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Ryan Gracie Arrested in Sao Paulo

According to O Globo, a newspaper based in Sao Paulo that is one of Brazil’s largest, Ryan Gracie has been arrested for stealing a car.

The article alleges that Ryan Gracie stole a Toyota Corolla but soon after crashed it into a parking barrier. Gracie, who was armed with a kitchen knife, fled and attempted to hijack a moped from one of the city’s many couriers. After dislodging the moped’s owner with the words “Get off the bike or I’ll kill you”, Gracie attempted to escape but was reportedly surrounded by other “motoboys” who detained Gracie and disarmed him. He was then taken into custody by the policia militar.

It is not the first time Ryan Gracie has had trouble with the authorities. According to O Globo, Gracie was arrested in September 2006 for aggravated assault, making threats, and resisting arrest.

Ryan Gracie remains in custody.

Thanks to FightLinker for the tip.

Special Appearance on Fight Opinion Radio

Hey everyone,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I pulled double duty this week and helped our friend Zach Arnold at FightOpinion.com by cohosting Fight Opinion Radio this week. Zach has a great episode this time around, and has invited Shayna Baszler and Ken Shamrock as guests.

As you probably remember, Shayna recently won her match against Jennifer Tate at EliteXC on Showtime convincingly. If weight issues can be hammered out it would seem that the most likely next fight that fans expect her to be in would be against Gina Carano.

And Ken Shamrock has legal matters on his mind. He and his lawyer, who is also present on the show, discuss the decisions they are undertaking regarding legal action against the UFC.

Here’s a link to the show on FightOpinion.com!

- Caleb

Total Combat 24 in San Diego

Thomas Denny with his victorious student Steve Torres.

Last night regional mixed martial arts promoter Total Combat held its twenty-fourth event just north of San Diego in The Show Palace. The event was originally scheduled for October, but the change of plans did not stop the rabid community of southern California MMA fans from turning out for the event.

RESULTS

Miguel Alvarado vs. Mike Morales
In this contest between 170-pounders, it was clear that this fight was a learning experience for both. Morales had a much better grasp of the ground and dominated positionally for most of the fight. It looked like the fight was going to end earlier when Morales had a couple of good looks at submission attempts, but it took until 1:55 of the third round before Alvarado tapped to an armbar and Morales was named the winner.

Steve Torres vs. Kevin Dunsmoor
This fight went back and forth, with Dunsmor looking to be ahead in the first with regular successful takedown attempts. In the second round Dunsmor seemed gassed and Torres seemed to be getting the better of things. In the third round, Torres escaped having his back taken – despite it being secured with a leg bodylock – and spun into Dunsmor’s guard. From there he opened the guard and blasted away at Dunsmor, who did not seem to dodge many of the shots coming down. The bell rang to end the third round and Torres was declared the winner, bringing his pro MMA record to 1-1.

Ricky “Hoku” Wallace vs. Joshric Fenwick
The Hawaiian Hoku Wallace, fighting out of the Las Vegas fight camp Cobra Kai, spent much of his time on his back after being taken down by Joshric Fenwick, whose fight style reminds one of Josh Koscheck. Scoring loud, slamming takedowns, Fenwick controlled the action and at one point a Fenwick strike elicited a large mouse to appear over Hoku’s left eye. Wallace’s ground game looked sharp but it was not enough to stop Fenwick, who won by unanimous decision. Wallace’s pro MMA record becomes 0-1 and Fenwick’s 1-0.

Jermaine Wilson vs. Chris Cope
Every round of this match, which was the pro MMA debut for both fighters, was very similar. Cope, from San Diego, aggressively struck his opponent around the ring with punches and kicks. Wilson, who physically cut a very intimidating figure and scowled at his opponent throughout the match, answered almost exclusively with intermittent front kicks. Unaggressive, Wilson took the sum of the punishment in the fight but did manage to last to the end of the third round. Undisputed Gym’s Chris Cope went on to secure at unanimous 30-27 judges’ decision after Wilson’s response to Cope’s attacks never materialized.

UPDATE 11/14/2007: The California State Athletic Commission reported today that Wilson’s urine sample tested positive for marijuana. Wilson’s suspension period will run from November 4, 2007 through February 2, 2008 and he has been fined $500.

Brian Smith vs. Sean Loeffler
Smith was on the receiving end of Loeffler’s punishment, as he held on against Loeffler’s attack for just 1:18 in the first round. Loeffler landed a takedown, mounted Smith, took his back, and punched at the sides of Smith’s face while Smith was face down on the mat and when referee Herb Dean called the match. Loeffler donated his proceeds from the fight to the American Red Cross fund for victims of the San Diego wild fires.

Jesse Newell vs. Joe Nicholas
The match between Newell and Nicholas was bound to happen as both have been features of Total Combat shows in 2007. Nicholas’ striking appeared much improved and he gave the aggressive Newell a run for his money in this encounter. Newell for his part almost ended the match early with an armbar attempt in the first round, which Nicholas escaped. However it was indeed Newell’s submission game that would put an end to things as he secured a tap via triangle choke at the 3:38 mark of round two. Despite the victory Newell suffered a concussion during the fight and was later evacuated by medical personnel for follow-up.

Nick Braker vs. Frank Salgado
Although Braker possessed a significant advantage in reach, it was Salgado’s punching that won this quick fight. Salgado launched a right handed SCUD missle that landed on Braker’s chin fifteen seconds into the match. Braker’s face went slack as he fell backwards and hit the mat limp like a rag doll. Referee Herb Dean stopped the match immediately and during the post-fight interview Salgado went on to thank his beard for its contribution to the victory, amidst a crowd that cheered “Frank the Tank”.

Greg McIntyre vs. Lucas Factor
McIntyre looked sharp as he imposed himself on Factor in this 155-pound match. Factor attempted a guillotine submission on McIntyre after McIntyre shot in for the takedown, but McIntyre escaped and sternly punished Factor’s offense by taking Factor’s back and sinking a rear naked choke just one minute and twenty-six seconds into the fight.

Established fighters who were present to coach their peers last night included:

• Thomas Denny
• Kendall Grove
• Jeremy Jackson
• Jon Koppenhaver
• Jason Lambert
• Dean Lister
• Wade Shipp

Referee Cecil Peoples with fans.

#91 Javier Vazquez Interview

Javier “Showtime” Vazquez is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is known as a natural athlete with potential for great success in combat sports. Javi Vazquez is well-known in the west coast BJJ scene for his prowess in tournaments and did very well in mixed martial arts until a series of injuries derailed his promising career in 2003. Vazquez returned to MMA action in 2007 with a win in February over Adriano Pereira and defeated JC Pennington in EliteXC on SHOWTIME on October 26th. To the surprise of many who were excited for his return, Vazquez announced his retirement from MMA after the Pennington fight.

In our conversation with the former King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge champion we’ll hear about his reasons for returning to action and his subsequent decision to leave active competition to focus on training and coaching others. He’ll also give us some tips for Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners who want to transition into MMA! And just because Javi Vazquez has stepped away from MMA himself, don’t forget the name because this elite competitor claims that he does still intend to win the Abu Dhabi Submission Grappling Championships before he’s all done!

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show

#90 CSAC's Armando Garcia; NoLimits Fighting Debacle Last Weekend

We have two guests on this weekend’s episode of The FightWorks Podcast! Our first guest is Armando Garcia, the Executive Officer of the California State Athletic Commission. We discuss the six months of MMA fighter drug testing results from the CSAC that was released on Wednesday. We’ll go over what types of fighters are testing positive for performance enhancing drugs and what types are testing positive for steroids, trends that Garcia sees and much more, including his thoughts on whether the CSAC will ever permit knees to the head of a downed opponent in an MMA match in California.

Our second guest is Dr. Mike Lano, a professional wrestling photographer who was present October 20th at the NoLimitsFighting event that was to be held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The event began to gain infamy in the weeks leading up to the show as fighters who were not contracted to fight were still being advertised on the fight card, like Jeff Monson, Javi Vazquez, and Nick Diaz. The CSAC eventually declared that the show & an affiliated professional wrestling event were not to be held. Unfortunately none of the fighters nor wrestlers were paid, and fisticuffs broke out in which MMA veteran Don Frye was reportedly sucker-punched by the bodyguard of Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son. Sound crazy? It’s wilder than I knew going into the interview. Dr. Lano gives us all the grizzly details.

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show

Seminar of Champions to Benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital

A star-studded MMA and BJJ seminar to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Hospital will be held November 3rd in Superior, Wisconsin. The seminar starts at noon and runs till six or seven o’clock and will include a silent auction of MMA merchandise and jiu-jitsu gear.

• Jeff Monson – two hours
• Brock Larson – one hour
• Hermes Franca – one hour
• Shonie Carter – one hour
• Dave Menne – one hour

Cost: $55

One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit the hospital so please support this awesome event if you can!

If you have questions, call Robert at 920-475-7022 !

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Have You Ever Been Choked Unconscious in MMA or BJJ?

Have you ever been choked unconscious due to a submission hold in MMA or BJJ? I know I have. I was a white belt and under the assumption that it is impossible to be choked while you have the guy in your guard. Well, for the record you can be choked by the guy who is in your guard if you’re not smart enough to push him away with your legs so the force of his punch-choke is removed.

If you’ve ever been choked unconscious, please email me at caleb AT thefightworkspodcast D0T com. No, I am not a lawyer seeking clients for injury claims. I would like to do a story on this topic for our an upcoming episode of The FightWorks Podcast.

When I was choked unconscious by my opponent, it took me a second to figure out what had happened. The good-natured laughing that my teammates were doing all around me was a little embarrassing, but I did learn right then what it feels like to be on your way to la-la land. Now I know to tap!

Vinicius “Pezao” Magalhaes choking Frederico Zaganelli at the N.American BJJ Tournament in September.

#89 Ricardo Almeida, Rener Gracie, and Fernando "Margarida"

Ricardo Almeida and Carlos Gracie Jr.

Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed UFC 77 yesterday. Here’s what we’ve got in store for you on this week’s episode of The FightWorks Podcast, which meets the Intergalactic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Empire’s criteria for “totally sweet”:

A conversation with Ricardo Almeida, black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie. He began competing in mixed martial arts in 2000 and then hung up his gloves in 2004 to concentrate on other obligations. Almeida, who holds an MMA record of 8-2-0 and has submitted fighters like Dean Lister and Josh Barnett in submission grappling competitions, has been picked up by the UFC and will make his return to action in early 2008. Learn more about the man who received offer letters from all the big MMA promoters after announcing a desire to fight again this fall.

Our second interview is a brief one with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt champion Fernando Pontes, better known as Margarida. We sit down with Margarida for 5 minutes and get to know what he’s up to. Die-hard BJJ junkies will know him for medaling in the world championships in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005. He also was the only person to make it look – albeit briefly – like the indomitable Roger Gracie could be stopped on his way to winning the absolute division of the 2007 BJJ World Championships.

Lastly, we’ll have a lengthy conversation with Rener Gracie who discusses a new offering from the Gracie Academy in Torrance that was announced on Tuesday by email which stated, “Become an official Gracie Family Representative – Get Certified to Teach in 2 Weeks – No Previous Grappling Experience – Turn your school into a Certified Gracie Combatives Training Center”. He’ll also bring us up to speed on the MMA careers of his brother Ralek Gracie and Ryron Gracie.

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show

---

Transcription of Margarida Interview:

Caleb: Okay everybody this is Caleb with The FightWorks Podcast and we are here with Fernando “Margarida” Pontes. How are you doing Margarida?

Margarida: Great. How about yourself?

Caleb: I am doing great, thank you. You just completed a seminar here at Fabio Santos’ academy, and I thought we would introduce you to some of the listeners out there around the world who don’t know you yet. If you could tell a little bit about your background, like where you started training and when that would be a great start.

Margarida: I am from Brazil. I started training in Sao Paulo when I was eleven years old with Fabio Gurgel and Fernando Yamasaki. And then after that I was going to check every gym in my city. I went to Rio. I was going there for ten years, and Florianopolis. And now I just came back to the United States.

Caleb: Where were you training in Rio? Was there any one place?

Margarida: Brazilian Top Team, Paulo Carullo, I trained in Rocinha with my friends, Flamengo judo, with Carlson Gracie under Ricardo Arona, Paulo Filho, Minotauro…

Caleb: So tell people where your nickname came from. What does it mean?

Margarida: My nicknames comes from Fabio, because when I was young I was sparring all the time with big guys, so I cried all the time. So he gave me a crying name, he gave me Margarida. Like a person who cries, you know?

Caleb: Somebody who cries a lot?

Margarida: Yeah somebody who cries a lot. So, after that, I be strong, I don’t cry anymore (laughs). I try to beat everyone up and get my way.

Caleb: Well I think you do beat up a lot of people. Tell us some of the bigger titles that you have won, some of the bigger championships.

Margarida: You know, national champion three times in my weight class, the open division. I’m world champion three times too, in my weight class and open division… ten times state champion. I mean i have a lot of titles.

Caleb: That’s cool. Well what have you been doing recently? What are your plans now?

Margarida: I did my first MMA fight with Jorge “Macaco” Patino.

Caleb: Where was that?

Margarida: It was in Sao Paulo, at the end of last year. It was good. I am thinking about fighting more, you know? I just need fair money, then I will get in [and fight].

Caleb: Is that your focus right now? To turn to MMA?

Margarida: No my focus is MMA and to keep doing my essence you know, it’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu. And, to be happy bro.

Caleb: That’s a good goal.Talk real quickly about the mundials. Tell us how that went for you because that was a very exciting match with Roger Gracie.

Margarida: Oh yeah, he is phenomenal. And he taps [his opponents in] all his fights. He makes everyone look… under him, you know? He makes everyone look like one belt less [than they are]. I did pretty much a good fight. I hope that next year I am better. You know, in better shape, and let’s see you know, he’s a tough fighter. Him, Jacare Souza, Braulio Estima, Demian Maia… [there are] a lot of guys [who are] very good. So it will be a good war.

Caleb: Well they just announced that it is going to be in Los Angeles again next year, so that’s cool, [and] we’ll see you then.

Margarida: Oh yeah. For sure. I hope [so].

Caleb: Thank you Margarida.

Margarida: Thank you very much.

The Best BJJ & MMA Podcast Out There Does It Again This Coming Sunday!

Sometimes I can’t wait to tell you about what we’ve got in store for you on The FightWorks Podcast. That is code for “the show contents were actually recorded ahead of schedule and I haven’t procrastinated until the last minute”. Regardless, this Sunday our faithful listeners, aka the mighty 600,000, are in for a great show! Here’s what we’ve got on tap for you:

• The return of Ricardo Almeida. We hear from “Cachorrao” on his return to mixed martial arts and his new opportunity in the UFC.
• Did you get an email on Tuesday evening from the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California? Rener Gracie jumps on the line with us to discuss the Gracie Combatives course and why certifying martial arts instructors with no prior grappling experience to teach Gracie jiu-jitsu moves after a two week intensive course is a good idea.
• Get to know BJJ World Champion Fernando “Margarida” Pontes, who was the only competitor at the 2007 BJJ Mundials to give Roger Gracie a scare on his way to winning the absolute division!

If you haven’t subscribed to The FightWorks Podcast in iTunes, click here to jump on board with the audio show that brings you all that’s newsworthy in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, submission grappling, and more. By subscribing, iTunes will automatically download the newest episodes of the show for you!

Oh and if you haven’t already, tell your friends about the show!

Rener Gracie

#88 Shayna Baszler, Saulo Ribeiro

This week on the show we have three guests with us! We’ll start off with an interview with Shayna Baszler , a mixed martial artist with a record of 8-4-0 who will be fighting Jennifer Tate on Friday, October 26th on the EliteXC on SHOWTIME card. As our first guest on The FightWorks Podcast representing female MMA (with our only other female guest being grappling star Kyra Gracie) Shayna helps introduce us to the female MMA scene. We’ll also hear about how she got her start, training under Josh Barnett and what she does when she’s not training to punch another girl in the face.

Next up, we have a conversation with Saulo Ribeiro, who took second place this year in the 2007 BJJ World Championships. We learn several things from Saulo in our conversation with him:

• His brother Alexandre “Xande” Ribeiro will be making the leap into mixed martial arts! Surprised?
• He has a new book on the way that we can expect to see in early 2008 from Victory Belt publishing, which is the same company which recently published new books from BJ Penn, and Randy Couture. Victory Belt, who published Dave Camarillo’s Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu: Revolutionizing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has another on the way from Camarillo, in addition to a book from a famous BJJ legend that I promised not to reveal. They have been on a tear recently!
• Saulo discusses how the UFC’s Diego Sanchez is doing training in the gi at the University of Jiu-Jitsu in San Diego, and the arrival of Fabricio “Morango” Camoes, who is fighting on the undercard of the October 26th EliteXC card.

Finally, we are going to hear from Robert Mrotek in a brief conversation between him and our own Bruce Hoyer. He’s organizing a benefit seminar that sounds incredible for just $55 that includes 5 fighters who’ve competed in the UFC in the last year! It’s on November 3rd in Superior, Wisconsin. We’ll post again on the matter as the time draws nearer.

Shayna Bazler. Photo courtesy of EliteXC.

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