UFC Champion Alex Pereira GIFTED A BJJ Brown Belt

By
Filip Zanki
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UFC Champion Alex Pereira Gifted BJJ Brown Belt
Alex Pereira beat Israel Adesanya for the middleweight UFC title via a standing TKO last weekend at UFC 281. The new UFC champion received his brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu from his professor Plinio Cruz much to the surprise of MMA and BJJ fans who were quick to make their feelings known.

There is a debate in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu whether people who are professional MMA fighters or black belts in other grappling arts should get through the belt system faster.  That particular debate is far from being settled and when high-profile MMA fighters, like new middleweight UFC champion Alex Pereira get a belt they seemingly do not deserve it gets up like leftover dinner in a microwave.

The UFC champion deservedly won the title, knocking out Israel Adesanya for the third time ) the previous two times were in kickboxing). Pereira is a master striker, ut his grappling is far from being anywhere near the level of his stand-up.

A few days after Alex Pereira won the belt, he was awarded his brown belt by his professor Plinio Cruz, who praised Pereira for using his Jiu-Jitsu to survive in the match against Adesanya despite Israel being a purple belt, just like Pereira was at the time.

MMA reporter Ariel Helwani broke the news by posting a video of the promotion, saying:

“Last night, new UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira received a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from his trainer Plinio Cruz.”

 

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A post shared by Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)

The promotion of the new UFC champion to brown belt drew instant reactions from fans worldwide, who feel the Brazilian was dominated easily by Israel in the grappling exchanges.

While promoting Alex Pereira, Plinio Cruz said:

“If you guys saw that fight Saturday … takedowns, sweeps, leg locks, almost like a real jiu-jitsu guy. But the main part of jiu-jitsu is not about submitting. It’s not about winning. It’s about surviving. And under the most hard circumstances, he used jiu-jitsu to survive.”

Alex Pereira has not submitted anyone in MMA up to date and has only one recorded loss – via submission.

Many fans and fighters reacted to the promotion, with Khamzat Chimaev re-posting Helwani’s original Instagram post accompanied by facepalm and laughing emojis.

Islam Makhachev recently raised the point that many modern-day BJJ black belts are actually nowhere near true black belt level and that they should have their belts “canceled“.

Whether new UFC champion Alex Pereira is actually a legitimate brown belt, or just got promoted because of his performances inside the octagon, remains to be seen.

Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena WNO Rematch Official For 2023

By
Filip Zanki
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Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pean rematch at WNO February 2023
A Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena rematch on the Who’s Number One stage is officially set for February 25, 2023, providing us with the match everyone hoped to see at the ADCC 2022 event.

The best grappler in the world, Gordon “King” Ryan is going to face his old nemesis Felipe Pena ina a headliner match at Who’s Number One in February of 2023. Apart from the fourth Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena match, the card will also feature Craig Jones taking on Nicholas Meregali in what is one of many high-level clashes between former Danaher Death Squad teammates that will surely follow.

The fourth Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena match is hardly going to be the last one, though. Felipe Pena has two wins over Ryan, one by submission in 2016 and one by points in 2017. Ryan then defeated Pena very convincingly at WNO in August, forcing him to tap out verbally after a 42 minutes long match.

This makes it 2-1 for the Brazilian, and a fourth match, given Ryan’s current level, would most likely make them equal, which will undoubtedly will prompt a decisive match to take place again in the future.

The last Gordon Ryan vs. Felipe Pena match had its fair share of controversies, as Pena accused Ryan of not respecting the fact that he was heartbroken over the untimely death of his close friend Leandro Lo the night prior to the match:

Today, one of the best people and one of my biggest friends, died. And I went to FloGrappling and said that I don’t want to fight anymore. And they said: “I know how it is, I see how you are. That you are not mentally prepared for this fight.”

And the guy [Gordon] just said: “No, whatever. This fight is going to happen. I really don’t “care.”

This turned out into a bit of a saga later, with Gordon giving his side, and calling Pena out about constantly trying to back out of the fight and trying to change the rules even though Ryan gave him 10-1 odds.

The BJJ world expected a Gordon Ryan vs.Felipe Pena rematch at the 2022 ADCC, but despite both grapplers being in the same division (heavyweight), they did not encounter each other.

It remains to be seen what the exact match rules are going to be for this fourth rematch between Ryan and Pena next February.

4 Things To Be Excited About at ONE Fight Night 4

By
Filip Zanki
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One Fight Night 4

ONE Fight Night 4 is taking place this Saturday, November 19, 2023 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium Arena in Singapore. The main event features Abbasov vs. Lee for the welterweight world title, but there are many other reasons to tune in for this fantastic event.

ONE Fight Night 4

ONE FC is absolutely giving the UFC a run for its money, putting on extremely stacked events. ONE Fight Night 4 is no different, offering the best of MMA, Muay Thai, and Submission Grappling in one event that features a clashing of styles, and the potential for comebacks, upsets, and an electric night come November 19.

Jiu-Jitsu vs. Sambo

the much-anticipated return of Danielle Kelly to the ONE Circle is not just a treat due to her exciting brand of grappling, but also because of the ongoing “war” of styles that ONE Submission Grappling has gone between Jiu-Jitsu and Sambo. Kae Ruotolo already put one win in the Jiu-Jitsu bracket, and Kelly will be looking to add to that when she meets Maria Molchanova at ONE Fight Night 4.

Kelly has been quite vocal and confident before the match, stating:

“Yeah, I have some experience, so when people are like, ‘Oh, you should do sambo, compete in that sport, too,’ and it’s like, ‘Yeah, I did, but I won, too, so what now?’ But yeah, it’s fine, but jiu-jitsu is better.”

Clashes Of Champions

ONE Fight Night 4 features not just one, but two champions vs. champion clashes in two different disciplines: MMA and Sambo. In both cases, the challengers, who are champions of their respective weight classes, are going up a weight class to challenge the title holders.

The main event of the night sees current lightweight king Christian Lee challenging current lightweight king Christian Lee for his welterweight belt in MMA.

The co-main event, which is a Muay Thai World Championship fight, will feature current flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon against current strawweight champion, Italian Moroccan striker Joseph Lasiri.

The Return Of Bibiano Fernandes

Former ONE FC bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes is going to be back in the cage for the first time since he lost the title to John Lineker. A win would put him firmly into place for the now vacant title, which Linekar lost when he failed to make weight for his first title defense.

The Future Of Kevin Belingon

Kevin Belingon is in the last chance saloon at One Fight Night 4. The Filipino-born former bantamweight champion is set to face Kim Jae Woong after four consecutive defeats, two of which came at the nads of Bibiano in two title fights. Woong himself is coming off of two defeats, so the potential of this match being a barnburner is huge given that everything is on the line for both fighters.

ONE Fight Night 4 Full Card

  • Kiamrian Abbasov (c) vs. Christian Lee (MMA)
  • Rodtang Jitmuangnon (c) vs. Joseph Lasiri (Muay Thai)
  • Bibiano Fernandez vs. Stephen Loman (MMA)
  • Cosmo Alexandre vs. Juan Cervantes (Muay Thai)
  • Kevin Belington vs. Kim Jae Woong (MMA)
  • Jonathan Haggerty vs. Vladimir Kuzmin (Muay Thai)
  • Ruslan Emilbek Uulu vs. Isi Fitikefu (MMA)
  • Danielle Kelly vs. Mariia Molchanova (Submission Grappling)
  • Liam Nolan vs. Eddie Abasolo (Muay Thai)

Dillon Danis Throw Out Of UFC 281 Afterparty

By
Filip Zanki
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Dillon Danis Thrown Out Of UFC 281 Afterparty

During the UFC 281 afterparty in New York City, regular troublemaker Dillon Danis tried to crash a private section of the event and got himself thrown out by security, according to UFC lightweight Dan Hooker.

After defeating Claudio Puelles in the first bout of the main card on UFC 281 on November 12, Dan Hooker headed for a celebratory afterparty in a New York City nightclub with his team. His celebration though was somewhat disturbed by Dillon Danis, a well-known troublemaker, and Marcelo Garcia black belt causing trouble inside and outside the nightclub.

Dillon Danis and his entourage got into it with Nate Diaz and his crew to begin with. If you mess with the Diaz brothers, you know what is coming, so even though people tried to calm things down and break everything up, Diaz landed one of his world-famous Stockton slaps on one member of Danis’ team.

Diaz followed up on his slap by throwing drinks at Danis and his crew while outside Madison Square Garden for the UFC 281 event.

This did not seem to slow Dillon Danis from causing further trouble that night. The Bellator fighter, who hasn’t fought since 2019, somehow found his way into the nightclub where team City Kickboxing was celebrating Dan Hooker’s big win back at lightweight.

“I saw Dillon Danis, he was at our afterparty,” recalled Hooker in an interview for The AllStar. “He ended up being in the booth over from us and then he tried to come in our booth and pass the security guy. A guy from our team was like, ‘who the fuck is this guy?’ And he chucked him out. Said ‘This Dillon Danis guy is a fucking joke’. Chucked him out of the booth and that was it…”

Dillon Danis, who wasn’t on the guest list t begin with, ended up getting thrown out of the club, and though, undoubtedly, his antics went on, we thankfully have no idea what he did next.

Mackenzie Dern Confirms She Is Single

By
Filip Zanki
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Mackenzie Dern Confirms She Is SIngle
UFC strawweight and multiple times BJJ World Champion Mackenzie Dern confirmed she is single again, after splitting up with her now ex-husband Wesley Santos whit whom she has a daughter.

Mackenzie Dern is one of the most well-known names in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. The UFC strawweight (12-3) just declared that she has split up with her now ex-husband, professional surfer Wesley Santos.

“Yes, guys, I am single. I have been single for a while now, a few months. Everything is good, we are taking care of our daughter. Hope you guys respect our decision to separate and grow apart. Thankful for everything I have had with Wesley and I wish him all the best in his life,” said Mackenzie Dern in an Instagram story as part of her Q&A session for fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4rdOCiMHdk&ab_channel=mmadigest

Wesley Santos is a professional surfer and WSL South American Pro Champion. Mackenzie Dern is a UFC fighter and multiple times BJJ World champion, as well the daughter of Wellington “Megaton” Dias, one of the most respected names in the BJJ World.

The pair have a daughter, Moa (3).

The separation comes as a surprise, given the couple were so much in love, that Mackenzie Dern had to switch gyms when Wesley got in a fight with her Jiu-Jitsu coach a while ago:

“So my husband talked to him. My husband’s like this surfer guy, you know, totally good vibes, afro, definitely not the fighter style. He went to go talk to him and [Gomez] was just like, ‘No, if you want to come to the academy, come to the academy and we’ll talk,’ and hung up. We went to the academy and he just swept dirt onto my husband, pushed him, and my husband pushed him back and they just went into a fistfight. It wasn’t like a brawl, a crazy brawl, it was like a street fight or technical fistfight. Back and forth, my husband’s doing feints, and I’m like, ‘Where is he learning all this?’ It was so crazy.” Dern said previously for MMA Fighting.

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen Is Dating Her Jiu-Jitsu Instructor

By
Filip Zanki
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Gisele Bündchen dating her Jiu-Jitsu instructor
The ultra-popular Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bündchen is reportedly dating her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente after being very actively involved in BJJ for quite some time.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu looks to really be brushing off celebrities. The likes of Tom Hardy, Chris Hemsworth, Mario Lopez, and others have been in all the news lately, competing and supporting their kids who compete in the Gentle Art. Gisele Bündchen is now reportedly allowing BJJ into her private life, by dating her Jiu-Jitsu instructor.

Gisele Bündchen Dating Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Valente

The famous supermodel divorced NFL star Tom Brady recently, and it appears that she did not wait too long to replace one athlete with another.

While neither Gisele Bündchen nor Joaquim Valente have confirmed that they are an item, they have been seen having dinner together, in Costa Rica which prompted the speculation in the first place. They were joined by the 42-year-old model’s two children, Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, 9.

Gisele Bündchen has been training MMA and BJJ for a year and a half now, with Valente being her Jiu-Jitsu instructor from day one.

 

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A post shared by Gisele Bündchen (@gisele)

“I believe the more tools we have in our toolbox the better. I feel stronger, more confidence and empowered since I started practicing self-defense. I feel it’s an important skill for all, but specially for us women.

Thank you Valente brothers for being awesome teachers and for making training so much fun. I am looking forward to keep improving,” – said Gisele Bündchen, describing her training experiences.

The famous model discovered Jiu-Jitsu through her kids, following them in training the gentle art, and now even doing photo shoots showing off her grappling skills.

 The Valente brothers are famous in the BJJ world as long-time instructors and proponents of the traditional self-defense-based style of Jiu-Jitsu.

It remains to be seen whether there is a romance between the two Brazilians, or this is just a professional relationship based around  Jiu-Jitsu.

 

Mike Tyson And Evander Holyfield Lunch Ear-Shaped Pot Gummies

By
Ognen Dzabirski
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MIke Tyson and Holyfield Launch Ear-Shaped Marijuana Gummies
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, boxing greats and huge rivals for a while, have collaborated together to launch marijuana gummies which are ear-shaped and named Holy Ears.

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were the greatest heavyweight boxers in the world during the mid to late 90s. Their historic meeting in 1997 ended with Miek Tyson, who was on the losing end of the fight, biting a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear in desperation. The incident left “Iron” Mike $3 million light and cost him his license.

Twenty five years after the incident, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield announced their collaboration in launching a collection of cannabis gummies named “Holy Ears”.

The company behind the product is Tyson 2.0 (owned by Mike Tyson) and the edibles, which are oddly ear-shaped, and are infused with THC and Delta-8 THC. The shape of the edibles actually represents an ear with a chunk missing, just like Holyfield’s.

“From Mike Bites to Holy Ears, now cannabis fans around the world can experience the same wellness benefits that plant-based products have brought me,’ said Mike Tyson about the latest product launch.

“It’s a privilege to reunite with my former opponent and now long-time friend, and turn years of fights and knockouts into a partnership that can make a positive impact and heal people.”

Evander Holyfield was honored to accept Tyson’s invitation to participate in the project, confessing that tasting one of the first Holy Ears samples was the first time he ever tried cannabis:

“I wanted to make sure I got home and didn’t do anything to anyone,” Holyfield told the Huffington Post. “I ate it and laid down. I woke up the next morning and was like, whoa.”

Mike Tyson started his cannabis company in November of last year (2021) and is a big proponent of the plant:

“Cannabis has changed me for the good both mentally and physically, and I want to share that gift with others who are also seeking relief.”

The Holy Ears are scheduled to launch on November 25 (Black Friday) in the USA.

Tyson Bites: Ear-Shaped cannabis edibles

Chaos At IBJJF No-Gi Europeans: Black Belt Punches Oliver Taza, Gets DQ

By
Filip Zanki
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Black belt SLaps Oliver Taza at IBJJF No-Gi Europeans
The IBJJF No-Gi Europeans ended yesterday, and there was one moment on the mats that had nothing to do with Jiu-Jitsu and everything to do with chaos. Chechen black belt Muslim Patsarigov hit Oliver Taa in the face in their absolute division match

Unsportsmanlike behavior marred the otherwise entertaining and competitor-filledIBJJF No-Gi Europeans last weekend. The vent took place in Rome from November 11 to 13 and featured close to 300 athletes from around the world, including some household grappling names.

During the third match of the absolute black belt division, which featured Oliver Taza and Chechen-Norwegian black belt Muslim Patsarigov, due to reasons known only to himself, and perhaps Taza and the referee, Patsarigov decide to punch Taza in the face, right in the middle of the IBJJF No-GI Europeans mats.

 

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A post shared by Damien Anderson (@bjjdamien)

The move warranted an immediate DQ, which,  Patsarigov most likely anticipated, as this is not the first incident of the sort he has been involved in.

Five years ago Muslim Patsarigov famously punched AJ Agazarm at the IBJJF No-Gi Europeans, getting DQed on that occasion as well. The Chechen-born Norwegian is no stranger to violence-related controversy and has sent death threats to ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim, according to Tom DeBlass.

Muslim Patsarigov is a black belt under Felipe “Gargamel” Mota, and trains at his academy in Sandnes, Norway. The big heavyweight is explosive and aggressive in his game and has medaled in some of the world’s biggest BJJ tournaments like the Abu Dhabi Pro, NO-Gi Wolds, and IBJJF No-Gi Europeans.

Apart from a strong wrestling background (started wrestling at the age of 4) Patsarigov obviously has a short fuse that somehow gets triggered at the IBJJF No-Gi Europeans.

It remains to be seen whether the DQ is the only punishment he is going to get. Since this is not his first offense, he might be in for a lengthier ban. The ball is in IBJJF’s court.

Black belt SLaps Oliver Taza at IBJJF No-Gi Europeans

Rolling Ninja Choke Finish In MMA (VIDEO)

By
Filip Zanki
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Rolling Ninja Choke in MMA Match (video)
The Rolling Ninja Choke is an unusual submission in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and draws attention when it is done at the highest levels. An MMA fighter just managed to pull it off a couple of days ago at the CFFC, earning the flyweight title in a very impressive way.

The Rolling Ninja Choke is a front headlock choke that looks like an Anaconda choke but does not involve the opponent’s arm in the choke. Instead, the figure-four grip is placed directly on the neck, and the choking pressure comes from the tightening that occurs as the person choking rolls over and over.

This is exactly what happened at CFFC 114, which took place in Tampa, Florida, at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino on November 10, 2022. In the co-main event, Makoto Takahashi faced Diego Paiva in a battle for the promotion’s flyweight belt, and Takahashi won it in a spectacular fashion.

The fight went back and forth until the championship round, when Makoto Takahashi managed to get to the Rolling Ninja Choke from a seated guard position. Takahashi knew what he was doing, as he kept rotating while squeezing Paiva’s neck, to pull off a very rare submission finish and win a belt in the process.

Makoto Takahashi had to roll three times to force Diego Paiva to tap, which he did to perfection. His title-winning finish did not just put him on top of the CFFC’s flyweight division, and improve his record to 15-1-1, but also put him on the radar of every major MMA, and perhaps even grappling promotion out there.

The Rolling Ninja Choke working at the professional MMA level is definitely going to prompt others to give it a shot, , for its spectacular and vicious-looking execution, if nothing else. It would be fun to see if the Rolling Ninja Choke can work in grappling as well as it did on this occasion.

“Saved By The Bell” Star Mario Lopez Receives Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt

By
Filip Zanki
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Actor Mario Lopez Promoted To Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt
Mario Lopez, the star who plays A.C. Slater in the widely popular TV show “Saved by the Bell” just got promoted to the purple belt after more than four years of training and some impressive competitive results so far.

Mario Lopez was in the news in the past year for more than just acting-related performances. He competed in several Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments as a blue belt, winning some of them, getting disqualified in one, and even entertaining the idea of having a super fight with Tom Hardy. This final one might have to wait until Hardy catches up to the newly promoted Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, though.

Mario Lopez announced the promotion via his Instagram profile, captioning:

“This purple belt has been a fun ride…
Thank you to my Professors & training partners for elevating my game!”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mario Lopez (@mariolopez)

Many star grapplers reacted to his promotion to Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, showing their support for the actor’s grappling endeavors:

“Less than 1% ever earn their white belt, and of those who do, less than 1% ever reach purple. Congratulations bro,” – wrote Rener Gracie.

“Congrats to my buddy Mario Lopez on his well deserved purple belt today. Things are getting serious now. Excited to see him in purple belt divisions now somehow in the master 14 division even though he looks like he’s 26,” – commented Gordon Ryan.

Speaking to Men’s Health prior to his promotion to a Jiu-JItsu purple belt, Mario Lopez admitted to truly enjoying the sport:

“Jiu-Jitsu is like physical chess. You’re constantly learning and expanding your mind. I just love it!

I love the community and everything that it’s about and that I get to do it with my kids. It instills such a great work ethic and confidence and physical toughness, as well as emotional, psychological toughness, and a lot of confidence.

So I love all those things and all those attributes and it’s taught. It will compliment my day, especially when I’m rushing from my radio show to Access.”

Just a couple of months ago, Lopez got DQed at a local IBJJF tournament due to leaving the mat area while being caught in a submission. Prior to that, he won gold At IBJJF Phoenix Open and Gracie Barra Compnet, stirring up talk that he may meet up with Tom Hardy in a celebrity “superfight”.

At the moment, we look forward to seeing him compete as a Jiu-Jitsu purple belt.

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