Lightweight

• #14 Evan Dunham vs. Melvin Guillard. A battle of fighters who should have, by now, moved on to bigger things: Dunham because he rightfully should have won the judge’s decision in his bout against #13 Sean Sherk this past September, and Guillard because (as everyone says every time he fights) he’s got all the physical tools of a world champion, but without the mental game to back it up. It’s a shame someone has to lose this one, but in any case it should be interesting, particularly since Guillard’s tendency to make bad mistakes has been steadily declining since taking up with coach Greg Jackson.

Featherweight

• #4 Mike Thomas Brown vs. Rani Yahya. This is a weird fight. For one thing, Rani Yahya is fighting at 145 lbs. rather than his home category of 135 lbs. But weirder still is that Brown–featherweight champion under the Zuffa (UFC/WEC) banner for a year between 2008 and 2009–is the late replacement here, stepping in for Chan Sung Jung after competing against #3 Diego Nunes a mere three weeks ago. The most likely explanation is that Brown wants to get a win under his belt after losing three of his last five, and the undersized, relatively one-dimensional Yahya seemed like a good target. It’s probably a sound strategy, although Brown’s four career submission losses combined with Yahya’s jiu-jitsu expertise might give us brief pause. And should Yahya pull off the upset, he’ll shoot straight to #4 in the division; since he hasn’t competed at 145 lbs. since 2007, he has no losses working against him.

6. Rani Yahya

Yahya is currently on a two fight losing streak, granted it was tough competition but that does not always matter to the UFC.  Not many guys stick around on three fight losing streaks;

5. Kamal Shalorus

Shalorus is jumping into the shark tank very quickly in his debut with the UFC.  First up, Jim Miller who is riding a 6 fight win streak against the likes of Duane Ludwig, Gleison Tibau, Charles Oliveira, Mark Bocek, and Mac Danzig.  Shalorus is currently undefeated but Miller stands be his toughest test yet.

4. Jung Chan-Sung

The last time we saw him in the cage he was coming off of a huge fight against Leonard Garcia, while he lost that fight, it was so impressive that he became an instant name.  People hyped him, people started gobbling up his shirts and he even got a signature line and next thing we knew the hyped was squashed.  He stepped in the cage against George Roop, was completely dominated for the very short life of the fight and then a wicked head kick ended it all.  Total time of the fight, one minute and thirty-seconds.  The “Korean Zombie” needs to step up and prove that the hype was real and he deserves his spot.

3. George Roop

Roop is coming off of the spectacular head kick win over Jung Chan-Sung but was it a fluke?  Roop needs to come out strong again to prove that he is an improving fighter and that what happened with Chan-Sung was not just a one time flash of brilliance.

2. Manny Gamburyan

Gamburyan is making his return to the UFC for the first time since his UFC 94 loss to Thiago Tavares.  He was on a two fight losing streak when he moved to the WEC, sadly some people do have lasting memories of the old Manny instead of the current Manny that was fighting Jose Aldo for a title belt back in September.  Gamburyan needs to come out blasting to stay in contention and prove worthy of his spot again with the UFC.

1. Mike Brown

Flashback to November 2008, Brown took down the golden boy of WEC, Urijah Faber.  He did something most thought he could not do.  He then proceeded to take out Leonard Garcia to defend the belt and then he took out Faber again.  Next thing we knew Jose Aldo derailed it all.  Brown went on to post a 2-2 record in his last 4 fights with the WEC.  He is coming off a tough split decision loss to Diego Nunes. Brown has one previous fight in the UFC and that did not go well, granted it was to Genki Sudo but Brown is walking on this ice.  He has a fight coming up against Rani Yahya, Brown has his back against the wall.

Main card:

Evan Dunham (11-1) vs. Melvin Guillard (26-8-2)

Eric - Dunham via Submission
Matt – Dunham via Submission
Michael – Dunham via Submission
Matt Mitrione (3-0) vs. Tim Hague (12-4)

Eric - Mitrione via KO
Matt – Mitrion via Decision
Michael – Mitrion via Decision
Mark Hominick (19-8) vs. George Roop (11-6-1)

Eric - Hominick via Decision
Matt – Hominick via KO
Michael – Hominick via TKO
Pat Barry (5-2) vs. Joey Beltran (12-4)

Eric - Barry via KO
Matt – Barry via KO
Michael - Barry via KO
Cole Miller (17-4) vs. Matt Wiman (12-5)

Eric - Miller via Submission
Matt – Miller via Submission
Michael – Miller via Submission

Preliminary card:

Cody McKenzie vs. Yves Edwards (39-16-1)

Eric - Edwards
Matt – McKenzie
Michael – Edwards
DaMarques Johnson (11-8) vs. Mike Guymon (12-4-1)

Eric - Johnson
Matt – Guymon
Michael – Guymon
Mike Brown (24-7) vs. Rani Yahya (15-6)

Eric - Brown
Matt – Brown
Michael – Brown
Waylon Lowe (9-3) vs. Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire (17-3)

Eric - Freire
Matt – Freire
Michael – Freire
Charlie Brenneman (12-2) vs. Amilcar Alves (11-2)

Eric - Brenneman
Matt – Brenneman
Michael – Brenneman
Will Campuzano (8-3) vs. Chris Cariaso (10-2)

Eric - Campuzano
Matt – Campuzano
Michael – Cariaso

Yves Edwards vs. Cody McKenzie

Yves Edwards
Record: 39-16
Notable Wins: Derrick Noble, Hermes Franca, Josh Thomson, Pete Spratt, Rich Clementi
Finishes: 30

Cody McKenzie
Record:12-0
Notable Wins: Aaron Wilkinson
Finishes: 12

Prediction:  As much as I like the experience of Edwards, McKenzie is 12 and 0 with 10 of those wins coming by Guillotine choke.  Edwards has only been submitted 4 times in his career and never by guillotine but I think this will end Saturday night.  McKenzie will lock on a choke and take the win by the end of the first round.

DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Guymon

DaMarques Johnson
Record: 11-8
Notable Wins: Edgar Garcia, Brad Blackburn
Finishes: 10

Mike Guymon
Record: 12-4
Notable Wins: Yoshiyuki, Yoshida, Quinn Mulhern, Kyacey, Uscola,
Finishes: 11

Prediction: Both guys are coming off of loses and need a win to get back on track.  I think Guymon will come out tough and take this fight by decision.

Mike Brown vs. Rani Yahya

Mike Brown
Record: 24-7
Notable Wins: Cole Province, Urijah Faber twice, Leonard Garcia, Jeff Curran, Yves Edwards, Leigh Remedios, Mark Hominick,
Finishes: 18

Rani Yahya
Record: 15-6
Notable Wins: Josh Hosman, Eddie Wineland, Yoshiro Maeda, Mark Hominick,
Finishes: 14

Prediction:  There is a common opponent amongst these two fighters in Mark Hominick who both guys were able to finish via submission.  This is a fight that both guys need to win, most likely the loser will receive walking papers from the UFC.  Yahya has superior submission skills, beyond MMA he has competed in numerous grappling championships.  I think he will utilize this experience to take the fight via submission.  I see this one being a contender from the early card for fight of the night.

Waylon Lowe vs. Willamy Freire

Waylon Lowe
Record: 9-3
Notable Wins: Steve Lopez
Finishes: 6

Willamy Freire
Record:17-3
Notable Wins: Hacran Dias
Finishes: 11

Prediction:  Freire is the more experience fighter having competed all over the world and being a former Shooto Welterweight Champion.  I believe his experiece will be the difference in the fight and Freire will win a close decision.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Amilcar Alves

Charlie Brenneman
Record: 11-2
Notable Wins: Jason High
Finishes: 6

Amilcar Alves
Record: 11-1
Notable Wins:
Finishes: 7

Prediction:  Both guys need to prove themselves to the UFC, both have shown potential and come in pretty hyped.  I give the slight advantage to Brenneman, he has fought a slightly tougher caliber of fighter and proved himself a bit more.

Will Campuzano vs. Chris Cariaso

Will Campuzano
Record: 8-3
Notable Wins: Coty Wheeler
Finishes: 6

Chris Cariaso
Record: 10-2
Notable Wins: Rafael Rebello
Finishes: 4

Prediction: Both guys have pretty similar experience, both have a few fights under their belts with WEC/UFC.  Campuzano has fought some very tough guys including Eddie Wineland, Damacio Page, Nick Pace, and Coty Wheeler.  While he has only won 1 of those fights, I think he will win this fight.  Unanimous decision  with all 3 judges scoring the bout 29-28.

That does it for the undercard, come back tomorrow for a more in-depth look at the main card fights.

Roberto Abreu (Cyborg) working from his guard, trying to catch Tom DeBlass with triangles and sweeps but DeBlass looks very stable and calm. Asa Fuller submits Mike Martell with an armbar from mount. Cyborg almost gets guillotined by Tom de Blass. Cyborg escapes and wins by points. Radek Turek sinks a triangle and taps Rafael Davis with an armbar from the triangle. Xande sweeps Ilir Latifi. Vinicius Magalheas submits Rodrigo Henriques quickly with a heelhook. Xande beats Latifi by points.

Dean Lister jumps to guard and sinks a triangle on Andreas Olsen which forces him to tap. Perosh works to pass Pe de Panos halfguard. Perosh shoots and Pe de Pano spins for the back. Pe de Pano then quickly submits Perosh from the back. Glover Teixera passes the guard of what looks like a much bigger Vesa Vouri and wins by points.

Ricco Rodrigues is having a lot of problems against Tomasz Szczerek. Ricco is going for takedowns but doesnt get them. Ricco loses. Rinaldi beats Yoshiyuki by points. Galvão totally dominates Kassim Annan in the first minutes of the fight. But Kassim hangs in there bravely, reverses and almost passes the guard of Galvão. Galvão gets another takedown and wins by points. Galvão had to fight hard for that win.

Cris Weidman beats Dan Tabera by points. Bráulio takes down Yuji Arai, takes his back and submits him with a rear naked choke. Trond Saksenvik jumps to guard against David Avellan, who tries to pass. Avellan gets the the tap with a footlock. Tarsis jumps to guard against a huge Igor Praporshchikov. Lovato jumps to guard against Tom Lawlor. Tarsis is having a lot of trouble with Igor who looks very stable on top.

Lovato attacks with a heelhook but gets the sweep. Lovato wins by points. Tarsis wins on a judges decision being more active from below. Marcelo Garcia jumps to guard against Rodney Ellis and sweeps immediately. Passes the guard, mounts and taps him with a guillotine from the mount in under two minutes.

Bastos tries to sweep Jorge Santiago from halfguard. Brasco beats Gunnar Nelson on overtime in a very even fight.

Kron Gracie having trouble in the guard of Enrico Cocco, escaping Coccos constant leglock attacks. Santiago works on a kimura from top position as time runs out but Bastos wins by points. Azavedo passes the guard of Mike Fowler and gets sweeped just afterwards. Azevedo goes for a footlock and gets it. Kron gets the back of Cocco and submits him with a rear naked choke.

Milton Viera jumps to guard against Nakamura. Popovich gets a takedown right away, gets the back and submits with a rear naked choke. Milton Viera works for the sweep, but the japanese is stable on top. Ben Askren works to pass the flexible guard of Toni Linden. Askren finally manages to pass to north&south, then mounts and gets sidechoke. Nakamura gets Vieras back and advances.

Leo Santos jumps to guard on Yoshiyuki Yoshida and sweeps. Working for the pass. Getting the pass and then the back. Rani Yahya submits Kouhel Yasumi pretty fast. Leo Santos wins. Murilo Santana, winner of the brazilian qualifier jumps to guard, Gregor Gracie on top, trying to pass.

Jeff Glover gets a choke on Timo Juhani in less then a minute. Rubens Charles (Cobrinha) jumps to guard on Hiroshi Nakamura, working for the sweep. The World class surfer Joel Tudor jumps to guard with Renier Nicolas on top.

Cobrinha gets the back of Nakamura and after a scramble gets a beautiful armbar. Gregor almost passes the guard of Murilo Santana. Gregor almost gets a takedown. Tudor submits Nicolas with a triangle, repeating what he did to favorite Rani Yahya some weeks ago with the gi, showing that he is top level competitor in more then one sport.

Gregor Gracie passes the guard of Santana. Leo Viera gets a takedown on David Marinakis. Gregor gets the back of Santana and wins by points as time runs out. Leo Viera submits Marinakis with a guillotine.

Rafael Mendes sinks a triangle, tapping Jayson Patino pretty fast. Baret Yoshida and Justin Rader enters into a leglock war. Yoshida on the bottom with Rader in his guard. Ryan Hall beats Jeff Curran by points after a long fight that went into overtime. Rader now passes the guard of Yoshida. Scramble. Both get back to their feet. Baret initiates a takedown but ends up on his back. Rader gets another takedown and gets the win by points.

Womens division starting. Hanette Stack submits japanese Hitomi Haraiwa with an armbar. Cyborg, the female vesion, submits Ida Hanson with an armbar in overtime. Veteran Megumi Fuji goes for a nice flying armbar, but doesnt get it. Her oppponent, Hillary Williams, looks really strong. Hillary gets the back of Fuji and submits with a rearnaked choke. Luanna Alzuguir sweeps, passes and submits Ina Stefensen with a guillotine.

Sayaka Shioda beats Bianca Andrade due to minuspoints. Penny Thomas beats Shanti Abelha. Rosangela beats the huge Lana Stephanac after a tough and long fight mostly on their feet. Laurence Cousin beats Ana Michelle Dantas.

Mens quarterfinals start. Werdum pulls guard against Thomazs. Janne-Pekka Pietelainen pulls halfguard against Monson.

Werdum sweeps and working to pass. Gets the back of Thomazs. Romulo Barral jumps to guard against Saulo. Saulo working to pass. Werdum wins by points. Saulo almost passing the guard of Barral. Janne-Pekka almost gets sweep on Monson, that has to run of the mat to defend the sweep. Saulo wins by points and advances to the semifinals. Monson couldnt pass the guard of Janne-Pekka, but wins due to one minus point. Vinícius Magalhães wins with a beautiful flying armbar on Pé-de-Pano, maybe the fastest submission so far in the tournament.

Lister sweeps Glover Teixera from halfguard. Cyborg totally dominates his opponent Asa Fuller on the ground. Cyborg wins by points. Dean Lister almost has the back of Teixera but looks more and more tired. Lister is now loosing. Xande beats Radek Turek. Glover Teixera beats Lister, who looks really disappointed.

Galvão gets a beautiful omoplata sweep on Chris Weidman, switches to an armbar, but Weidman defends well and gets out. Tarsis jumps to David Avellans guard. Galvão fights to get a sweep from the halfguard. After a scramble Avellan gets the back of Tarsis and submits him with a rear naked choke with only one arm.

Rinaldi beats Tomazs Szczerek with an anaconda choke. Weidman almost submits Galvão with an anaconda choke from the top. Puts a lot of pressure on Galvão, who is starting to look really tired. Braulio Estima pulls guard with James Brasco on top. The fight between Galvão and Weidman goes into overtime. Lovato pulls guard on Bastos. Galvão almost gets a takedown but lands on the bottom. Galvão sweeps and gets the back, attacking the arm. Weidman gets out again. Galvao gets another sweep. Galvão wins by points after a really tough fight.

Kron Gracie vs Marcelo Garcia. The whole arena is cheering and chanting. Garcia jumps guard. Bastos almost gets takedown. Estima wins. Lovato on Bastos back. Azevedo jumps to guard and sweeps Nakamura. Kron working  to pass Garcia’s guard as Garcia looks for sweeps. Lovato gets takedown on Bastos. Garcia almost gets a sweep but Kron sweeps back. Kron goes for guillotine and Garcia passes to sidemount with the head still locked inside the guillotine. Lovato beats Bastos on points. Garcia frees his head and almost passes the guard of Kron but doesn’t manage to establish position. Popovich jumps guard on Askren and quickly submits him with a figure four footlock. Garcia gets a takedown but stuck in guillotine again. Garcia gets out. Scramble. Kron is all of a sudden on Garcias back, but no hooks in. Times up, no points awarded so fight goes into overtime. Garcia gets early takedown and working to pass.

Nakamura beats Azevedo. Marcelo “Marcelinho” Garcia passes and submits Kron with a guillotine from the mount. The whole arena is standing up, clapping their hands due to the great fight between Kron and Garcia.

Cobrinha gets Tudors back. Glover sweeps Rani. Rani sweeps back and passes guard. Cobrinha submits with a rear naked choke. Gregor Gracie beats Leo Santos after a tough fight.

Leo Viera in Ryan Halls guard. Ryan with his flexible guard almost gets a triangle. Rafael Mendes gets a fast anaconda choke on Rader. Rani beats Jeff Glover by points .

Leo Viera is having alot of trouble passing the guard of Ryan Hall. Fight goes into overtime. Ryan Hall jumps to guard again. Leo passes guard but cannot establish position.  Ryan rolls to all four, Vieira on his back. Scramble. Back to thier feet. Leo Vieira gets a tight guillotine and Ryan Hall is forced to tap!

Jacaré do the alligator against Robert Drysdale

Jacare vs Drysdale superfight! Jacaré gets takedown directly. Fight goes back to feet. Jacaré gets takedown again. Jacaré in Drysdales halfguard but cant pass. Back to feet again. Jacaré gets another takedown. Jacaré almost gets the pass this time. Drysdale retains guard. And back to feet again. Jacare gets a beautiful foot sweep, but nothing really happens as the fight hits the ground. Back to their feet. Drysdale being on the defense and a bit passive. Jacaré gets another inside sweep takedown, but they land outside the mats. Restart. Jacaré gets another takedown outside of the mats. Drysdale now goes for takedown, gets Jacaré back but falls to floor. Jacaré almost passing. Back on their feet. Little action. Drysdale goes for takedown again, gets reversed. Jacaré in Drysdales guard. Drysdale goes for sweep but doesnt get it.  Back to their feet. Drysdale shoots, Jacaré sprawls. Same thing again. Now Drysdale more active. Jacaré wins by points due to a takedown.

*notes by Marcus Widengren

*photos by Sebastian Valle

In the under 65 kg division we may see current champion Rany Yahya face the talented Jeff Glover in the second match.

The other finalist from 2007, Leo Vieira, is in the other bracket, with Rafael Mendes and Jeff Curran, among others.

Cobrinha is in the same bracket as Rani, but would only meet him in an eventual semifinal.

Marcelo Garcia in his second match in 2007 against Kurt Pellegrino. This time he may phase Kron Gracie at the same stage. Photo de Luca Atalla

Marcelo Garcia vs Kron Gracie in the second under 76kg match? That’s what we may see, should both make it out of their first engagement. Pablo Popovitch is at the other end of the bracket.

There’s a lot of beasts in one place, it’s hard to predict, but expect Tarsis Humphreys versus Andre Galvao in the under 88kg semifinals. At the other end, finalist in 2007 in the division above Braulio Estima has face some monsters, among them Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson and Rafael Lovato Jr to make it to the final.

Current under 99kg champion Xande Ribeiro may have a classic match-up against Marcio Pe de Pano in the semifinals. While 2003’s absolute champion Dean Lister has on his end the winner of the Brazilian trials (Glover Teixeira) and the American East Coast tryouts winner (Gerard Rinardi).

Among the heaviest, Fabricio Werdum comes in as favorite up until the semifinals, where he may cross paths with the much lighter Saulo Ribeiro and Romulo Barral, should they make it past their respective giants in the first two matches.

Jeff Monson is at the other end, and may try and repeat his feat from ADCC 2001, when he swept Tom Erikson. Cyborg faces East Coast trials winner Tom Blass in the opener.

The female division the level is very evenly matched. Let’s  see whether young Luana Alzuguir lives up to the expectations since winning the Jiu-Jitsu world title this year by making it to the final, but will have to contend with the winner of the South American trials, Ana Michelle Tavares, should they meet in the semifinal. Among the heaviest, Favorites Hanette Staack and Lana Stephanac may face off in the semifinal.

It’s hard to think Rubens Charles Maciel and not tag onto his name the adjective most associated with it. At the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds, Cobrinha has dominated the featherweight category for no loess than four years. The four-time champion equaled the landmark set by the legendary Royler Gracie and the two embraced in Long Beach, last June.

This “competition” between the two brings us to think of the second part of the dispute. In the ADCC, Royler is a three-time champion. In Barcelona, Cobrinha will make his debut and states that he isn’t looking to make it to the Gracie’s three, but made it clear his goals are always lofty. To make it to the title in 2009, Cobrinha will have to overcome another hard-nosed featherweights, among them Rafael Mendes, his greatest rival at the moment; current champion Rani Yahya; two-time champion Leo Vieira. He’ll have his work cut out for him.

Cobrinha at Pan NoGi 2008. Photo: Luca Atalla

Direct from Atlanta, Georgia, Cobrinha had a chat with the GRACIEMAG.com ADCC 2009 Blog and provided insight into his training and told of how he will arrive in Barcelona hungry for the title, but in no rush.

Blog: You all set for the ADCC?
Rubens Charles “Cobrinha”: My preparations could not have gone any better. I had several people by my side bending over backwards to get me ready. Black belt Rafael Rosendo came to help me train; Master Romero Jacare has given me full support in myy training; my wrestling coach Paul Creighton opened the doors of his gym for me to teach and my physical conditioning coach Josh Brown got me in shape. I can’t leave out my students at Alliance Atlanta either, who game me major support. And my wife Daniela, who put up with me while I trained and cut weight.

Blog: Is getting ready for the ADCC much different from the JJ Worlds, for example?
Cobrinha: I think a lot changes. The ADCC is almost an entirely different style of fight. The rules are very different. We don’t have the grips on the gi and the match duration is quite different. I, for some time now, have been training without the gi to improve my fundamentals. And I can tell you I already see progress in my game.

Blog: At the Worlds, you equaled Royler’s four wins, now will you be aiming to equal his three ADCC wins?
Cobrinha: I’m someone who always has lofty goals, but I’m not thinking of equaling Royler’s achievement yet. I’m just getting started in the ADCC, while Royler’s the man. If I can do have what he has done, I’ll be great. I’m in no hurry to reach my goals. I like going after them in the long run.

Beating Rafael Mendes at the 2009 Worlds. Photo: Ivan Trindade

Blog: In your division, who will be the toughest adversary: revelation and rival Rafael Mendes, current champion Rani Yahya or two-time champion Leo Vieira?
Cobrinha: I think all of them are really tough opponents, since they’re all training to show their best. It’s hard to point out one of them. All of them have what it takes and I have to pay close attention to each of them.

- Kyra Gracie is out of the ADCC due to injury. Her absence is likely reason for Bianca Andrade being called up at the last moment.

- Just now the event’s organizers announced three more competitors. To round out the under 99kg category, Sweden’s Ilir Latifi and Japan’s Yoshiyuki Nakahashi were called up. Also invited was Poland’s Tomasz Szczerek, for the under 88kg category.

- Five-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion Bianca Andrade was invited to participate at ADCC 2009. He will enter the under 60kg category. The organization hasn’t announced which athlete she will take the place of.

- Among the men, longboarder Joel Tudor, a Rodrigo Medeiros student, was invited to participate in the under 66kg category. He takes the place of Urijah Faber.

- Just as a reminder, Tudor just won the American Nationals. He beat none other than ADCC under 66kg champion Rani Yahya in the final.

It is September 12. There are 14 days to go till ADCC 2009. In Rio de Janeiro, Leonardo Vieira is at the Brazilian Team Nationals leading Checkmat, the team he put together two years ago with brother Ricardo, when both left Brasa.

The two-time under 66kg champion spent the last week training in Rio de Janeiro, but returns to Sao Paulo for the final week of training before the trip. In between his students’ disputes, Leo had the following chat with GRACIEMAG.com ADCC 2009 blog.

Blog: How has your preparation for the ADCC 2009 been going?
Leo Vieira: I’m training with my students in Sao Paulo and spent this week in Rio, training with my brother. Today I turn 33, my time is divided between my kids, leading the team and training, but I have a phenomenal team that supports me all the way.

Blog: Your toughest adversaries in the category have been competing all the time while you haven’t competed since 2007. Do you feel that will hinder you?
Leo: I’m an athlete and I manage to compete well even if I’m not coming off a series of competitions. I’ve been through that before.

Leo in action in 2007. Photo: Luca Atalla

Blog: Still on the topic of your opponents, the under 66kg category unites such names as Rani Yahya, Cobrinha, Rafael Mendes, among others. Have you been practicing specific strategies for each of them?
Leo: My strategy against all adversaries is to feel comfortable in the match. I see each adversary as being 15 opportunities for defeat. I think the category will be just as tough as the other ones.

Blog: In 2007 you lost in the final to Rani Yahya, after having beat him in 2005. Will this year be the tie-breaker?
Leo: My loss to Rani caused me to reassess my reasons for competing. In 2007, I was lagging in the ADCC. I lagged in my first matches, won, but when I made it to the final I couldn’t manage to win. The problem was all about motivation. When I started Jiu-Jitsu, my motivation was to move up in belts to get to black. When I made it there, my motivation was to become world champion, which I managed to do too. When I made it to ADCC 2007 I couldn’t see any motivation for being there. That’s why I ate wrong, trained wrong and fought wrong. The loss made me see how I didn’t have to fight just for me, but for my team, for those who follow me, to leave a legacy.

The match with Rani. Photo: Guilherme Rafols

Blog: Looking back, what was your greatest moment in the ADCC? The one you hold dearest to you?
Leo: A lot of folks only think of wins, but to me my greatest moment was my match with Mark Kerr, in 2000. I like to talk about that match, if just to remind people how it went. A lot of people think it was a supermatch, or the final of the absolute. Truth is, it was the first match of the absolute that year. To me, that match marked the way I fight. I lost, but only by a penalty point, because they said I backed away.

Blog: You’ve been disputing the ADCC since 2000. Who was the athlete to impress you most all these years?
Leo: The one to most impress me was Marcelo Garcia. He left the tryouts he lost in 2003 to submit everyone and maintain the title to this day.

What about you? Do you feel Leo can take a third ADCC title? Leave your comment.

With less than two weeks to go till ADCC Barcelona 2009, we took roll to find out who will be sweating up the mats of the Badalona Municipal Sports Pavilion.

Of course there will be last-minute changes and you will be able to keep up with all the flip-flops in names till the first exchange of grips right here. The organization promises 16 athletes for each male category. Now the female division will have eight per category.

Of 2007’s champions, only Demian Maia (under 88kg) and Roger Gracie will be out of this year’s event. Find out who is in as of now, category by category.

Supermatch

Robert Drysdale (absolute champion of  2007) vs Ronaldo Jacaré (2005 absolute runner-up)

Men

Over 99kg

1. Jeff Monson (USA)
2. Tom Erikson (USA)
3. Jon Olav Einemo (Norway)
4. Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil)
5. Rogent Lloret (Spain)
6. Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil)

7. Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) –  ADCC champion
8. Denis Roberts (Australia) – Pacific trials winner
9. Asa Fuller (USA) – North American East Coast trials winner
10. Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (Finland) – European trials winner
11. Tomasz Janiszewski (Poland) – European trials winner
12. Antoine Jaoude (Brazil) – South American trials winner
13. Kouji Kanechika (Japan) – Asian trials winner
14. Tom De Blass (USA) –North American West Coast trials winner
15. Gabriel Gonzaga (Brazil)
16. Karol Bedorf (Poland)

Under 99kg

1. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (Brazil)
2. Vesa Vuori (Finland)
3. Vinícius “Pezão” Magalhães (Brazil)
4. Dean Lister (USA)

5. Alexandre Ribeiro (Brazil) – ADCC champion
6. Anthony Perosh (Australia) – Pacific trials winner
7. Rafael Davies (USA) –American East Coast trials winner
8. Andreas Olsen (Norway) – European champion
9. Radek Turek (Poland) – European trials winner
10. Glover Teixeira (Brazil) – South American trials winner
11. Yukiya Naito (Japan) – Asian trials winner
12. Gerard Rinaldi (USA) –North American West Coast trials winner
13. Márcio “Pé de Pano” Cruz (Brazil)

Under 88kg

1.Tarsis Humphreys (Brazil)
2. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan) – Asian trials winner
3. André Galvão (Brazil) – South American trials winner
4. Kassim Annan (France) – European trials winner
5. Trond Saksenvik (Norway) – European champion
6. Jason Selva (USA) – North American East Coast trials winner
7. Igor Praporshchikov (Australia) – Pacific trials winner
8. Chris Weidman (USA) –North American West Coast trials winner
9. Gunnar Nelson (Iceland)
10. Rafael Lovato Jr. (USA)
11. Daniel Tabera (Spain)
12. Bráulio Estima (Brazil)
13. Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares (Brazil)
14. Bruno Bastos (Brazil)
15. Jorge Santiago (Brazil)
16. Tom Lawler (USA)

Under 77kg

1. Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) –  ADCC champion
2. K-taro Nakamura (Japão) – Asian trials winner
3. Murilo Santana (Brazil) – South American trials winner
4. Marcelo “Uirapuru” Azevedo (Brazil) – European trials winner
5. Toni Linden (Finlândia) – European champion
6. Don Ortega (EUA) – North American East Coast trials winner
7. Rodney Ellis (Austrália) – Pacific trials winner
8. Enrico Cocco (USA) – North American West Coast trials winner
9. Kron Gracie (Brazil)
10. Pablo Popovitch (Brazil)
11. Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida (Japan)
12. Milton Vieira (Brazil)
13.Bill Cooper (USA)
14.Ben Askren (USA)
15. Gregor Gracie (Brazil)
16. Leonardo Santos (Brazil)

Under 66kg

1. Rani Yahya (Brazil) –  ADCC champion
2. Kouhei Yasumi (Japan) – Asian trials winner
3. Rafael Mendes (Brazil) – South American trials winner
4. Nicolas Renier (France) – European trials winner
5. Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas (Finland) – European champion
6. Ryan Hall (EUA) –North American East Coast trials
7. David Marinakis (Austrália) – Oceania trials
8. Jayson Patino (USA) – North American West Coast trials
9. Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles (Brazil)
10. Leo Vieira (Brazil)
11. Baret Yoshida (USA)
12. Jeff Glover (USA)
13.Hiroshi “Iron” Nakamura (Japan)
14.Justin Rader (USA)
15.Jeff Curran (USA)
16.Urijah Faber (USA)

Women

Under 60kg

1. Kyra Gracie (Brazil) –  ADCC champion
2. Sayaka Shioda (Japan) –  ADCC champion
3. Megumi Fujii (Japan) – Asia pacific trials winner
4. Michelle Tavares (Brazil) – South American trials winner
5. Laurence Cousin (France) – European trials winner
6. Ina Steffensen (Denmark) – European champion
7. Hillary Williams (USA) – North American trials winner
8.Luanna Alzuguir (Brazil)

Over 60kg

1. Hannette Staack (Brazil) –  ADCC champion
2. Penny Thomas (USA) – ADCC champion
3. Hitomi Hiraiwa (Japan– Asian Pacific trials winner)
4. Rosângela Conceição (Brazil) – South American trials winner
5. Ida Hansson (Sweden) – European champion
6. Shanti Abelha (Denmark) – campeã européia
7. Lana Stephanac (USA) – seletiva norte-americana
8. Cris Cyborg (Brazil)

Leo Vieira x Rani Yahia 2005

Nickname: Leozinho
Complete name: Leonardo Vieira
Home: Rio de Janeiro – Brasil
Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Team: Vieira Bros. Team

Division: under 65.9 Kg

ADCC achievements:
- ADCC 2007 2nd Place
- ADCC 2005 Champion
- ADCC 2003 Champion
- Ranked 3rd in BJJ “Greatest Of All Times” by GracieMag

Leo is a veteran champion. Having started jiu-jitsu under Romero “Jacaré” ­Cavalcanti, Vieira has seen unprecedented success both in gi, no-gi and submission fighting tournaments. He’s known for his good humour and creative style. Back in 2000 Leo showed his potencial to the world while fighting with Mark Kerr in the ADCC. Now he is a multiple BJJ and ADCC champion known for his slick skills. Vieira’s fights shows such a level of dynamic jiu-jitsu that they become something really exciting to watch, even for laymen.

He is 1 – 1 against Rani Yahya. He won in 2005 and lost in 2007. We hope they meet again this year and check who’s the best fighter below 66 Kg in the world.

Leo and his brother run their own academy in California. He’s a perfectionist instructor, having formed many black-belts and instructing black-belts from other places. Vieira is also recognized as an excellent coach for competitions because of his deep knowledge of strategy.

“The no-gi mundial is exactly the same as the gi mundial except for the uniform. Usually a worldwide competition (i.e. world cup soccer) is an amazing competition, but the Jiu-Jitsu Mundials are not. I don’t understand the point of having a world champion at the different coloured belts. I think the ADCC is better in that regard of no skill limits.”

So this Sunday on Versus (it’s a channel), the WEC will be airing a huge show. It’s kind of being overshadowed right now by UFC 101, which btw was stupid of Zuffa to have a WEC event on the same weekend as the UFC, by that’s another topic for another discussion later. Now if you’re not a big MMA fan, you may not know what the WEC is. It is the same thing as the UFC, a mixed martial arts organization. Same rules, same octagon, same everything. WEC stands for World Extreme Cagefighting, and contrary to a lot of people’s beliefs, they are not in competition with the UFC. In fact, the same entity, Zuffa, that owns the UFC, also owns the WEC. So what’s the difference? The UFC is for fighters 155lbs and up, while the WEC showcases fighters that fight at 155 lbs or lower. The WEC currently has 3 weight classes: lightweight (155 lbs), featherweight (145 lbs), and bantamweight (135 lbs). This Sunday night will pit the top 2 bantamweights in the world along with a host of other great fights. Once again I’m placing the rankings next to each fighter according to http://www.bloodyelbow.com/rankings. I have to admit, I’m not as familiar with all the fighters in the lower weight classes, so my previews for each fight may not be as in depth as they normally are, especially for the undercard bouts, but I’ll do my best.

Main Card Bouts:

Bantamweight Title: #1 Miguel Torres (37-1 Overall, 5-0 in WEC) vs. #2 Brian Bowles (7-0 Overall, 4-0 in WEC)

Undoubtedly the best bantamweight in the world and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world from East Chicago, Indiana, Miguel Torres takes on top contender Brian Bowles in the main event. If you don’t know who Torres is, you definitely need to look him up. This guy is amazing and if he was getting exposure in the UFC he’d be a top star. This man has amazing cardio, great heart, tough chin, great Muay Thai, awesome jiu-jitsu, he has it all. This guy pushes the pace in all his fights and never stops attacking. He has only lost once in 38 pro fights and has been apart of 2 fight of the year fights already in the WEC. He takes on Bowles who is a guy who should not be underestimated. He is undefeated and has looked impressive in all of his fights in the WEC. He has a solid all around game, being able to knock out and submit his opponents.

These 2 men are currently the 2 best in the bantamweight division in the world. This has all the makings for another fight of the year candidate fight. In analyzing this fight, Bowles is good at everything but not great at anything. He doesn’t really pose a threat anywhere to Torres. Torres is way better on the feet and on the ground. The only advantage Bowles has may be his wrestling. Torres has a huge experience advantage and that will be key in this fight. Torres will use his experience to frustrate Bowles standing and on the ground and will catch him making a mistake. This is Torres’ fight to lose. I predict he further cements his legacy with this outstanding performance. Prediction: Miguel Torres 3rd Round Submission – Rear Naked Choke

Bantamweight Bout: #5 Joseph Benavidez (10-0 Overall, 2-0 in WEC) vs. #11 Dominick Cruz (13-1 Overall, 3-1 in WEC)

This fight is the co-main event of the evening and the winner will most likely get the next title shot at the winner of Torres/Bowles. Joseph Benavidez is undefeated and is a protege of popular featherweight Urijah Faber. He takes on Dominick Cruz who since dropping down from 145 lbs to 135 lbs has looked impressive. I’ve seen both men fight in person and this has all the makings for a very exciting fight.

The X-factor in this fight is the fact that Urijah Faber fought and demolished Dominick Cruz already, and Benavidez trains with Faber, so he will have a distinct advantage in knowing how to beat Cruz. Benavidez is an exciting fighter who fights similarly to Faber. He has good wrestling and throws a bunch of unorthodox punches and kicks. His only knock so far seems to be the fact that he doesn’t have much power in his striking and isn’t a finisher. Cruz is very tall for a 135 lb fighter and has pretty good wrestling and decent striking. With that being said, I think WEC wants Benavidez to win this fight and they made this match-up knowing that Benavidez could probably beat Cruz. I see this being an entertaining fight in which Benavidez uses his speed and quickness to beat Cruz. Prediction: Joseph Benavidez Unanimous Decision

Lightweight Bout: Ricardo Lamas (6-0 Overall, 1-0 in WEC) vs. Danny Castillo (7-1 Overall, 2-1 in WEC)

This match-up pits two contenders in the WEC lightweight division. I’m honestly surprised to see this fight on main card instead of Leonard Garcia’s fight, since neither of these 2 guys are all that popular right now. Lamas surprised everyone by coming in on short notice and upsetting Bart Palaszewski in his WEC debut. Castillo also came in on short notice and lost to WEC lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone, but has since reeled off two straight wins. I see this fight being a match-up of fighters that like to take fights to the mat and pound their opponents. Having seen Lamas fight against Palaszewski, he impressed me enough with wrestling ability for me to give him the nod in this fight. Prediction: Ricardo Lamas 2nd Round TKO

Bantamweight Bout: #4 Takeya Mizugaki (11-3-2 Overall, 0-1 in WEC) vs. #22 Jeff Curran (31-11-1 Overall, 1-3 in WEC)

Japanese contender Takeya Mizugaki takes on MMA veteran Jeff Curran. I saw each of these men’s last fights in person and they both had pretty good performances in their losses. Mizugaki lost to Torres in a fight for the WEC bantamweight title, where he displayed tremendous heart and grit in surviving 5 rounds with Torres before losing a decision in a fight of the year fight. Curran lost at the same event in Chicago to Joseph Benavidez in his first fight from dropping down to 135 lbs from 145 lbs. Both men need a win in this fight to get back into title contention. Mizugaki has a pretty good striking game with decent wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Curran has fantastic boxing and great BJJ. This match-up comes down to who can impose their will. Can Mizugaki keep it standing or can Curran get it to the mat? Both men are well-rounded, but would have distinct advantages over the other in certain areas. Curran hasn’t really impressed me at all in his fights in the WEC, while Mizugaki was very impressive in his fight in the WEC even though he lost. I think Mizugaki gets the big time win here over Curran. Prediction: Takeya Mizugaki 2nd Round TKO

Undercard Bouts:

Featherweight Bout: #6 Leonard Garcia (12-4 Overall, 2-1 in WEC) vs. Jameel Massouh (21-5 Overall, 0-1 in WEC)

A fight that should be on tv, as Garcia takes on Massouh. Garcia is coming off a loss to Mike Brown for the WEC featherweight title in which he got demolished. Despite that, this is a total showcase/pick me up fight for Garcia. If he loses, it will be a huge upset. Prediction: Leonard Garcia 1st Round KO

Featherweight Bout: Fredson Paixao (8-3 Overall, 0-1 in WEC) vs. Cole Province (6-1 Overall, 0-1 in WEC)

Paixao is a top BJJ grappler, while I admittedly don’t know anything about Province. So I’m picking Paixao here. Prediction: Fredson Paixao 1st Round Submission – Armbar

Lightweight Bout: Marcus Hicks (8-2 Overall, 3-2 in WEC) vs. Shane Roller (5-2 Overall, 2-1 in WEC)

2 pretty good wrestlers battle each other in this fight. Shane Roller was considered a highly touted prospect while Marcus Hicks is a former WEC lightweight title challenger. This fight may end up on the feet as two good wrestlers often cancel each other out. I think Hicks has more ways to win than Roller, so I give him the nod here. Prediction: Marcus Hicks 1st Round Submission – Guillotine Choke

Lightweight Bout: Ed Ratcliff (6-1 Overall, 2-1 in WEC) vs. Phil Cardella (13-3 Overall, 0-1 in WEC)

This fight pits a striker in Ratcliff versus a grappler in Cardella. Based on the fact that I love Ratcliff’s karate style striking, I’m going with him in this one. Prediction: Ed Ratcliff 2nd Round KO

Bantamweight Bout: #9 Rani Yahya (14-4 Overall, 3-1 in WEC) vs. John Hosman (13-4-1 Overall, WEC Debut)

Total showcase bout here once again, as Hosman fills in on short notice. Yahya is a world class submission artist and will get Hosman down and submit him. Prediction: Rani Yahya 1st Round Submission – Rear Naked Choke

Featherweight Bout: Diego Nunes (12-0 Overall, 1-0 in WEC) vs. Rafael Dias (13-5-1 Overall, 1-1 in WEC)

2 pretty good grapplers square off in this one. I see this being a total grappling match-up between two guys I don’t know too much about. I’m flipping a coin here and going with Dias. Prediction: Rafael Dias Unanimous Decision

Featherweight Bout: LC Davis (13-2 Overall, WEC Debut) vs. Javier Vazquez (13-2 Overall, WEC Debut)

A fight that was suppose to take place at Affliction is not moved over to the WEC. Two of the top featherweights outside of the WEC finally make their WEC debuts in this one. Davis trains out of the Miletich camp, while Vazquez has been a great fighter that no one has heard about. The winner of this fight jumps right into the mix in the WEC featherweight division. I think Vazquez is too slick on the ground for Davis and catches him. Prediction: Javier Vazquez 1st Round Submission – Armbar

Born in 1984

Home: Brasília – Brasil

Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Team: Rickson Gracie

Division: under 65.9 Kg

ADCC/BJJ record:

- ADCC 2007 Champion under 65.9 Kg

- ADCC 2005 second place (lost to Leo Vieira)

- ADCC 2003 quarter-finalist

- World Jiu-Jitsu Champion in brown belt lightweight (2003)

- World Jiu-Jitsu Champion in purple belt lightweight (2002)

MMA record: 14 – 4 – 0 (93% by submission)

Bio: Rani Yahya is ADCC 2007 World Champion! This mixed martial artist have a beautiful history in ADCC. In the previous edition Rani was 2nd place, and in 2003 he was one of the four finalists. He currently fights in both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions of the American-based MMA organization World Extreme Cagefighting. Yahya finishes almost all of his MMA fights with a submission, normally a perfect choke.

“I fight in any type of rules. I’ll fight any weight class”