of MMA in this fight.”
Thiago Tavares (Pictures) to fight in UFC
Thiago Tavares (Pictures) (11-0-0) is the newest UFC acquisition, signing a three-fight contract in the lightweight division.
"There are some people who made the mistake to think that the UFC’s lightweight division is uninteresting,” Tavares said. “But if you pay attention, there are very dangerous guys there like Sean Sherk (Pictures), the reigning champion; Roger Huerta (Pictures); Mark Hominick (Pictures); Tyson Griffin (Pictures); Joe Stevenson (Pictures); Din Thomas (Pictures); Spencer Fisher (Pictures); Hermes Franca (Pictures), a very tough guy in his prime. I think this is a very balanced weight division, with well-rounded athletes.”
The Brazilian doesn’t know against whom he’ll make his UFC debut, but it seems likely that it will come in April.
"My opponent will probably be announced in the next days,” Tavares said. “I think he must be a top fighter, a veteran in UFC, but I’m not sure about who is he. Actually I hope to make my debut against a top fighter, because if I win, my way to the title shot will be shorter.”
About the rules, which allow the use of elbows, Tavares thinks that a fighter with an aggressive guard can be successful in the Octagon, even if he is on the bottom.
"Fighting with these rules it is very hard for someone who doesn’t have a good guard position,” he said. “My coach Murilo Rupp is taking care of this technique for me. If I keep looking to submit my opponent the whole time, he will not have any space to hit me with his elbows. If he tries, I’ll find a open space to get him in a triangle choke.”
Tavares’ goal in 2007 is very clear: "To be the best in UFC,” he said. “But to be the best, I must beat the best fighters in there, so I want to face them.
“I dream about my UFC fight all night long. I picture Bruce Buffer calling my name, the name of my city and introducing me to the crowd. I’m ready to fight anytime, and I’ve dreamt of this since I was 14 years old, when I watched the fights on TV until early morning. I can’t promise that I will win, because nobody can say it, but I promise that I will give my best, all my heart and soul to win, to keep myself undefeated, representing all those will be cheering for me.”
Fights and beer in São Paulo
Last December, La Gara, (“the competition” in Italian), a fight-themed nightclub, opened in São Paulo. It houses giant photos of boxers on the walls, punching bags, and, of course, a ring.
The goal is to promote fighting events and training sessions.
“It is a night club and a restaurant,” said La Gara’s owner, Ivo Quatrucci. “The idea is to eat very good Italian food, made by a famous chef, stay in the restaurant and watch a good fight. We will combine fights with a good show, drinking and dancing in the club.”
The first La Gara event was a tournament on Dec. 14 that brought eight Muay Thai fighters together. Alex Cobra was the victor, knocking out his three opponents.
News and notes
The head matchmaker for Demolition Fight — the biggest striking event in Brazil — Mauricio Netto went to Japan last December to watch K-1 Dynamite!! and look for sponsors. Netto contacted some Japanese organizations in an effort to exchange fighters and find international cooperation with his organization, which is planning to promote three events in 2007. …
Paulo Nikolai is no longer the Muay Thai coach for Brazilian Top Team. Nikolai stated that he had only professional reasons to leave the team, but he will still train some BTT athletes. He plans to train fighters from any team willing to work with him. …
Speaking about BTT, K-1 star Francisco Filho had some training sessions in the mixed martial arts gym. The top Brazilian K-1 fighter trained a few days in December with Mario Sperry (Pictures)’s team. He was invited to face Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) in PRIDE “Shockwave,” but Filho and DSE never signed a contract. …
After excelling in Cage Rage, Vitor Ribeiro (Pictures) has signed a contract with the K-1 HERO’S organization. The lightweight star will probably make his HERO’S debut in the first half of 2007. …
After one year out of the ring, Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) will be back in action on March 9. The Brazilian was officially announced for the event “Art of War” and will face American Justin Eilers (Pictures). Rizzo told Sherdog.com that he is training hard to erase the bad impressions left by recent losses, and he hoped to find victory again. …
Considered one of the rising names in Brazilian MMA last year, Eduardo Pamplona (Pictures) will face Robbie Lawler (Pictures) in an International Fight League fight in Feb. “I’ll keep conquering the rings by assault,” said the controversial Pamplona.
Brazilian fighters are dreaming of a 2007 full of victories. New contracts have been signed. Title belts are coveted. And for this, a lot of training sessions are needed.
The party season is over, and now is the time to get ready for the newborn year.
“Minotoro” hopes to reconcile MMA and boxing
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) will have a busy year. Listed among the possible fighters for PRIDE 33, the Brazilian Top Team member is already training hard for the Feb. 24 card in Las Vegas, this despite not having an opponent.
“I’m training a lot of wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and striking skills,” Nogueira said. “I will be well prepared for this fight, whomever my opponent is.”
Without knowing if he would box in the Pan-American games in Rio this July, Nogueira hopes that PRIDE’s calendar allows him to compete in both sports.
"We will see,” he said. “As I train a lot of boxing for my MMA matches, if the dates are not the same, I’ll fight. It would be awesome if I could compete in both sports.”
A highly regarded mixed martial artist who is used to the good money paid by PRIDE, “Minotoro” said he is not deterred by fighting for only a medal in the Pan-American games. Just the opposite, in fact.
"When I fought the South American games in boxing last year, I realized how great it is to represent my country,” Nogueira recalled. “When I got my fighting clothes with the Brazilian colors it was very exciting. I enjoyed it. So this is my motivation, to represent Brazil, and bring a medal for my country.”
According to the calendar announced by PRIDE, there will be a card in July in Japan. This could conflict with the Pan-American games, which takes place July 20-28.
Cordeiro analyzes 2006 and discusses Silva-Henderson II
Chute Boxe’s technical manager Rafael Cordeiro (Pictures) was satisfied with his team’s performance in 2006.
"It was a very good year, when all of our athletes had the chance to fight a lot,” said Cordeiro. "It was an amazing year; we conquered a lot of our goals. We stepped forward into the USA when Mauricio Rua (Pictures) won his fight in PRIDE in Las Vegas. It was a very productive year.”
About the upcoming fight between Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and Dan Henderson (Pictures) at PRIDE 33, Cordeiro warned fans — and Henderson — that Wanderlei will offer his best performance.
“Wanderlei is well prepared. He is ready to show an amazing performance,” stated Cordeiro. "He is anxious about fighting in America — it’s his desire. Henderson will face a super-trained Wanderlei with a lot of will to win. Wanderlei is a warrior. This “Mr. PRIDE” nickname settled on him. Wanderlei will give a great show, and everybody will see the best of MMA in this fight.”
Thiago Tavares (Pictures) to fight in UFC
Thiago Tavares (Pictures) (11-0-0) is the newest UFC acquisition, signing a three-fight contract in the lightweight division.
"There are some people who made the mistake to think that the UFC’s lightweight division is uninteresting,” Tavares said. “But if you pay attention, there are very dangerous guys there like Sean Sherk (Pictures), the reigning champion; Roger Huerta (Pictures); Mark Hominick (Pictures); Tyson Griffin (Pictures); Joe Stevenson (Pictures); Din Thomas (Pictures); Spencer Fisher (Pictures); Hermes Franca (Pictures), a very tough guy in his prime. I think this is a very balanced weight division, with well-rounded athletes.”
The Brazilian doesn’t know against whom he’ll make his UFC debut, but it seems likely that it will come in April.
"My opponent will probably be announced in the next days,” Tavares said. “I think he must be a top fighter, a veteran in UFC, but I’m not sure about who is he. Actually I hope to make my debut against a top fighter, because if I win, my way to the title shot will be shorter.”
About the rules, which allow the use of elbows, Tavares thinks that a fighter with an aggressive guard can be successful in the Octagon, even if he is on the bottom.
"Fighting with these rules it is very hard for someone who doesn’t have a good guard position,” he said. “My coach Murilo Rupp is taking care of this technique for me. If I keep looking to submit my opponent the whole time, he will not have any space to hit me with his elbows. If he tries, I’ll find a open space to get him in a triangle choke.”
Tavares’ goal in 2007 is very clear: "To be the best in UFC,” he said. “But to be the best, I must beat the best fighters in there, so I want to face them.
“I dream about my UFC fight all night long. I picture Bruce Buffer calling my name, the name of my city and introducing me to the crowd. I’m ready to fight anytime, and I’ve dreamt of this since I was 14 years old, when I watched the fights on TV until early morning. I can’t promise that I will win, because nobody can say it, but I promise that I will give my best, all my heart and soul to win, to keep myself undefeated, representing all those will be cheering for me.”
Fights and beer in São Paulo
Last December, La Gara, (“the competition” in Italian), a fight-themed nightclub, opened in São Paulo. It houses giant photos of boxers on the walls, punching bags, and, of course, a ring.
The goal is to promote fighting events and training sessions.
“It is a night club and a restaurant,” said La Gara’s owner, Ivo Quatrucci. “The idea is to eat very good Italian food, made by a famous chef, stay in the restaurant and watch a good fight. We will combine fights with a good show, drinking and dancing in the club.”
The first La Gara event was a tournament on Dec. 14 that brought eight Muay Thai fighters together. Alex Cobra was the victor, knocking out his three opponents.
News and notes
The head matchmaker for Demolition Fight — the biggest striking event in Brazil — Mauricio Netto went to Japan last December to watch K-1 Dynamite!! and look for sponsors. Netto contacted some Japanese organizations in an effort to exchange fighters and find international cooperation with his organization, which is planning to promote three events in 2007. …
Paulo Nikolai is no longer the Muay Thai coach for Brazilian Top Team. Nikolai stated that he had only professional reasons to leave the team, but he will still train some BTT athletes. He plans to train fighters from any team willing to work with him. …
Speaking about BTT, K-1 star Francisco Filho had some training sessions in the mixed martial arts gym. The top Brazilian K-1 fighter trained a few days in December with Mario Sperry (Pictures)’s team. He was invited to face Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) in PRIDE “Shockwave,” but Filho and DSE never signed a contract. …
After excelling in Cage Rage, Vitor Ribeiro (Pictures) has signed a contract with the K-1 HERO’S organization. The lightweight star will probably make his HERO’S debut in the first half of 2007. …
After one year out of the ring, Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) will be back in action on March 9. The Brazilian was officially announced for the event “Art of War” and will face American Justin Eilers (Pictures). Rizzo told Sherdog.com that he is training hard to erase the bad impressions left by recent losses, and he hoped to find victory again. …
Considered one of the rising names in Brazilian MMA last year, Eduardo Pamplona (Pictures) will face Robbie Lawler (Pictures) in an International Fight League fight in Feb. “I’ll keep conquering the rings by assault,” said the controversial Pamplona.
