Videos from BJJ Moscow Seminar Ze Radiola and Max Corvalho, 6-8.11.2009.

Strikeforce Challengers 7 - Andre Galvao vs Luke Stewar

Andre Galvao fighting at Strikeforce Challengers 7 and securing a narrow split decision victory of Luke Stewart, tough Ralph Gracie BJJ black belt himself. Still, I expected more from Andre in this fight.

Check out the videos below:

Strikeforce Heavy Artillery May 15

Tickets on sale now for one of the most exciting MMA events in may featurying some of the best heavyweights in MMA outside of the UFC today including Alistair Overeem, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva and Andrei the Pitbull Arlovski.

Roger Gracie is also making his Strikeforce debut on the card against Kevin "The Monster" Randelman which should also be an exciting and fun fight to watch.

Weight Training Exercises for the Shoulders

There are many opinions on this subject. There a high level jiu jitsu players who do fine without spectacular strength and weight training. Good examples are Roger Gracie, Marcelo Garcia and Demian Maia. I am not saying they don't train conditioning but their exercises clearly are less strength oriented than you would expect.

On the other hand there are fighters that are extremely strong as well as technical. Jeff Monson is an obvious example and Pablo Popovitch (ADCC Champion 2009) is an awesome sight, but there are also guys like Xande Ribeiro and Ronaldo Jacare Souza, who you do not immediately notice how strong they are, but they are incredibly strong as well.

One of the most important areas of your body to exercise for BJJ I believe are the shoulders. As I have founded out through painful experience, during training you apply a lot of force on your shoulders and if the muscles are not strong enough to withstand this wearing effect, you end up with a variety of injuries over time. Weight training for the shoulders helps prevent this and below I add a youtube video with some exercises that I believe could be beneficial for these purposes.



Apart from these I do also recommend the resistance bands. There is a variety of exercises that you can select from here and I recommend it. There are many more exercises that you can do to strength both your arms and shoulders with these that you could not do with simple weights. Many wrestlers also train with these and you can even see Alexander Karelin the great Greco Roman Wrestling Champion using these for training.

2010 Pan Ams Jiu Jitsu Live Stream Trailer

Live stream for all is going to be great. Sign up for this and take a look at the trailer below. Thanks to www.Budovideos.com

Sambo Super Cup in Moscow 24-27 March 2010

For those interested, the Sambo Super Cup will be held in Moscow this year on the 24-27 March 2010. The event will be held in memory of Kharlampiev and is one of the biggest international sambo tournaments in the world. With over 300 athletes and 30 national teams present, this event will include some of the strongest athletes in the world competing in both Sport Sambo and Combat Sambo.

More information if you follow this link: http://www.sambo.ru/events/worldcup/harlampiev_moskow/

Time table:

24 March : Introductions, judge seminar and weigh-ins

25 March:

10.00-15.00 : Preliminary fights
Mens: 52, 62, 74, 90, +100 kg
Womens: 48, 56, 64, 72, +80 kg

15.00-16.00: weigh-ins

18.30 - finals

26 March:

10.00
Preliminary fights
Mens (sport sambo): 57, 68, 82, 100 kg
Mens (combat sambo): 68, 74, 90 kg
Womens: 52, 60, 68, 80 kg

18.00 Finals and Awards

Generally looks like 25-26 March are the days you want to go to this. Address is Варшавское шоссе, д.118, кор.1. (Varshavskoe shosse, building 118)

Whether Fedor Emelianenko is participating? I doubt it but it is possible. I heard in his latest interview he was talking about this.

For the calendar on future sambo events check out http://www.sambo.com/index-en.html

Dream 13 and UFC Live this Weekend

Some more MMA for those that love the sport. We have two good events that feature some of the top grapplers in the world including Josh Barnett, Vladimir Matyushenko, Gabriel Gonzaga.

The highlights for me on both cards are going to be of course Junior Dos Santos vs Gabriel Gonzaga and Josh Barnett vs Mighty Mo and while the second fight has a predictable outcome, Junior Dos Santos could have his hands full with Gonzaga who will certainly put JDS's ground game to the test, that has not yet been really tested to date. Nevertheless JDS is one of the most exciting prospects in the UFC Heavyweight Division today.

Stay in touch for more.

Fedor vs Hidehiko Yoshida

This is the latest rumor about Fedor Emelianenko competing in Japan on New Years Eve. Fedor is named the likely opponent for Yoshida who is preparing for the last MMA fight of his career.

Yoshida is a well known Pride veteran and one of the most popular fighters in Japan. Since winning the 1992 Olympic medal in Judo, he participated successfully in MMA with wins against Maurice Smith, Royce Gracie and many others.

An exciting match for the Japanese fans who are always keen to see a matchup between the famous sambo champion and the judo champion. Certainly an exciting clash of styles. To make the fight even more exciting for the fans they should both wear the gi I think.

Shinya Aoki Phenomenon

Shinya Aoki is a grappling phenomenon in mixed martial arts. He is the first guy to carry out the Gogoplata submission successfully in an MMA competition. He is credited by Eddie Bravo it be the only MMA star to be able to successfully use the "Rubber Guard". He is the Dream Lightweight Champion but relies almost entirely on his judo/wrestling/bjj in order to overcome his opponents rather than focusing on being a well-rounded fighter like his UFC counterpart are (Anderson Silva/GSP/BJ Penn/Machida).

Aoki is a blackbelt both in Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and a top level guy in both. He has won many smaller tournaments both in Judo and grappling but clearly had a harder time competing at the top level in ADCC. Clearly his style relies on his size and of course grappling with Roger Gracie showed how extreme the size difference was. (Roger Gracie easily overcame and submitted Aoki in the ADCC Absolute category)

His most recent performance has been in Dynamite!! on New Years eve and the performance he delivered against the lightweight Sengoku champion is more than impressive. Check out the video below.

This technique (hammer lock) I really learn't myself in Judo a few years back and have used it ever since with moderate success. I have always used it as a technique when you are passing the guard. It creates an element of surprise for most bjj and judo players as they are normally not used to defending against this move. Once you have secured the hand under the back, it is very difficult to get out unless you power through it and convince the guy on top that it is not worthwhile to keep the hold any longer. If you do manage to get this move and secure the hand and the guy fails to defend, it can be quite useful for control in my opinion and Shinya really seems to have taken it to another level. Great performance.

Now he is set to fight in Strikeforce in April against his long time rival Gilbert Melendez who has recently taken the Strikeforce Lightweight title from Josh Thomson. It will no doubt be once again a battle of "well-rounded fighter" vs "grappling freak" and no one can really say what will happen. This fight has been long overdue and the winner is surely the #1-#2 fighter in the world today. (and of course should take on BJ Penn)

If Shinya Aoki wins, he together with Kazushi Sakuraba go into the hall of fame of skilled grapplers making it in MMA without much striking game along with the likes of Royce Gracie. Amazing! All I can say.

Eddie Bravo - a different perspective

This article really gives you a different perspective of Eddie Bravo, recognized as an innovator of brazilian jiu jitsu. His books are well-known and many bjj fans are buying them with the hope of improving their bjj and mma.

The famous match with Royler is well publicized but the guy is also really strange. He does give some negatives to the sport that I don't think he should. Draculino is right about that. Guys that have such high profile and that should develop the sport, can't afford to have associated with things like illegal drugs. These things have nothing to do with jiu jitsu.

Check out this article, it really describes the who 10th Planet phenomenon at what it is all about.

Of course, you have to give him credit. The guy beat the best jiu jitsu player of the 90s. Eventually he was going to lose of course and the triangle is such a universal technique that can catch anyone.

The fact that the guy never fought in MMA but claims to develop jiu jitsu for MMA is not right though. You have MMA legends like Sakuraba, Nogueira and many others who should have more to say on the subject. How can one develop an MMA oriented jiu jitsu system having never fought in the cage?

Braulio Estima vs Rick Hawn

Braulio Estima, last year's under 88kg and Absolute ADCC Champion is set to meet Rick Hawn at Shine Fights III sometime this year, most likely in April or May.

This is a fight that few keen grapplers will want to miss when the ADCC and BJJ World Champion will meet one of the most exciting MMA prospects in Rick Hawn who himself has a background in Olympic Judo.

Rick Hawn is far more experienced in MMA, having already three MMA wins and no losses under his belt, finishing all his opponents by TKO despite the grappling background. His next opponent in Braulio Estima will surely prove a vastly tougher match and if Estima is allowed to take advantage of his incredible submission skills, this should be a short affair.

Many submission grapplers and BJJ fighters have entered the MMA arena recently but with mixed success. On the one hand there is Demian Maia and Jacare Souza who have shown that they are also willing to learn the striking game in order to compete at the elite level. They have used their incredible submission skills to get great MMA records and are fighting now top fighters in the world. Anderson Silva will face Demian Maia at UFC112 while Ronaldo Jacare is to fight for the Middleweight belt at Strikeforce against either Dan Henderson or Jake Shields. Roger Gracie, Andre Galvao and Xande Ribeiro are also exciting prospects but they have not fought at the top yet.

There are however many cases when Judo and jiu jitsu fighters have failed to make a name for themselves in MMA. Everyone remembers how Marcelo Garcia struggled in his debut despite securing a rear naked choke early on in the first round. Fabio Gurgel lost in UFC 11 likewise, Saulo Ribeiro struggled and really even Royler had a hard time in his own weight division which you would expect he would dominate.

There are of course naturals like Shinya Aoki on the other hand who managed great success without much striking prowess, relying instead on incredible Judo and BJJ. Set to debut this April in Strikeforce, the phenomenon seems to defy the logic that all-rounded fighter skills are crucial to success in the sport.

Too many other factors come in to play in MMA that are not important in grappling. One of these is the ability to take a punch. Something that can't be taught and plays no part in BJJ, Judo or grappling matches becomes very important. The old saying goes that "if you punch a bjj blackbelt once, he becomes a brown belt, punch him twice, he becomes a purple belt...". Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro proved this saying during his amazing career in mixed martial arts. This is something that we see over and over again whether it is Sakuraba losing to Melvin Manhoef or Renato Sobral getting KOed by the talented striker Gegard Mousasi.

Some people are not giving Braulio a chance and this is a very tough first fight for him but you can never discount one of the best grapplers in the world today.

Pan American Championships Live!

Budovideos are doing a great job this year. After a great success in streaming live the ADCC 2009 and the no-gi Worlds, now we are going to have the chance to see the Pan Ams live over the internet, an event that is going to be a great success with the talent out there looking to compete.

Stay tuned. Some more news is coming soon. Check here

Online BJJ Training Websites

Nothing will ever replace mat time but in order to maximize your brazilian jiu jitsu development and learning you can use all kinds of materials. DVDs, Books, youtube and other videos. There are so many kinds of materials out there. One item I have not discussed so far that is available out there is of course online bjj training. There are quite a few professional looking sites out there under big bjj names out there and here I list a few that I have managed to find recently.

Draculino BJJ Training

For all Gracie Barra BJJ players and all BJJ players, this is the new website by Vinicius Draculino, Pan-American BJJ Champion, MMA fighter and a legend in the bjj world. His new site launched recently is a model for all teacher and students developing their bjj skills and helps to spread the knowledge of jiu jitsu across the world wherever you are. 

If you are a fan of Draculino, I recommend his latest DVD set with some of the core techniques where he goes through attacks, defense and counters. Here is the link.

Too often the DVD instructionals show a technique but don't give the defense and counter side of this technique. I have seen it too much especially as a complete beginner when I am shown how to do a triangle and armbar many times but not how to defend well against these common attacks and this is something that every beginner should know I believe. (and can learn in class but also should have a chance to review on video)

Marcello C. Monteiro's BJJ Coach.Com

Although perhaps not as accomplished as some of the counterparts, Marcello Monteiro is a BJJ master with a very effective De la Riva style who has produced a very good quality online training facility providing material for all bjj students and competitors. 

If you don't wish to sign up for lessons write away, you can of course consider buying one of his DVD sets. One thing I have noticed, it is very useful to look through the syllabus he has which helps you understand perhaps some of the areas where techniques are a bit more fuzzy and spend a bit more time practicing those.

Jean Jacques Machado Online Training Center

JJ Machado is one of the famous five Machado brothers. He is a 6th degree BJJ black belt and holds too many titles too count. He is perhaps one of the best jiu jitsu player and grappler of the 80s and 90s. 

Whichever you choose, the benefit will for sure be enourmous. Revising, visualising daily details of each technique you wish to practice on the day I believe will generate guaranteed success and propel the development. It is best to mix the techniques in training and sparring and I believe this is the best formula.

Roger Gracie to debut in Strikeforce in May

Roger Gracie, perhaps the greatest brazilian jiu jitsu player ever is set to debut in Strikeforce May event. Roger is 2-0 in MMA so far both delivered via submission and now he is set to take on new competition facing the likes of Kevin "The Monster" Randelman or Rameau Sokoudjou. Roger of course has additional pressure to represent bjj and the Gracie family on the MMA arena after Rolles Gracie's poor performance at UFC 109.

Both are relatively seasoned fighters who have faced tough competition in the past but now both are down on their lack having lost many of their last fights. Kevin Randelman is 17-14 in MMA and former UFC Champion, trains with Randy Couture having previously been associated with team Hammer House. Kevin has explosive power and extreme athleticism but has not been able to take advantage of these qualities as well as his great wrestling skills to win fights as he did in the past.

Rameau Sokoudjou has been last seen losing via TKO to the current light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and Minowa at Dynamite!!. The guy is 7-6 in MMA and boasts some good judo but has not been able to recently win fights against the current top competition.

Roger has also been helping his fellow bjj player Braulio Estima in his own debut in MMA. Best of luck to them both representing brazilian jiu jitsu on the big stage! Here is the link

New Draculino Website Online

Guys, Draculino the bjj legend has launched his new website at http://www.draculinobjjtraining.com

This is something to get excited about for all of Gracie Barra and bjj players. The site features an entire training program of videos that should help guide bjj players around the world trying to master the gentle art. For those that don't know, Drac has trained many successful fighters and competitors including Romulo Barral and is one of the biggest authorities in brazilian jiu jitsu.

Check out Draculino's interview below:

UFC 110 Feb 21 Preview: Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro vs Cain Velasquez

UFC 110 which will take place this Saturday 21 Feb is one of the most exciting UFC events we have had for a while, at least since Nogueira took care of Randy Couture in a very memorable epic match that made 2009. For the first time we have a very solid card with some big names in the HW and LHW division. Lets take a look at the card:

MAIN CARD

• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez
• Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva
• George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson
• Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine
• Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Ben Rothwell

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Chris Haseman vs. Elvis Sinosic
• Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
• Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle
• C.B. Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic
• Igor Pokrajac vs. James Te Huna

What makes this PPV worth the money is of course Nogueira fighting Velasquez for me. Big Nog has gone through so much over the years, taking on the very best and being really defeated only in the single match with Mir which I think he should not have gone in to due to his staph infection. 

Many question Big Nog's ability to take on the young talent that is rapidly emerging in the UFC HW division and I think that the talent pool that is being created really is worth considering. Cain Velasquez is a prime example. The guy has amazing physical characteristics coupled with great wrestling abilities. I predict Big Nog to prevail for several reasons but certainly Velasquez is a very serious opponent and a threat. The main reason is that Nog is so much more versatile. He has proven already that he can fight great wrestlers like Dan Henderson. If Nog can stay in control of the fight and take advantage of the many weaknesses that Velasquez does have in his one-dimensional game, the fight will be in the bag for him. The physical abilities of Velasquez are impressive however and Nog will need to be in the best pysical condition he can be. Nog should keep the fight standing if possible.

Talking about some of the other fights. The other big draws are Wanderlei vs Bisping. This is a classic fight of two respectable fighters that are not really at the top of the LHW division in the UFC but still can put up a good fight. Both have huge fan bases and you have to love both of these guys. I really feel that Wanderlei and Randy Couture are just stars no matter where they are in the rankings. Both should fight each other for the hell of it, neither should feature in a headline fight though as their time is gone.

The rest of the card looks also quite interesting. You have Cro Cop trying to get back in the game for probably the last time fighting "Big" Ben Rothwell. Rothwell really would not have a chance against Mirko of old. I still bet on Mirko to win this match but the way Cro Cop has been fighting recently it is difficult to predict the outcome especially if it goes to the ground.

Joe Stevenson is a fighter that I always love to watch. The bjj black belt under Robert Drysdale has an awesome guillotine choke and being a great fan of bjj and judo myself, I love his style in MMA. Look forward to this one.

Jardine vs Bader is a matchup that is still solid. As Jardine continues to slide down the MMA rankings, this is his chance to keep his UFC career intact. Bader is no pushover though. Undefeated in his MMA career so far, he could present a decent challenge for Jardine who's unorthodox MMA skills are well-known. Lets see what Jardine, "the strange man", has to offer. 

Brock Lesnar is Back

Brock Lesnar after falling seriously ill is back. The man has lost a ton of weight but is eager to come back to the gym and face any challenger in the UFC Heavyweight division. 

After becoming one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC over the last two years, the MMA world was shocked to learn that the UFC Heavyweight Champion has fallen seriously ill and that his career may be over. Challengers have been queing up for the Interim title almost by the dozen. You have guys like Cain Valasquez, Shane Carwin (originally scheduled to challenge Lesnar), Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro. All very worth challengers who are set to battle for the interim title instead. 

After these guys go about their business, the UFC has still some strong fighters like Gabriel Gonzaga and Junior Dos Santos. JDS in particular has shown that he is up to to the task. A prodigy of Minotauro, he has stepped up and taken on Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum and Gilbert Yvel in an impressive string of victories. He has also KOed Stefan Struve, a scary striker from Holland standing at 211cm. 

After taking surgery, Lesnar is now scheduled for return in mid-July. Carwin vs Mir will decide who the top dog will be before that and of course if there is a delay the winner will face the winner between Big Nog and Valasquez. 

So much speculation about the guys illness has erupted after the Brock Lesnar sensation taking UFC by storm and conquering the title only after 2-3 fights in the octagon. Such a path is ridiculous but as everyone knows, Lesnar is no ordinary fighter. The guy has a monster physique, incredibly talented athlete and the guy has basically brought WWE to the UFC which has never really happened before. No one has ever seen a guy as fast, strong and at the same as good a wrestler as Lesnar, and of course his fans say that he is the new breed of heavyweight and is unbeatable. 

Critics are less excited. Skill-wise, Brock is less than average with no real striking skill or any submissions. His main goal is to overpower the opponent with wrestling and strength and then deliver nasty hammer fist action on the head of his opponent. So far it has worked fine, but of course there is still a lot of competition both in the UFC and elsewhere i.e. Strikeforce where many believe works the best fighter in the world and in the history of MMA. His name is Fedor. He is not that athletic or muscular and represents something almost completely the opposite to Brock. He is calm and relies on amazing technique, combining mainly boxing and sambo to deliver an unbeaten streak of more than 30 fights. 

The two may never meet as Fedor and the UFC don't seem to be able to come to terms, but if they do some time soon, that is something to look out for. Meanwhile, the mma fans are still happy to see both giants in action who still have decent competition at both organizations. Fedor has had less competition in Strikeforce but then maybe the guy is thinking to retire and does not need to do much these days since he has proven everything already.

Well-Rounded Grappler

There is so much discussion among the MMA fans about well-rounded fighters. You have guys that can strike and have a ground game. I myself however hear little about well-rounded grapplers.

In MMA these guys are Shinya Aoki and Fedor Emelianenko. Guys that have great judo and upper body takedowns and at the same time have strong submission games on the ground. Aoki truly is a wizard but if you take the elite bjj players, there are several that continue to shine.

First of all you have Ronaldo Jacare Souza. A guy that it considered one of the best grapplers ever. Not only is his ground game amazing, he also has terrific takedowns which he takes from Judo. Only Jacare and Xande Ribeiro were able to stall Roger Gracie's game enough to win on points at the Mundials.

I've already had a post about the importance of Judo but I think it cannot be under emphasized. Judo gives you a chance to practice your top game and improves your jiu jitsu. All BJJ fights start from standing and that is why it is pivotal to practice Judo. All the top guys do it: Roger Gracie, Xande Ribeiro, Shinya Aoki (Judo Black belt), Fabricio Werdum (Brown Belt in Judo) and Saulo Ribeiro (Brown Belt in Judo). Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro is a judo black belt.

Flavio Canto, an Olympic Judo medalist and a newaza pracitioner does not differentiate between bjj and judo. It is really one sport with different rules but according to Flavio they should be trained together.

SENI 2010

I know there are so many competitions to be part of in the new 2010, but the one that I am going is the Gracie Invitational. Its not only one of the biggest BJJ events of the year in the UK but also an exciting show with huge stars like Royce Gracie.

Here is the link to the SENI 2010 show which is also part of the event and is worthwhile going to. Check out the youtube clip below!

Strikeforce Evolution Watch Online

Watch Strikeforce Evolution online by clicking here

Main Card

Middleweight bout: Cung Le vs. Scott Smith

Lightweight Championship bout: Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez

Middleweight bout: Ronaldo Souza vs. Matt Lindland

Heavyweight bout: Muhammed Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead

Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight bout: Scott Lighty vs. Antwain Britt

Lightweight bout: Daisuke Nakamura vs. Justin Wilcox

Featherweight bout: Luis Mendoza vs. Juan Nunez

Lightweight bout: Alex Trevino vs. Bobby Stack

Lightweight bout: Alexander Crispim vs. AJ Fonseca

I like the Jacare vs Lindland odds by the way, something to think about! (-300 vs 200)

Quote from Roger Gracie

Cool Quote: "Jiujitsu is simple, you just gotta do it right." -Roger Gracie

Bas Rutten Self-Defense Crash Course

Judo for BJJ

Judo can improve your gi jiu jitsu game as I always believed so much that it could make the difference between winning and losing. Judo experts have also been tough to face even for the elite Mundials competitors.

Roger Gracie has been the most dominant athlete for years and the only way he seems to lose these days is from strong judo competitors. His two biggest rivals are extremely well-rounded athletes, I mean Jacare Souza and Xande Ribeiro. Both have won their finals against Roger by points by successfully carrying out Judo throws.

Now take a look at Roger Gracie's fight against Leo Leite in the finals of the 2008 mundials. Leonardo was winning on points and at some point you had to get nervous for Roger not pulling guard sooner.

Simply put, having a judo background only adds to you jiu jitsu arsenal. You have more options. You control the fight and I don't know how many times I've seen it before. A great throw can really demoralize your opponent if you lend right on top of them interupting the breathing.

Take a look at the video below as an example of what Judo can do to improve you jiu jitsu game. Cross training in Judo is a great benefit.

Fedor Emelianenko New Video + Future Fights Comment

A new video covering Fedor Emelianenko has been released by M1-Global together with HDnet Fights.

Please check out the link here

There has also been a lot of discussion as to who will Fedor will fight. There are many ideas but I haev not see a trully definitive list so I thought I would include one here. The following opponents I think would be natural and some are lighter and perhaps would not enter the top-10 but for the sake of history would make a lot of sense. A few superfights would also be great, to read about them click here. (Strikeforce Dream Fights!)

1. Alistair Overeem - current Strikeforce champion and considered in the top-10 in the world but only just. Out of action for a long time but still relevant.

2. Fabricio Werdum - not in the top-10 but still in top-20 and a very solid fighter with good performances including in the UFC.

3. Josh Barnett - good record but his story with steroids is not nice. Still a good matchup that makes sense. Barnett is a monster that could take out any UFC top heavyweight.

4. Dan Henderson - yes, yes, he is light but could be a cool matchup that many would like to see.

5. Bobby Lashley - some believe Brock Lesnar the current UFC HW champ is unbeatable. Lets see how Fedor does against a WWE wrestler for a change.

6. Jeff Monson - Monson is a great wrestler and jiu jitsu player. He does not have the best record or the speed but there is something about him that could make a nice fight for Fedor. It would do nothing to legitimize Fedor as top p4p in the world for sure but Strikeforce could get this fight very cheap as Monson is so convinced that he can beat Fedor he does not want money for it.

7. Roger Gracie - Roger is the best submission artists/bjj/grappler ever. If you put him in the cage with Nogueira Minotauro, known for his submission prowess, you would be worried that Minotauro would be submitted. Roger Gracie has not been submitted since 1999 and the only time he gets beaten ever is by points and usually in the standup game. On the ground, there is no-one like Roger Gracie.

It has also been a long time since a Gracie Jiu Jitsu fighter fought in a major event and this could be it. Gracie Jiu Jitsu against Russia Sambo!

8. Gegard Mousasi - yes, I know they are friends but what better way for Gegard to show he is the new p4p best in the world if he did win. I doubt this fight will ever happen unless Gegard gets pissed off with M1-Global and leaves them.

9. Hidehiko Yoshida -

10. Jason "Mayhem" Miller - would be cool to see how the Slap boxing king does against Fedor. Would be cool to watch.

Roger Gracie vs Andrei Arlovski

Frankly one the most interesting bouts that I would like to see is Andrei Arlovski against Roger Gracie. Andrei is a solid all round guy but he has really shown that his chin can be a problem so powerful strikers lately have done well by taking advantage of this.

Roger Gracie is in my opinion the best jiu jitsu player ever and it would be exciting to see him in the ring once more. Recently he pulled out of ADCC 2009 due to illness or injury but was looking to get back in the ring in November but since then we have not heard from him.

For Roger this could be a bout that could help propel him to the top while for Andrei this could be a good way to get back in the game especially since he will almost certainly will not get knocked out this time around.

Scott Coker has recently announced that he is going to sign two more heavyweights and this matchup could go very well with the fans in my opinion. Will Andrei's hands be too much for Roger or will Roger control the ex-UFC champ and take him to the ground? This could be a very cool fight.

Strikeforce: Evolution Trailer

Strikeforce is set for the next event with Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19th.

The main card will be as follows:

Lightweight Championship unification bout: Josh Thomson (c) vs. Gilbert Melendez (ic)
Middleweight bout: Cung Le vs. Scott Smith
Middleweight bout: Ronaldo Souza vs. Matt Lindland
Middleweight bout: Robbie Lawler vs. TBA
Light Heavyweight bout: Muhammed Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead

Renato Sobral Interview, Talks About Mousasi

Where is Josh Barnett?

Josh Barnett has always been one of the best mma fighters in the world using his strong grappling abilities. After the scandal with Josh getting caught using anabolic steroids just before his Affliction fight with Fedor very little we have heard from the guy.

There was some mention of him returning to wrestling in Japan. There was some mention that maybe he could fight an MMA fight over there since there is less substances regulation over there. He also seems to have trained with Brett Rogers to prepare him for the Fedor fight he recently had for Strikeforce.

Where is he?

It looks like he is continuing to train and teach in California and took part in the 2009 California Classic BJJ Tournament 2009 where he lost by decision to Romulo Barral the BJJ World Champion and an ADCC veteran. The video I found on youtube you can see below:

Anyway Josh Barnett is a real beast and is a brutal mma warrior. check out this video with him manhandling Quinton Rampage Jackson in training.

Grappler Hall of Fame

Once every 50 or 100 years, there comes a champion so great that it is seemingly impossible to defeat him. Grappling sports have developed over decades and below are a few legends that have entered the hall of fame and will remain there for many years to come.

Judo - Masahiko Kimura

The world will never really know but most agree that Kimura was the greatest judoka that ever lived. Kimura is famous for many things. His incredible tough training is well known with training regimes averaging nine hours a day that resulted in concussion for his sparring partners. He trained by doing one thousand push-ups in a row.

At the age of only 30, the Judo legend attained 7th Dan and an unprescedented list of competition accomplishments. Today, the reverse ude-garami arm lock is commonly known as the "kimura" in the jiu jitsu and judo circles after his impressive victory of the brazilian jiu jitsu founder and champion Helio Gracie.

Sambo - Alexander Pushnitsa

Alexander is perhaps one of the greatest Sambo players that ever was having achieved more in the discipline than any other competitor throughout his exciting 20 year career span. Three years after gaining the title of master of sports he became USSR champion. His titles include 3-times World Sambo Champion (1974, 1979, 1983), 3-times World Cup winner (1977, 1980, 1987), 2-times European Champion (1976, 1984), 9-times USSR Champion (1974-1980, 1983, 1984), 7-times Russian National Champion.

Pushnitsa after becoming USSR champion in 1974 went undefeated until 1981. His trainer Vasiliy Grozin said about him "Pushnitsa is like any other fighter, just wins more often".

Freestyle Wrestling - Alexander Medved

Alexander Medved is one of the most accomplished free-style wrestlers of our time. A Soviet/Russian/Belurussian wrestler famous in his home country, he has been the first to ever win three gold medals in World Championships ever and was named the greatest freestyle wrestler of the twentieth century by FILA. He is 7x World champion and 3x European champion.

Greco-roman Wrestling - Alexander Karelin

Alexander Karelin throughout his brilliant career was the most dominant Greco-Roman wrestler of all time and universally considered so to the present day. He competed at the heaviest weight class of his day at 130kg and was known for his superhuman strength, incredible conditioning and a reverse body lift nicknamed "Karelin Lift".

Karelin's unbeaten streak was 13 years until his only defeat in the Olympic finals in 2000 to Rulon Gardner. He holds 3 Olympic gold medals (and one silver) and World Championship gold medals for every year between 1989-1999.

Jiu Jitsu and Grappling - Roger Gracie

Roger Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2nd degree black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. and perhaps the most accomplished submission fighters of all time. (and still competing) Not only has he won the BJJ World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (the Mundials) a record 8 times including 6 time in this weight class and twice at open weight but he is a multiple time ADCC Champion and the only person to submit all of his eight opponents taking Gold in his division and in the absolute.

Roger Gracie is a phenomenon that we will hear more about soon. A competitor that has proven that basic jiu jitsu fundamentals can be used to defeat even the toughest opponents.

BJJ Worlds 2009 DVD Set Out Now!

One of the most exciting events of the year for brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners is now available on DVD at BudoVideos.com. Check it out and also see trailer below!

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar For Charity

The latest news in the mixed martial arts community is the proposal for Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (formerly known as Chad Johnson) to fight Anderson "the Spider" Silva for charity. 

Dana White, the UFC President, has responded that he is more than open to this fighting taking place and if it does happen it could generate a great buzz for the UFC. Anderson Silva is the current middle weight champion of the UFC and is considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. 

Following the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers fight early November, it is becoming more and more clear that the only fight left for Fedor today is Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar may not have the experience and technique to face the "Last Emperor" but he certainly has the UFC Heavyweight belt behind him and enormous power that many Fedor critics say will overwhelm the legend.

The big argument has always gone that Fedor Emelianenko by choosing not do join UFC following Pride demise has decided to keep his perfect record by fighting no-name fighters and wash outs that left UFC because they could not compete with the superior competition there. Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski fights were given as prime examples of fighters who lost their titles and following the Fedor fight showed that their careers were at a near-end having fought awfully against no-name fighters thereafter. Strikeforce have done well to attract some of the very best in the business like Overeem and Werdum however both can be criticized for fighting weak competition or in the latter case for losing to top UFC contenders like Junior Dos Santos. It seems even obvious that the UFC division is becoming stronger with a few talented fighters entering the top-20 heavyweight rankings like Dos Santos, Carwin and Cain Valasquez. These guys are great but there is little doubt today that the current UFC heavyweight champ is seen as the greatest threat to Fedor and could be the last question left unanswered.

Now I don't like this Gary "Jerry" Millen either that joined M1-Global and is part of Fedor's entourage but his point is great. Fedor Emelianenko should fight Brock Lesnar and if the UFC want this fight then they should organize it for free together with M1. No promotional tricks, advertising or any other crap. Of course stakes are high but then Dana White tells us that he is a real mixed martial arts fan. Let's do it because after all it should not be about the money all the time. We can watch this fight on DVD and enjoy it as one of the greatest fights of all time. The fans deserve it because they were the ones that made all this possible in the first place. 

Perhaps the Most Exciting Event of 2009

Last weekend we witnessed one of the most exciting line-ups in mixed martial arts better known as MMA. Strikeforce have managed to do a good job here and despite watching an edited Russian version of the tournament, I have to say the fights were brilliant.

Here are some of my comments on the fights and then on the show itself.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Thierry Sokoudjou - nice fight where Gegard's standing skills were just too much for his opponent. It frankly looked like Sokoudjou was having a really tough time throwing any kind of punch against the talented striker and in the end the result was predictable, TKO, as expected, should have put some money on Gegard here.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Silva - Fabricio is a very talented jiu jitsu fighter and was able to show his skills in the match but was unable to submit "Big Foot" Silva who has a black belt in jiu jitsu himself. The first round was certainly Silva's, who showed some superior striking ability and counter punching but the second and third rounds were Fabricio's. I especially enjoyed some of his muay thai knees to the head Fabricio tried to deliver. A very close decision win for Werdum in my opinion that does nothing to justify him fighting Fedor in his next bout at least.

Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller - both guys are actually great on the ground and although shields was given such great odds, I think we all saw that at some point Miller nearly executed a nice rear naked choke on Shields (who was saved by the end of the round). His title fight for the middleweight Strikeforce belt was basically a submission grappling match and it was sad to see Miller not being able to execute his stand up kick boxing skills. In the end, after five exhausting rounds in the cage, Shields dominated with takedowns and grappling and that earned him the decision in the end.

Brett Rogers vs. Fedor Emelianenko - every fight with Fedor is exciting to watch whether it is a grappling or stand up battle. No one can really predict what will happen. Everyone was saying that Fedor would win by submission but there you go.

Brett Rogers looked relatively solid with his big punches, ground and pound and defending himself on the ground from submissions. I think it was also visible that Rogers was able to use his size advantage but Fedor's ability to overcome that was also obvious. The first round was tough on Fedor. Rodgers managed to cut and possibly break Fedor's nose in the opening punch. Blood was everywhere which prevented Fedor from breathing through his nose (no good if you are fighting in an MMA tournament no doubt). In the second, Fedor was able to evade some nasty ground and pound (while to be fair getting hit as well) and with a nice overhand right took Rodgers down and followed up with further strikes to the head of a grounded opponent. TKO for Fedor after a powerful punch to Rodgers who was expecting a takedown from the Sambo legend.

Fedor Emelianenko keeps his perfect record and has added further to his legend. Despite injuring his hand and getting his nose broken, he was able to show that he is still the number 1heavy weight in the world.

The production, at least the Russian edited one was horrible though. I have not seen the CBS version, but the version I saw should be rated as less than poor. (it was Pay Per View and live, not some cheap recording)

You probably would not even know that Strikeforce was organizing nearly the entire thing if you saw it. A ton of M1-Challenge flashbacks from Feb 2009 where no name fighters met were shown throughout the tournament. Instead of letting us hear about the fighters that we are going to see, they showed us over and over no-name fighters from M1. It was ridiculous. The under card was completely ignored. Did not get to see the entrances (apart from Miller's and that was criticized but idiot commentators), did not hear any comments about their past accomplishments. The Russian commentator at some point actually said that he has never seen Jason "Mayhem" Miller fight and does not know anything about him. Terrible! I would just love it if Fedor ditched that Finkelstein and his M1 cronies.

Great fights but poor promotion. Would love to hear some comments about what the CBS show was like.

Watch Fedor vs Rodgers this Saturday

For those of you living in Russia, watch Strikeforce's Fedor vs Brett Rogers live on Sunday at NTV Plus PPV

In US my understanding is that the fight will air on CBS and in the UK on Bravo (bu

This is going to be the event of the year with the most stacked card this year including Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi and Fabricio Werdum.

Also keep an eye out on Fight Camp 360: Fedor vs Rodgers that is supposed to air tomorrow on Showtime.

Enjoy!:)

Keep Reading!

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Competitions for Beginners

Once you have been doing jiu jitsu for a couple of months now you start to get better. As you begin to understand the basic moves, the sweeps, submissions, passing the guard, you begin to feel more confident. When you start submitting beginners your confidence grows and you enjoy your martial art more and appreciate the techniques you have learnt.

So when can I start participating in competitions you will ask. Competitions are an excellent way to give you even more motivation to train hard. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and also experience in fighting under pressure; under pressure of time and of losing. 

In the Brazilian jiu jitsu white belt category you will likely face guys with no experience but also guys that have done jiu jitsu for two years or so. If you walk in knowing very little and you don't have much background in any other related martial art, you will likely lose quickly.

Here I wanted to give some advice on things you can do to prepare. I recommend competing not before you have at least six months of jiu jitsu training unless you have studied or related martial arts in the past (like wrestling or judo).

1. Train more

You need to really train more than three times a week before competition. Sparring is very valuable and you don't want to be gassed during the match. Practice with opponents that you can learn from, that are better than you or about the same level as you. If you are always winning against weaker opponents, you develop slowly. 

2. Supplement your training with conditioning exercises

Sign up to the gym. I recommend group interval training to improve your cardio but also strength training helps. You must be fitter than your opponents and good cardio really helps to give you the edge. The bicycle and rowing is very good. They improve your strength and cardio but you also should not overlook the classic exercises like the jump rope, push-ups and pull ups.

3. BJJ oriented exercises

 I find it is very valuable to do specific jiu jitsu oriented exercises like grip training. Rope climbing helps you develop strong arms and a solid grip. 

Another good example is neck training. Having a strong neck is important for your ground fighting so exercises such as neck bridges can really help.

Also don't overlook the sprawl. You can incorporate it into your cardio-conditioning routine and develop a good takedown defense.

4. Judo

Brazilian jiu jitsu tournaments start from standing. Having a strong Judo background will give you an advantage here as you will be able to takedown your opponent and score points before you start to play your jiu jitsu game. 

Practicing Judo once or twice a week to supplement you jiu jitsu will really be beneficial. 

If you are training for a no-gi tournament, consider freestyle wrestling instead.

5. Recreational sports. 

When you are not training but relaxing with your friends, there are many activities that can also help you develop. Rock climbing is my personal favorite but also you can do swimming, football and pretty much any active sport.

Develop a nice timetable for yourself but don't over-train. If your body is hurting, then rest and recover. You should mix your exercises well to allow different parts of your body to recover before enduring more exercise. If you are really tired, watch some jiu jitsu instructional dvds instead and then go ask your teacher about certain moves you have seen.

Cool BJJ Competition Posters Europe

November 7: Brett Rogers vs Fedor Emelianenko

November 7 is promising to be a very exciting day for the mixed martial arts world. Not only do we get to see Fedor Emelianenko fight a very dangerous Brett Rogers but a whole lot of exciting bouts are promised for the audiences.

A lot of these guys did not join the UFC for various reasons, but certainly all of these guys are one of the best in the world. On the bjj side we will also have a chance to see Fabricio Werdum, the 2009 +99kg World Champion and perhaps the best grappler there.

-Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko vs. Brett "The Grim" Rogers

-Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (Middleweight Title Fight)

-Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry "The African Assassin" Sokoudjo

-Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum vs. Antonio "Big Foot" Silva

The fight is to be televised on CBS but also in Russia on channel 1.

Look forward to the fight!

Top-10 Submission Moves

So many different articles are featuring the top-10 submission moves used these days that I thought I would give you my list based on popularity. There are so many different submissions that you can use and so many small details which can change as to how effective a submission is. The arm-bar is a good example. There are so many different variations that it is almost like several techniques.

So in reverse order here we go:

10. Ankle lock – a basic and very effective move that can really kill your ankle. The main problem is of course that there are many ways to get out of it and that it is difficult to apply it in the heavier weight divisions as there is too much muscle there on bigger guys. Classic example is when Roger Gracie submitted Shinya Aoki with this move in ADCC.

9. Knee bar - knee bars are actually very effective techniques but are considered easy to get out of unless you are facing top jiu jitsu practitioners. Unlike the ankle lock, the opponent cannot take the pain here. Classic examples are Mauricio Shogun Rua submitting Kevin Randelman and Frank Mir submitting Brock Lesnar.

8. Kimura – a great technique named after the greatest Japanese judoka of all time, Masahiko Kimura, who defeated the grandfather of Brazilian jiu jitsu Helio Gracie with this move.

7. Omoplata – popularized by Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners, this shoulder lock is relatively popular nowadays. Royce Gracie, the victor in the early UFC events beat the sumo wrestler Akebono Taro (who weighed 500 pounds) with this move in the first round.

6. Arm triangle – known also as scarf hold, a popular bjj and judo technique which restricts blood flow to the brain causing loss of consciousness. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Valentijn Overeem is only one example of this nasty choke applied in competition.

5. Heel hook – considered to be a high percentage leg lock, the heel hook requires a lot of care as it can easily cause serious injury in multiple joints running from the heel to the knee. Shinya Aoki defeated Eddie Alvarez with the technique or if you saw the early UFC fights, Ken Shamrock eliminated Patrick Smith with this one in UFC 1.

4. Triangle choke – truly a great submission that defines Brazilian jiu jitsu. Only too many wrestlers have been submitted with this move. The truth is that it is impossible to escape it (unless your name is Roger Gracie). Take a look at how the legendary MMA fighter Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro submitted Gary Goodridge or at the highest level Eddie Bravo vs. Royler Gracie in ADCC.

3. Arm bar – although the arm bar is a high percentage move in all submission arts, Fedor Emelianenko is perhaps one of the best specialist here submitting Mark Coleman (twice), Hong Man Choi, Naoya Ogawa, Kerry Schall and Matt Lindland. Judo and Sambo practitioners adore this move and it certainly deserves the number three spot.

2. Guillotine choke – the guillotine choke, although relatively basic at first sight is extremely effective and has details that make it so effective. An example would be Cro Cop (a feared striker) submitting Kevin Randelman to everyone's surprise.

1. Rear naked choke – it just so happens that the human body works in such a way that the most vulnerable position you can be is being choked out with this move. Almost impossible to escape, the move is extremely effective both in submission wrestling, mixed martial arts or gi ground fighting. Take a look at BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian. My favorite moment with this move is Roger Gracie vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza in ADCC Absolute finals of 2005.

Honorable mentions for the Americana, the Toe hold and for the Anaconda choke, both worthy to be somewhere on this list as well.

Top-10 Jiu Jitsu/Submission Fighters 2009

1. Roger Gracie

Roger has displayed never before seen consistency and ability to systematically submit his opponents on the mats one-by-one. His performance in the 2009 BJJ World Championships was simply stunning even though his biggest rivals were not participating this time around, namely Ronaldo Jacare Souza and Xande Ribeiro.

It is only a shame that we did not have a chance to see him in the ADCC 2009 but surely his upcoming MMA bout for Strikeforce will be an exciting event whoever his opponent may be.

2. Xande Ribeiro

Xande is a phenomenal technician and looked incredible until the Absolute finals in ADCC 2009 against Braulio Estima when he had to tap out due to injury. He will surely be back to claim the 2011 gold.

3. Braulio Estima

2009 has been an excellent year for Braulio Estima. He has taken gold in BJJ Worlds in the Heavyweight division and then won his division as well as the absolute in ADCC. This is a tremendous feat that pushes Braulio right into the 3rd spot in my opinion.

4. Jacare

Like Xande, Ronaldo Souza has been focusing much more on fighting in MMA and therefore was not able to participate much in jiu jitsu/submission wrestling competitions these days. Nevertheless his Superfight win against Robert Drysdale in ADCC 2009 shows that he still has what it takes.

5. Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum is a mixed martial arts veteran and clearly one of the top heavyweights fighting in Strikeforce. His performance in the ADCC was simply outstanding this year. Best of luck to him.

6. Robert Drysdale

Robert Drysdale is a great technician but is no doubt better without the gi. Drysdale still has an impressive record and we look forward to seeing great things from him in the future.

7. Andre Galvao

Andre Galvao is a great fighter but is another fighter that currently is focused on developing a successful mma career. His absence in the BJJ Worlds and inability to place in ADCC put him down to number 8.

8. Marcelo Garcia

Marcelo Garcia has been greatly disappointed in ADCC, not taking gold in his own division for the first time. Nevertheless Marcelo still holds more ADCC titles than any other fighter in the history, so we expect great things from him next year.

9. Pablo Popovitch

A truely awesome athlete is growing every year. Pablo Popovitch has defeated Marcelo Garcia this year. Nothing more to say.

10. Romulo Barral/Sergio Moraes

These two are rising stars and are incredible in the kimono. Both have not yet proved themselves in submission wrestling therefore place at number 10.

Andrei Arlovski in Bullybeatdown - Funny

Andrei Arlovski participated in the MTV show called Bully Beatdown where the bully gets to fight two rounds with a professional mixed martial artist. This time the poor guy (the bully) got to meet the ex-UFC champion, Andrei Arlovskiy who delivered a serious beating on that poor guy that got him to change his mind about a lot of things. Take a look at the video below:



Also you can get the full episodes from the MTV website here including another episde where Eddie Alvarez got a chance to display absolute dominance especially in the striking department.

Joe Rogan talks about the cauliflower ear

Some guys think this is cool but most of us rather not have it. Take a look at the link below to learn more about a very typical injury that happens to guys that do wrestling, judo, bjj, rugby and boxing.

Click Here To Find Out More About Cauliflower Ear

By the way, for those who don't know, Joe Rogan is the guy that leads the commentary for the UFC and I think he does a good job doing it too. The guy is really cool and is very good at what he does. His knowledge of jiu jitsu is excellent and he does really well explaining what is going on.

I'm not sure whether he is on the Ultimate Fighter show, he should be and I think he could add a lot of value there to the production. I've seen the first season online and wanted to get the rest of the shows on DVD so I am waiting but I've not seen him there.

ADCC 2009 Sensation - Photos

I have had the chance to personally witness the ADCC 2009 Championship fights last weekend and certainly this was one of the most exciting weekends ever. Check out the official results here.

Firstly of course it was the assembled team. Marcelo Garcia, Robert Drysdale, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Fabricio Werdum and so many others. The team was incredible despite some of the names that we were very much hoping for were missing or on the benches, including Roger and Kyra Gracie, Georges St. Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko and Gegard Mousasi.

Saulo Ribeiro was of course an exciting figure in the first half of the tournament showing impressive skill in submitting the younger jiu jitsu champion Romulo Barral only to lose later to the much bigger Fabricio Werdum who then went on to win the +99kg final to become Champion in the heavyweight division. Saulo displayed heart in fighting off Jeff Monson despite choosing to fight him with a kimono.

Another great name was Gunnar Nelson who impressed me immensely fighting in the absolute division representing Iceland. Gunnar showed surprising cardio and ability to attack the back of each of his opponents. Gunnar later faced the awesome Xande Ribeiro, losing to him by knee-bar. Xande would later win his division and lose via shoulder injury in the absolute finals to Braulio Estima.

Well-done to Xande who looked incredibly calm and displayed incredible abilities, the best fighter on the mats in my opinion.

Plenty of disappointments were also there, most notably Xande's injury to cost him the gold and Rafael Lovato who was submitted by Heel Hook which went too far and caused Rafael to drop out thereafter due to injury as Braulio applied the leg lock too far.

For Marcelo Garcia this was an enormous disappointment despite an impressive start when he submitted Kron Graice. He took silver for the first time in his division losing to Pablo Popovitch and later to Braulio Estima in the Absolute.

Well done to the organizers and participants! Well done ADCC!


Pablo Popovitch vs Gregor Gracie

Xande Ribeiro vs Vinicius Magalhaes

Fabricio Werdum vs Saulo Ribeiro

Tarsis Humphreys vs Igor Praporshchikov


Andre Galvao above working to pass the guard




Video of Marcelo Garcia in action!

Greatest Submission Fighters of All Time - ADCC Athletes Ranking

Gracie Magazine has kindly compiled a ranking of all the ADCC competitors and ranked them based on their accomplishments. Please see link here.
It is exciting to see how the top athletes of today compare to the legends like Royler Gracie and Mark Kerr, who have dominated in the past. Well done Gracie Mag!

What surprised me of course was how high Jeff Monson is on the list. He is higher on the list than many others, even higher than Roger Gracie, but I guess not for long since Roger will certainly return in ADCC 2011 as strong as ever.

Mark Kerr of course took the top position, closely followed by Mario Sperry and Marcelo Garcia. Marcelo Garcia however is set to take the top spot as he will undoubtedly take gold in his division this year as well. It is also exciting to see so many faces that have not competed for years come and participate like Ricardo Arona and Saulo Ribeiro. Both should do well but can they pull off winning their divisions, I don't know especially if Saulo competes in the +99kg.

Jacare vs Drysdale will be an exciting highlight but I am betting Xande will be in the absolute final and will probably take the most prestigious gold in the competition.

Anyway, I will be there, so look forward to seeing pictures and if you can't wait then watch the event live or on video on demand. Please click here if you are interested.

Fedor vs Mousasi Exhibition Match M1 Breakthrough

M1-Global are doing all they can to promote themselves. Thanks to their August event called M1 Breakthrough held this year in the US, we got to see a sparring match with two great fighters displaying their skills to the American audiences.

Aoki vs Fedor was more exciting in my opinion due to the differences in style and weight. Still an interesting event. Take a look at the video below:

Roger Gracie Out of ADCC 2009, Replaced By Jacare

Roger Gracie, the current BJJ Gi Absolute World Champion is out of the superfight with Robert Drysdale. Roger Gracie got mumps which took him away from training and after returning to training, Roger was unfortunate to twist his knee in a way that made competing no longer possible.

The ADCC Committee after careful consideration selected one of the best jiu jitsu fighters today, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, who has recently focused on this mixed martial arts career. He is a very formidable opponent for Drysdale and we will look to see how he does this September in one of the most exciting events of the year.

November Strikeforce Event Coming Soon

A lot of news has been coming out in the grappling and mixed martial arts world over the last two weeks while I have been away. Should be back this Saturday to update everyone on what is going on at the moment.

So far it is looking like everyone is awaiting eagerly the Strikeforce event with what is most probably going to be a very strong roster. As you all will know, Strikeforce has recently strengthened it's roster of fighters to include some of the very biggest names in the sport including the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. Others include the jiu jitsu legends Roger Gracie and Ronaldo Souza and the new Strikeforce light weight champion Gegard Mousasi.

Both Gegard Mousasi and Fedor Emelianenko are hot commodities in the business. Gegard, a rising star with enormous talent and probably a decade of fighting to come while Fedor has beaten almost everyone in the business and consider the greatest fighter of all time.

While both seem to have refused to fight in the biggest promotion in the world, the UFC, they have signed with Strikeforce/M1 Global and have demonstrated their skill already, in an exhibition match called M1 Breakthrough.

The first of Strikeforce run events is expected to be in November and it already looks like the opponent of Fedor will be Brett Rogers, a strong striker with a perfect record and a first round KO of Andrei Arlovski in his last fight.

For those that love brazilian jiu jitsu will of course look forward to Roger Gracie's debut in Strikeforce in the heavyweight division. Roger is perhaps the greatest submission specialist the world has ever seen. Gracie is the current BJJ World Champion both in the heavyweight and in the absolute category, submitting all of his opponents from the mount in a spectacular performance never before seen. With only two mma fights behind his belt and so far little striking skill, he is yet to prove that he can beat the best but there is no doubt in my mind that Roger is a force to be reckoned with in any mma promotion and no matter who his opponent is.

The event in November will be spectacular and the only shame is that many of us fans living outside of the US and UK will not have a chance to watch it live.

sincerely yours,

grappler

Judo World Champion 2009

It keeps surprising me still how unnoticed huge events are like the Judo world championship. Despite all the seats being taken at Rotterdam for the event of the year, the media does not pay much attention. The rules and the complexity of the sport is of course a major factor behind the relatively low popularity of Judo. It not as easy to understand as for example golf or tennis, nor is it as exciting for the uneducated viewer.

Check out the results here. Outside the sports world, many of the names are unknown. Russia has improved its performance taking one gold, one silver and one bronze. An improved result from the Bejing games but still there is room to improve.

Ivan Nifontov won the under 81kg category taking gold. Etsio Gamba, Russia's mens coach says that there is still have room to improve with Alexander Mikhailin and Tagir Haybullaev potentially able to take medals but showing disappointing performances this time around. It looks like Etsio has done well to return the Russian team to success.

The biggest surprise of the tournament no doubt has been the disappointing performance of the Japanse men's team, which took only one silver medal in the under 60kg. This is the worst performance in the 59 year history for Japan.

Overall, no doubt about it, this year Japan, South Korea and France were the countries with the strongest judo athletes. In each country, Judo is extremely popular, and it is not a surprise to see such an outcome. Most noticeably is perhaps China, which keeps climbing up the Judo ladder and no doubt as Chinese Judo grows, we will see some young new talent from over there.

Final List for Women's ADCC

ADCC has now announced the complete list of competitors in the women's divisions. Never really followed women's grappling although no doubt it will be exciting this year as the level of competitors continues to improve. Kyra Gracie is perhaps the most recognizable name on the list together with Cristiane Cyborg, the current Strikeforce Champion. Actually I thought Cyborg was only a bjj purple belt but perhaps she has other grappling experience and certainly her mixed martial arts experience gives her the right credentials to be able to compete.

Females +60kg

1. Hannette Staack. USA
2. Penny Thomas. USA
3. Hitomi Hiraiwa. Japan
4. Rosângela Conceição. Brazil
5. Ida Hansson. Sweden
6. Shanti Abelha. Denmark
7. Lana Stephanac. USA
8. Cristiane Cyborg. USA

Females -60kg

1. Kyra Gracie. Brazill
2. Sayaka Shioda. Japan
3. Megumi Fujii. Japan
4. Michelle Tavares. Brazil
5. Laurence Cousin. France
6. Ina Steffensen. Denmark
7. Hillary Williams. USA
8. Luanna Alzuguir. Brazil


After a disappointing Mundials performance from Kyra Gracie, it is interesting to see how she will perform in this no-gi event. No doubt the competition will be very strong and from the number of countries represented, a very international event. Women's grappling, like women's mixed martial arts, has a long road to go yet before it can reach any decent level of popularity compared to the men's events. Perhaps women's Judo is quite close to men's Judo. Carano vs Cyborg headline fight was the first step in MMA.

For me I think that women's grappling may be even more exciting than bjj gi championships for example. Gi fights are of course much slower and the men's fights really show more varied technique and speed. Too many women's fights that I have seen were about passing the guard for more than half of the match with little success. Whether it is stalling, lower level of technique or muscle strength, I really don't know but I envision that from a spectator point of view, no-gi matches may become a more exciting event.