Rhalan Gracie Returns to MMA Tonight
October 6, 2007
Relson Gracie’s son Rhalan Gracie will compete for the second time in MMA at the Gracie Proving Grounds event tonight in Honolulu, Hawaii. Rhalan’s first MMA bout, fought when he was only 18 years old, was in March 2006 against Jorge Gurgel fighter Dustin Hazelett. Rhalan lost that fight in a controversial judges’ decision, and Hazelett has gone on to compete in the UFC, most recently defeating Canadian Jonathan Goulet at Ultimate Fight Night 11.
The Gracie Proving Grounds events are the Gracie Fighting Championships’ small scale events that give less experienced fighters an opportunity to display their talent and possibly earn a shot at appearing on the pay-per-view cards of the GFC. Rhalan Gracie will compete against Hawaiian fighter Koa Ramos. Ticket prices begin at $50.
Get to Know Demian Maia, ADCC Champion & MMA Fighter
May 16, 2007
Folks who’ve been following this site since our reporting of the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Submission Grappling Championship should remember the name Demian Maia, the Brazilian grappler from Team Brasa who won the 77 - 87KG weight division at the tournament. Those with their ears firmly to the ground on the MMA scene also know that Maia is fighting in the Gracie Fighting Championships this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
For American fans it should be a chance to witness an amazing grappler expand his nascent mixed martial arts skills, as they’ll also be able to do at the same event with BJJ star Jacare. Currently Maia is 4-0 in MMA according to Sherdog (note to Sherdog Fight Finder crew: you have what appears to be a duplicate entry for a “Damian Maia”).
Off the mats, Maia gives the impression that he’s got a background in marketing, as he appears to have invested a considerable amount of work into letting fans get to know him over one of the web’s most popular media: online video. You can check out a page he’s built for himself at http://www.youtube.com/DemianMaia. At the moment he’s uploaded six videos of his competition footage, which include a win over the aforementioned Jacare and even Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga. If fortune is on his side, he’ll be able to include an update after this weekend reflecting a victory over his opponent Bill Vucick.
Jeremy “Scorpion” Jackson to Take on BJJ Star Jacare at May GFC Event
April 19, 2007
The Gracie Fighting Championships card on May 19 is looking like an entertainer for sure. Last weekend the GFC sent out an updated card which announced that Jeremy Jackson, a former contestant on Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter will take on Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, which is sure to get BJJ fans excited.
Souza dipped his feet in the MMA waters back in 2004 but hasn’t been very active until last year, when he fought three times. According to Gracie Magazine Jacare has set aside 2007 solely for MMA. So while we won’t see any more great BJJ matches with Jacare at the upcoming BJJ Worlds or ADCCs, he will surely be awesome to watch at the GFCs. Since he is only doing MMA, what would be nice to see is an MMA rematch of his historic encounter with Roger Gracie back at the 2004 BJJ Mundials, where Roger broke Jacare’s arm, yet Jacare did not tap and won when time ran out. But that’s unlikely as Roger is listed at 220 lb and Jacare at 185 lb.
For those interested in seeing what Jeremy Jackson’s been up to, the Ventura County Star came out with a great article yesterday on Jackson and his ups and downs in and out of combat sports.
Jacare
Marcelo Garcia No Longer on GFC Card
April 5, 2007
A representative from the Gracie Fighting Championships stated tonight that Marcelo Garcia has withdrawn from the GFC card on May 19th. Garcia, a world-renowned grappler, is scheduled to compete in the upcoming 2007 ADCCs in New Jersey on May 4th and 5th. The representative stated that Garcia’s priority is preparation for the Abu Dhabis, and with so little time in between the Abu Dhabis and the Gracie Fighting Championships event only two weekends later, there was not enough time for Garcia to focus on his striking in what was to be his mixed martial arts debut.
Nick Diaz, Jake Shields courted by other MMA organizations
January 19, 2007
As may have been expected after the postponement of the Gracie Fighting Championships, other promotions are eager to get their hands on some of the fighters. The FightWorks Podcast has learned that two fighters from Cesar Gracie’s camp are being courted by other organizations. In addition to Nick Diaz being wooed by Elite XC, as was reported earlier this week, Jake Shields is being offered a contract with BodogFight, the newly formed promotion owned by Calvin Ayre, the gambling magnate. Diaz is also reportedly an object of Pride’s attention, so it remains to be seen if the claim by Gary Shaw that he was coming to Elite XC is in cement or not. Diaz recently expressed interest in fighting for Pride on a recent episode of Sherdog’s radio show, Beatdown (iTunes link).
Final details will likely be revealed shortly, as it’s unlikely that the two fighters will remain sidelined for very long during a time when they’re so valued.
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