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Wednesday, Jan 09, 2002

Meca World Vale Tudo 6 Card Finalized!



MECA World Vale Tudo 6 Card Finalized!
By Eduardo Alonso

Anderson Silva
Today FCF was able to talk with Chute Boxe Team coach and MECA promoter Rudimar Fedrigo, and he was nice enough to release the complete card for the January 24th event. In its 6th edition, MECA World Vale Tudo promises to have the best event yet, with a 10-fight card, plenty of NHB big names, both inside and outside of the ring, and quite a few surprises. The event will be held in the city of Curitiba at the Circulo Militar gymnasium [the same venue that held MECA 5]. The night will feature two title fights, with the Middleweight and Heavyweight belts on the line; additionally there will be 7 undercard fights and a preliminary bout. Rudimar also said that MECA will have some rule changes, The rules will be the same as those for Pride: the first round will last 10 minutes, and the second and third rounds will be 5 minutes each; elbows are no longer allowed, but knees are legal in any position. "With this new rules, we want the fighter that fights in MECA to feel more prepared and comfortable when fighting abroad for Pride," said the man behind the Chute Boxe team. On January 23rd at 7:00 PM Brazilian time, the rules meeting and the official weigh-ins will be held, and on the following day the event is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM with the preliminary bout. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu icon Fabio Gurgel was invited to be the main referee for the event, but he couldn’t accept the invitation due to a seminar. However, Rudimar told FCF that they will be announcing the name of the main referee for the event soon, and they will likely use more than one referee for the event. Among the surprises planned for the event, Pride matchmaker Koichi Kawasaki is likely to be attending the event, as well as the Japanese Consul to Brazil. FCF will be covering all the details of the event that will surely be the best NHB event in a long time in Brazil! Here’s the complete card:

Preliminary Bout:

Marcelão (Chute Boxe/PR) vs. Paulão (Arena/PR)
Both fighters come from a Muay Thai background, and both are from Curitiba, with Marcelão coming from Chute Boxe and with some NHB experience.

Undercard:

Bicudo (Brazilian Top Team/PR) vs. Fábio Shon (Califa/GO)
Bicudo is a Brazilian Top Team member from Parana [a state in Brazil] and is a Jiu Jitsu brown belt, while Fábio Shon is an experienced NHB fighter and an IVC veteran.

Zinho (Miguel Repana/SP) vs. Daniel Acácio (Formiga/RJ)
This fight was supposed to happen at MECA 5, but Daniel Acácio injured his knee while warming up backstage, moments before the fight. Both are MECA veterans, and Zinho was responsible for a great fight against RVT notable "Ximu" in a previous edition of MECA.

Clemente (Royler Gracie/RJ) vs. Guilherme Lima (Rio de Janeiro)
Both guys are Jiu Jitsu athletes from Rio de Janeiro, with Clemente being a Royler Gracie student, and both have some NHB experience in minor events.

Luis Azeredo (Gold Team/SP) vs. Cristiano Marcello (Royler Gracie/RJ)
Luiz Azeredo is a MECA veteran and the only man to beat Chute Boxe rising star Anderson Silva in an NHB fight. Cristiano Marcello is a black belt in BJJ and a Royler Gracie student, with some previous NHB experience.

Nilson de Castro (Chute Boxe/PR) vs. Alexandre Gomes (BVT/SP)
Nilson de Castro is one of the most respected fighters in the Chute Boxe camp, known for his heart and his heavy hands, "Nilsão", as he’s called by his teammates, is eager to comeback to NHB after some time off. Alexandre Gomes is a MECA veteran who is coming back to the event, after some success in some minor NHB events in Sao Paulo, even knocking out some people.

Jorge "Macaco" Patino (Gold Team/SP) vs. Gustavo Ximu (Ruas VT/RJ)
Jorge "Macaco" Patino is a well know fighter in the NHB world. A UFC and IVC veteran, "Macaco" has some great Jiu Jitsu skills and has been working hard on his stand up skills as well. He knows he needs to win this one to get a shot at events like Pride. Meanwhile Gustavo Ximu is another great fighter, a complete fighter, a MECA and RINGS veteran and one of the current RVT stars. Coming from a loss to BTT’s own Ricardo Arona, Ximu is also eager to win this one.

Anderson Silva (Chute Boxe/PR) vs. Jucão (Brazilian Top Team/RJ)
Chute Boxe rising star Anderson Silva needs no introduction. This will be his first fight since he took away the Shooto belt from Hayato Sakurai. Anderson is an exceptional fighter, with amazing stand up skills, lots of composure and a brown belt in BJJ. His opponent is another black belt from the Brazilian Top Team. Jucão has already some NHB experience, and coming from one of the world’s most feared teams, the BTT, he can’t be taken for granted.

Middleweight Championship Bout:

Murilo "Ninja" Rua (Chute Boxe/PR) vs. Jorge "Navalhada"(Carlson Gracie/RJ)
Pride’s newest star and Chute Boxe’s own "new kid on the block" Murilo "Ninja" Rua is making a name for himself overseas in Japan, but he very happy to take home his belt in front of his hometown fans. With amazing stamina, great ground control and some submissions of his own to go along with serious Muay Thai skills, "Ninja" maybe the favorite to be the first ever MECA middleweight champion, but he’s got a challenge in Jorge "Navalhada." "Navalhada" is a Carlson Gracie student, and that alone give him some serious credentials. The Carlson pupil is also an IVC veteran, and made a great showing at the HEROES event, organized by Carlson himself.

Heavyweight Championship Bout:

Carlão Barreto (Rio de Janeiro) vs. Marcelo Souza (São Paulo)
The first-ever MECA heavyweight title belt will be on the line in a fight between the very experienced Carlos Barreto (a UFC, IVC, RINGS and PRIDE veteran) and a MECA newcomer Marcelo Souza. The fight was originally set to be Carlos Barreto vs. Assuerio Silva, however the Chute Boxe heavyweight seriously injured his knee and had to be replaced. Now Assuerio will be in line waiting for a shot against the future MECA champion. His replacement, Marcelo Souza, comes in with a Jiu Jitsu background, and some serious Muay Thai skills. He is reported to be a very heavy guy, with great power and NHB experience, and we all know what Carlão is capable of, and he sure is in need of this win to get back on track.


FCF TV
Full Contact Fighter returns to the Sunshine Network tonight at 1:00AM (Eastern time) for a new season.

The season opener is a UFC 35 preview show that will include an exclusive feature on "The Prodigy" BJ Penn.

TSN will rebroadcast the season opener tonight at 1:00 AM and again in the morning at 5:00 AM.

Check with your local cable or satellite provider and your local listings.



UFC Vice President for a Day Checks in
By Loretta Hunt

UFC VP for a day Greg Davis
Imagine you are sitting at home in front of the TV and you get a call from UFC president Dana White inviting you sit with him ringside to watch this Friday night’s UFC 35 live from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. In a strange turn of events today, that is exactly what happened to 32-year-old Greg Davis from Danbury, Connecticut. Last month, Zuffa sponsored an online contest in which one lucky individual would get to live the life of a UFC Vice President to make for the ultimate fan experience. Some of the perks that would come with the job: unlimited access to all pre-UFC events including weigh-ins, production meetings, press dinners, and any last-minute issues of the final days leading up to the event; a personal assistant at your beck and call; seating next to Dana White ringside and the responsibility of presenting the championship belts to the victors of the title bouts. Fans jumped at the chance for the "ultimate opportunity" but it was Justin McLean that was randomly chosen from a sea of entries. However, due to unknown circumstances today, he did not make his plane flight. Zuffa was left with a dilemma but quickly jumped into action, accumulating all of the entries that had come in within the tri-state Connecticut area. From there, Greg’s name was drawn and Dana made the call. Having just arrived at the fighter’s hotel Wednesday evening, I grabbed a few precious moments of the new VP’s precious time before he was whisked off to a private dinner with Light-Heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz and Dana. Here’s what he had to say.

FCF:   Congratulations Greg.
GD:     Thank you.

FCF:   What were you doing when you got the call?
GD:     I had just gotten home from work and was making plans to go out for the night when I got the call.

FCF:   How long have you been a fan of the UFC?
GD:     I’ve been a fan since the very first one.

FCF:   Have you seen any UFCs live?
GD:     I never have even though I used to live in Colorado where they held a few of their earlier shows. I’ve been to different no holds barred events but this will be my first UFC live.

FCF:   Wow. You’re going to have quite a choice seat for your first time.
GD:     I’m excited. It’s amazing.

FCF:   Do you train in any of the mixed martial arts?
GD:     I do. I’ve trained for fifteen years. I’ve trained in kempo karate under Cecil Peoples. I’ve also studied Muay Thai and kickboxing and I used to compete. I used to own a school called World Karate and Kickboxing Center in Aurora, Colorado. Now I’m learning the grappling side. I currently do jiu-jitsu twice a week and boxing twice a week. I haven’t competed since 1999 and I’m anxious to get back to it.

FCF:   What do you do when you’re not training, a.k.a. your job?
GD:     I work in Internet telecom sales on the web-posting sites.

UFC VP for a day Greg Davis
FCF:   What will this new position as Vice President entail for you this weekend? What’s the itinerary?
GD:     I had a couple of quick phone conversations with Zuffa but that pretty much covered the details on what I should bring to wear. I literally just checked in minutes ago and Dana brought me right over to you.

FCF:   Do you have any idea what’s in store for you?
GD:     Well, from what I remember reading when I entered the contest, I’ll be sitting at the promoter’s table and I’ll be presenting the belts when the fights are over. Other than that, I have no idea. I guess I’ll be meeting people. This is great! Who wouldn’t want to do this?

FCF:   Any assignment you looking forward to in particular?
GD:     I don’t really know what’s going on but I’m just looking forward to meeting as many people as I can. I’m looking forward to sitting right there on the edge of the Octagon. I’m a little nervous to be walking in to present the belts on TV with a lot of people watching pay-per-view.

FCF:   What is your favorite UFC?
GD:     Actually, it was the first one. I just remember I couldn’t wait to watch it. After that, I’d say this one coming up in a couple of days will be my other favorite.

FCF:   Any favorite fighter you’d like to run into?
GD:     I just got to meet Tito Ortiz who was definitely one of the guys I wanted to meet. I love to watch Tito fight.

FCF:   What fights are you looking forward to seeing on Friday?
GD:     I always love to watch Chuck Liddell because I like the way he fights. I look forward to BJ Penn-Jens Pulver fight. I used to watch Jens fight when he came out to Colorado to compete in the Bas Rutten Invitationals. I got to see him before he was a really big name and it’s cool to see how his career took off from there. I’m also interested to see how Bustamente does now that he’s dropped weight. I think Dave Menne is a good fighter and shows a lot of skill as well.

FCF:   Without having seen the inner workings of the UFC yet, just coming in cold for the first time, are there any recommendations you want to give to Zuffa to help them improve the UFC?
GD:     That’s an unfair question. It’s easy to be a back-seat driver. Though I haven’t seen much of it thus far, I think what they’ve done recently has been very good. They have to get the press out to the general public. What they’ve done this past week with the “rolling press conferences” was an excellent idea because they’re bringing the sport to them. I think what Tito Ortiz did recently with the toy drive really brought the community together including people that weren’t familiar with MMA. They should keep spreading the word and show how exciting the fights are. These fighters put everything on the line so to get the people going and bring the money in they should keep doing what they’re doing.

FCF:   Great. Good luck in the next couple of days and if I run into you, I’m sure everybody will be interested in what you’ve been up to.
Thanks.



Vanderlei Silva to Walk Down the Aisle!
By Eduardo Alonso

Vanderlei Silva
      After winning the Pride middleweight championship against Kazushi Sakuraba in November, and beating Alexander Otsuka in a non-title fight in December, the "Axe Murderer" Vanderlei Silva is set for the next challenge in his life… he is going to get married!
      Next week, on the morning of January 17th, the Chute Boxe academy star will marry his fianc

posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 8:00 pm
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