RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Sep. 24th – The inaugural edition of Gladiators Combat Arena in the city of Sao Joao de Meriti Decisions are not welcome: Gladiators Combat Arena in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Sep. 24th – The inaugural edition of Gladiators Combat Arena in the city of Sao Joao de Meriti was filled with member of the prompter’s team, Rafael dos Anjos, Gordo JJ team, against fighters from other squads with the flavor of ‘mania’ by Brazilian promoters booking Muay Thai and submission fights alongside MMA matches. Even though MMA is not a common event on a Sunday in Brazil, the Porto da Pedra gym was sold out. The event was a good showcase for TKOs and submissions, with only one fight out of the seven MMA bouts going to a decision. The main event featured a battle between IVC 11 fighter Andre “Maumau” Gustavo (RJJC) and Leonardo de Paula (Gordo JJ) in a lightheavyweight bout. Gustavo, a former Luta Livre BUDOKAN pupil who fought in NHB fights in the late 90s, had been away from the MMA scene for a long time. He became a cop for BOPE (one of the most respected police businesses in Brazil) and decided to make a return to MMA. With four fights in his cartel and a little out of shape, Gustavo used his experience against Leonardo (in his first MMA fight). After escaping a guillotine hold, Leonardo traded wild blows with Gustavo with a lot of ferocity and not a lot of technique. Leonardo got top position on Gustavo on the mat and Gustavo reversed, but his gas tank started going empty and did not land many effective punches. In round three, Gustavo shot in and Leonardo caught him with a guillotine hold for the submission win. Was this a lucky strike or an extreme accuracy? Thiago Baggio (Black House) found himself fighting BJJ wizard Lucio Sergio (Gordo JJ) in his second-ever MMA fight. Baggio knew Lucio’s reputation and made a strong effort to keep the fight standing by using low-kicks. When Sergio went for a takedown, Baggio landed a perfect kick that opened up a big cut on his face (resulting in the fight being stopped and 15 stitches to the face). The same finish happened in the fight between Mohican fighter Fabio Issa (Nova Uniao) and Alex Oliveira (Gordo JJ). Even though both fighters are only BJJ specialists, they traded many blows standing up. Oliveira connected with a heavy right hand that busted Issa’s nose, stopping the fight early in round one. Brazilian Top Team overwhelms Gordo JJ In the past few months, there have been several dramatic changes in the landscape of Brazilian MMA teams. While BTT lost key members, Gracie Barra Combat Team was eliminated and re-birthed under the Gordo JJ team (alluding to main coach Roberto “Gordo” Correa). Fernando Paulon (BTT), who took the fight on short notice, and Diego Braga (Gordo JJ) exchanged wild punches and kicks standing up in their fight. Braga landed big low-kicks, while Paulon connected with two good punches. Paulon intended on taking the fight to the mat, managing to do so and gain side control. However, Braga reversed position and applied the guard. Paulon took Braga down three more times but did not manage to go anywhere after the takedowns due to the lack of the gas. Braga tried a flying knee during stand-up and a takedown as well. The Gordo JJ fighter had more stamina but less aggression, resulting in a split-decision loss. Leandro Brodinho (Gordo JJ), who is a machine at unloading strikes, was successful in his third MMA fight. He made quick work of his opponent, Tony Marcos (JVF). Brodinho went for a double-leg, followed by fast mat work to gain mount position and unleash an onslaught of punches to force the tap-out around a minute into the contest. Gladiator Combat Arena full results: |Submission| Gilbert Durinho (Nova Uniao) submitted Leonardo de Souza (Gordo JJ) / kneebar |Female Muay Thai| Aline Serio (Gustavo Ximu) def. Luana “Vampira” Romao (Art Fighter) / split decision |Male Muay Thai| Luis Rogerio (JVF) def. David Indio (Eduardo Pachu) / TKO(shoulder dislocated) |MMA| 143lbs: Leandro Brodinho (Gordo JJ) def. Tony Marcos (JVF) / TKO(strikes) 160lbs: Alex Oliveira (Gordo JJ) def. Fabio Issa (Nova Uniao) / TKO(doctor stoppage) 170lbs: Vitor Bonfim (Gordo JJ) def. Silvio Lucas (Black House) / keylock 171lbs(catch weight): Fernando Paulon (BTT) def. Diego Braga (Gordo JJ) / split decision 176lbs: Rodrigo Barbosa (Gordo JJ) def. Antonio “Mineiro” Inacio (Fabiano Melo) / TKO(strikes) 185lbs: Tiago Baggio (Black House) def. Lucio Sergio (Gordo JJ) / TKO(doctor stoppage) 205lbs: Leonardo de Paula (Gordo JJ) def. Andre “Maumau” Gustavo (RJJC) / guillotine choke