Kyra Gracie, Rilion Gracie, and Renzo Gracie last year at the 2009 BJJ World Championship.
Careful observers of the jiu-jitsu competition scene could not have missed a new entity on the registration lists for the 2010 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship that takes place this coming weekend. Also known as the Mundial, the event is the most highly regarded competition in the gi and draws the planet’s best jiu-jitsu athletes, so fans take note when several highly regarded competitors’ affiliation this year was listed as Gracie Elite Team.
So what is Gracie Elite Team, and how did it come about? The FightWorks Podcast caught up with Cesar Gracie and got a few answers. According to Cesar, the new squad is comprised of athletes from Gracie family members Ralph, Renzo, Rilion, Ryan, and from Cesar’s own crew. The intention was to put together a more formidable team than they might individually, and “shake things up a bit”. The idea to create the new team was proposed about a month ago. When asked if this was a team that jiu-jitsu practitioners can expect to see for many years to come in high-end competitions like the World Championship or if this was just an experiment, Cesar replied that you never know and that they would just see how it goes.
Gracie Elite Team’s 2010 Mundials black belt competitors:
Black / Brown Belt Women:
Kyra Gracie (Leve)
Black Belt Men:
Caio Terra (Galo)
Joseph Capizzi (Galo)
Almiro Barros dos Santos (Pluma)
Samir Chantre (Pluma)
Caio Almeida (Pena)
Celso Venicius Alves (Leve)
Joao Paulo Bertuccelli (Leve)
Alexandro Ceconi (Pesado)
Luiz Gustavo Costa (Pesado)
Marcel Fortuna (Super-Pesado)
Gabriel Vella (Pesadissimo)
(If you’re still having a hard time remembering what the different weight classes are, here’s a list.)
Several of the competitors listed are regular winners of medals in events like the World Championship like Alexandro Ceconi, Kyra Gracie, Caio Terra, and Gabriel Vella. Expect to see similar results this weekend in Gracie Elite Team’s debut performance.
Okay so among very important questions about the 2010 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship like, “Who will be the next black belt champion in the middle weight division?”, or “Which BJJ team will win the team trophy?” are important questions like, “How can I follow the action without being there?”
So here’s a real quick rundown of how you can stay informed.
Live Video of the Event
Just like the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship a couple of months ago, Budo Video will be streaming the action to your computer for free in real time. All you have to do is register for an account at budovideos.com/online if you do not have one already. While there is no reason to expect any problems, I recommend registering in advance just in case there are any hiccups on the server that day.
Budo Videos will be streaming the action on Saturday and Sunday, focusing on the black belt action. Sunday is when the finals take place in each of those divisions, and as we mentioned the other day, the plan is for there to be a quick live interview with the winner after each finals match. I will be participating in the live video on Sunday as a commentator, working for Budo Video alongside Shawn Williams.
Here on The FightWorks Podcast
FightWorks Podcast cohost Dan and I will be arriving at the event Saturday, where we will be furiously working to bring you as much information as possible right there from the Long Beach Pyramid. I will be live blogging the action all day Saturday. I know that people will watch the live video on their computer and in a separate browser window they’ll have my live blogging open. This is because often times I will offer tidbits and details that you cannot get from the live video feed, simply because the online video will focus on one or two of the great jiu-jitsu matches at a time and I can offer an observation from more than one at a time.
Dan will be roaming the arena, getting photos, audio and maybe even video that we will use soon here on our site. As always, we will have another episode of our humble weekly BJJ radio show ready for you on Sunday!
In May The FightWorks Podcast brought you a long-overdue interview with Leticia Ribeiro and Beatriz Mesquita, two of Gracie Humaita’s top female competitors. Both women have been reliable sources of medals for Humaita over the years and have kept Gracie Humaita’s women’s team in the spotlight.
The FightWorks Podcast was invited by Ribeiro to watch the two train as Steve Nave of the International Bulgarian Bag Confederation put the ladies through a very tough workout here in San Diego to get ready for the 2010 BJJ World Championship this coming weekend. The result of that meeting was this video and two exhausted women.
Ribeiro:
You wait a year for this tournament. We won the last one. We are training hard, especially me, Bia, and Penny [Thomas]. We’ve trained together for a long time. We’ve been doing strength and physical training for two months straight. We are gonna be prepared man. I don’t know about the opponents, but we will be prepared. A fight is a fight. We never know what’s going to happen. But it’s gonna be hard to beat us there.
The 2010 BJJ World Championship is this coming weekend! It’s going to be very busy, with our live blog of Saturday and our appearance on Sunday’s free video stream of the action. But one thing we love about these events is the opportunity to get face to face with the Mighty 600,000.
Here’s the deal: stop in and grab a coffee with us from 8 to 8:45am at the Starbucks Cafe & Lobby Lounge inside the Long Beach Marriott at 4700 Airport Plaza Drive in Long Beach. This is the hotel that the IBJJF had hooked up with a special rate for BJJ Mundial competitors, and it’s just down the street from the 2010 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship so I hope it’s pretty convenient for people.
Please stop in and say hello. It’s really rewarding to put faces to the Mighty 600,000.
Don’t worry, we won’t be there long enough for you to miss any of the black belt action that day, which begins at 10am. But this way we get to connect with the Family a bit, generate some content for our next show, and caffeinate before another long day of BJJ reporting! See you there!
Jonathan “JT” Torres on his way to capturing the silver medal for light weight brown belts at the 2009 BJJ World Championship.
Just a very quick note to confirm something I mentioned on our Sunday show about the 2010 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship and Tournament Review Tuesday (TRT) here on thefightworkspodcast.com. As you know, TRT is an opportunity for folks to share their experiences at jiu-jitsu tournaments.
If you write a review of the 2010 BJJ World Championship and we publish it, you will be sent a FightWorks Podcast Gi Patch! Generally it is expected that if you write a TRT piece for us, you will have personally participated as a competitor in the event you’re writing about, but this time, do not worry about it. We are looking to convey all experiences of the 2010 BJJ Mundials from everyone’s point of view.
(Of course, if we have to reject your article because it doesn’t meet our quality standards on the site, you won’t get a patch. But we’ve never rejected any TRT piece so I am pretty confident it won’t be an issue here. I have to say so just in case.)
Looking forward to reading what The Mighty 600,000 can share about the most exciting BJJ event in the world!
This week’s episode of the FightWorks Podcast is really two episodes in one. Each of the two interviews we present here would normally be a week’s worth of content but we are feeling especially generous with the 2010 BJJ World Championships on the way this coming weekend!
The first feature interview is with Carlos Gracie Jr.. Many of the Gracie family are key characters in how jiu-jitsu became what it is today Carlos Junior is no exception. He is the head of all Gracie Barra schools, the president of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, and the publisher of GracieMag. Influential indeed!
The second of our interviewees is none other than Jean Jacques Machado. One of the five Machado brothers (and a cousin to Carlos Gracie Jr.), Jean Jacques won his weight class in the 2001 ADCC Submission Grappling Championship and is highly regarded for his teaching skills. Another terrific interview brought to us by FightWorks Podcast contributor Christian Simamora.
Of course we will also review some listener email, voicemail, and go over the plans to cover the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship coming up this weekend at the Long Beach Pyramid in Los Angeles!
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show
Thiago Alves (top) defends Marcelo Garcia and his X-guard at the 2009 BJJ World Championships.
The 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship was not only the platform for some of the world’s best jiu-jitsu athletes to compete, but it was the first time that the event was made available online using streaming video. The 2010 BJJ World Championship will be streamed live online for free as well by Budo Videos. All you have to do to watch is sign up at budovideos.com/online. (Full disclosure: The FightWorks Podcast will be compensated for its participation in the live broadcast on Sunday.)
But here’s an improvement over the Pan Jiu-Jitsu broadcast from April: after every final match that takes place on Sunday, there will be an interview right there in the center of the mats with the gold medal winner before the next match starts. These interviews will:
be broadcast live online via the live stream
appear on the big screen at the Long Beach Pyramid
and the audio will be heard through the public address system in the building
And yes, this goes for the mens and womens’ divisions!
So the event will be a little more like the combat sports coverage we’re used to with a post fight interview after the matches. Should be fun!
On Tuesday the UFC announced several ‘Grappling Superfights’ for the upcoming Grapplers Quest tournament, held as part of the second-ever UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, in conjunction with this month’s “UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans” event.
This year’s superfights include Shayna Baszler vs. Penny Thomas, Bill Cooper vs. Hermes Franca, Fredson Paixao vs. Caol Uno and Jeff Glover vs. Javier Vazquez. Also competing at the event will be former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, who enters the tournament in the Men’s Advance welterweight division (169.9 pounds and under).
“For grappling fans, this is an awesome opportunity to see some of the world’s best ground fighters compete against one another,” UFC president Dana White stated in today’s official release.
The UFC Fan Expo takes place May 28 and 29 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas with action starting on Friday, May 28 at 1 p.m. PT local time. The first ‘Superfight’ includes South African Penny Thomas vs. Shayna Baszler and is followed by the Bill Cooper vs. Hermes Franca match.
About The Competitors:
Recognized for his colorful hair, engaging personality, and ferocious fighting spirit, former UFC star Hermes Franca is also widely-respected in grappling circles. A highly-decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Franca returns to grappling competitions at the UFC Fan Expo when he takes on Bill Cooper in an exciting matchup.
At just 23 years old, Bill “The Grill” Cooper is already a grappling sensation. Since earning his black belt from Ricardo Miller at the age of 20, Cooper has won 25 Grapplers Quest titles from around the country. Now teaching in Thousand Oaks, California, Cooper will face one of the toughest tests of his young career in Hermes Franca on May 28.
Penny Thomas is a South African Jiu-jitsu star fighting out of San Diego, Calif. Training under the tutelage of Saulo and Alexandre Ribeiro, Thomas is a two-time Abu Dhabi World Champion, as well as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt and defending Grapplers Quest All-Star Pro Champion. Representing Gracie Humaitá, Thomas is eager to take on Baszler on May 28.
Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler competes out of Sioux Falls, S.D. and owns an MMA record of 11-6. Baszler has scored notable victories over Roxanne Modafferi and Megumi Yabushita in her career and looks to make a big statement with a grappling win over Thomas later this month.
One of the most respected fighters in the history of the sport, Japanese star Caol Uno began his career in 1996 and blazed a trail for lighter weight fighters. Having fought a Who’s Who of MMA, including BJ Penn, Jens Pulver, Rumina Sato, and Dennis Hallman, the 35-year-old has defeated over half of his opponents by submission. The dynamic Uno looks to test his grappling mettle when he battles Fredson Paxaio at the UFC Fan Expo.
Fredson Paixao’s accomplishments in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu speak for themselves. A four-time world champion, the 30-year old from Parintins is considered one of the best grapplers of this era. Now competing in MMA for the WEC, Paixao – who is only the second person in the world to go from purple to black belt in just four years – will get back to his roots by grappling competitively during the UFC Fan Expo.
A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the late Carlson Gracie, 34-year-old Javier Vazquez ranks among the most gifted grapplers in the world. With nine of his 14 professional MMA victories coming by way of submission, the WEC star vows to put on a show when he takes to the mat against Jeff Glover on May 29.
With 23 Grapplers Quest titles to his name, California’s Jeff Glover has taken the jiu-jitsu world by storm. Add in accolades as a 2008 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship-Silver Medalist, 2008 PacSun Hawaii Absolute/No-Gi/Gi Champion, 2007 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship Gold Medalist, and it’s clear why seeing Glover’s name on the marquee means some high-level jiu-jitsu. Among the best guard players to ever grace the mat, Glover plans to showcase his high-level grappling when he takes on Javier Vazquez later this month.
Please note that all rings of the UFC Fan Expo tournament will be stopped during these Superfights, and that while fans will get to see all the tournament and Superfight action, seating will be limited and handled on a first come, first served basis.
For more UFC Fan Expo information and to purchase tickets, visit UFCfanexpo.com. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.
Beatriz Mesquita and Leticia Ribeiro, two cornerstones of Gracie Humaita’s womens competition team.
Do not let the smiles fool you! Four stripe brown belt Beatriz Mesquita and her black belt instructor Leticia Ribeiro are some of the toughest female grapplers on the planet. Mesquita, aka “Bia” has hit the competition scene like a tsunami, winning world championship after world championship as she has progressed through the belt rankings. She also recently came in second place in the World Pro championship in Abu Dhabi. Did we mention that she is not yet twenty years old? Many consider her the top talent among new women’s jiu-jitsu athletes.
Leticia Ribeiro is a black belt under Royler Gracie and is the heart of the Gracie Humaita female team. World champion Penny Thomas has nothing but high praise for Letty, who organizes the competition preparation for Gracie Humaita’s womens team, which earned first place among female competitors for the last three years. And did you ever watch the episode of MTV’s Wildboyz where Steve-O was choked out by a woman? Yes, that was Leticia.
Also in this episode, we will discuss some listener email, a listener voicemail (who called us at (877) 247-4662), and of course we’ll also discuss the most recent BJJ Poll!
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show
“Moosin: God of Martial Arts” PPV card stacked from top to bottom
Sylvia-Pudzianowski headlines May 21 at DCU Center in Worcester
WORCESTER, Mass. (May 14, 2010) – The first major mixed-martial-arts show in Massachusetts history, the May 21st “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” pay-per-view event, offers much more than the much-anticipated super heavyweight showdown between 2-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim“Maine-iac” Sylvia and 5-time World’s Strong Man, Mariusz“Dominator” Pudzianowski, at the DCU Center in Worcester.
Fans in attendance, as well as PPV viewers, will watch entertaining fights featuring many of the leading MMA fighters in the world. The main event between Sylvia (25-6-0), a native of Eastbrook, Maine, and Polish sports icon Pudzianowski, promises to climax an evening of explosive action.
“God of Martial Arts” is being presented by Moosin, the South Korea-based promotional company, which has promoted MMA shows in South Korea and the United States. Moosin, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, plans expansion into to China, Poland and Australia.
“God of Martial Arts” is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, TVN and DISH Network, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell TV and Shaw PPV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95 (also available in HD). It is also available on www.GoFightLive.TV outside of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Poland.
Korean heavyweight Mu Bae “The Heavy Tank of Busan” Choi (9-4-0) meets veteran Travis “Diesel” Wiuff (59-14-0) in the co-main event. Choi is a former Greco-Roman wrestling champion, who has fought in Pride and Sengoku, making his U.S. debut. One of the most experienced MMA fighters in the world, Wiuff was a 2-time NJCAA All-American wrestler whose MMA victims include former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez and other UFC fighters such as Keith Jardine, Sean Salmon and Chris Tuchscherer, in addition to former IFL titlist Matt Horwich.
Brazilian middleweight Rafael “Sapo” Natal (11-2-0) takes on The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis “The Serial Killer” Lutter (10-5-0) in a match between Brazilian Jui-Jitsu specialists. Natal, representing Gracie Fusion, started out fighting
in the art of Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian style using a lot of sweeps and kicks. A BJJ black belt, Lutter gained fame by winning TUF4, defeating Patrick Cote in the finale with an arm-bar. The experienced Lutter has fought Anderson Silva,
Rich Franklin and Matt Lindland.
Bahamian lightweight Yves “The Texas Gunslinger” Edwards (37-15-1) squares-off against rising New England star Mike “The Beast” Campbell (7-2-0). An all-around fighter, Edwards, has fought all over the world, including Pride and Bodog, and the Texas resident has registered wins versus the likes of Rich Clementi and Hermes Franco (twice). Providence-native Campbell, who was a potential Olympian in power lifting, outgrew the New England MMA circuit and is ready for the larger stage.
A special attraction features two of the premier female MMA fighters in the U.S., Tara LaRosa (18-1-0) and Roxy Modafferi (13-4-0), at a 130-pound catch-weight, in a rematch of their March 4, 2006 fight that LaRosa won by decision. Modafferi, however, has defeated (submission by triangle choke in 2005) the only woman to ever defeat LaRosa, Jennifer Howe, by TKO (punches) in 2003.
The non-PPV scheduled part of the Moosin show also has worldwide appeal yet features several local favorites on the undercard: Korean light heavyweight Chang Seob Lee (2-4-0) vs. Lukasz “Juras” Jurkowski (5-6-0), Clinton’s Matt Lee (11-8-1) vs. Bridgewater’s Brett Oteri (5-0-0) in a match-up of Massachusetts lightweights, unbeaten Worcester (Mass.) welterweight Ralph Johnson vs. NAAFS champion Forrest “The Meat Clever” Petz (23-7-0 undefeated Rockland (Mass.) heavyweight Paul Barry(3-0-0) vs. Stipe Miocic (1-0-0),Stoughton (Mass.) middleweight Fred “French Foot Fighter” Belleton (6-2-0) vs. Anthony “The Recipe” Lapsley(14-5-0).
Also, fan favorite Eric “Butterbean” Esch (98-18-5, all-fighting) squares-off against former Boston Bruins enforcer and popular WAAF sports personality, Lyndon “LB” Byers, in a charity fundraiser. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets, priced at $35.75, $55.75, $75.75, $150.75 and $250.75, are on sale at the DCU Center Box Office (50 Foster St., Worcester, MA), all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1.800.745.3000.
Doors open at 7:30 PM/ET, first bout 8:00 PM/ET, first PPV bout 9 PM/ET (6 PM/PT). Go to www.MoosinUSA.com or www.dcucenter.com for additional information. For odds on the fights go to http://betus.com.
Moosin: A global event promoter based out of Seoul, South Korea, in conjunction with the International Taekwon-Do Federation, Moosin is known for bringing fans the finest in mixed martial arts competition. Moosin is revolutionizing
the MMA industry by merging an international roster of talented fighters with recognizable stars from the world or music, sports and popular culture. Moosin pits warrior against warrior, featuring a hybrid of MMA and hard-hitting Moosin-style kickboxing, in hand-to-hand battles of skill, honor and art.
DCU Center: A multi-purpose arena and convention center uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000 DCU Center is owned by the City of Worcester and managed by SMG, the world’s leading private management and developing firm for public assembly facilities. Headquartered on Philadelphia, SMG provides management services to over 200 public assembly facilities internationally and also offers food and beverage operations through SAVOR…Catering by SMG. For more information, please visit www.dcucenter.com.
Integrated Sports Media:North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Ricky Hatton, Christian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Kahn, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.
