2012 World MMA Middleweight Scouting Report: #2

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Photo by Oscar Dianotti
Name:	Marcelo Guimaraes
Nickname:	Magrao
Age:	28
Height:	6’0″
Location:	Brazil

This is a guest post by Rory MacLeod (smoogy)

If there is a simple anthro-stylistic explanation for the success of Brazilian mixed martial arts fighters, it’s that the intersection of Muay Thai, boxing and Jiu-Jitsu training produces athletes who naturally excel at finishing fights. As much as in any other region, combatants are pressed by the crowd to constantly look for a knockout or submission early and often. So for wrestlers like Caveira Team’s Marcelo Guimaraes (7-0-1), rounds spent on top delivering methodical ground and pound beatings usually don’t ingratiate themselves to the audience. But despite the resistance, “Magrao” has taken advantage of his atypical skills to rise to the forefront of Brazil’s national fight circuit.

Perhaps “wrestler” isn’t the best description of Guimaraes. Trained in Luta Livre, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, he is certainly more well-rounded than average. Despite his archaic Gracie-esque stance, Marcelo possesses a solid jab and roundhouse kick, but his preference is clearly for ground fighting.

With equal parts technique and athleticism, Guimaraes uses his basic striking skills to set up fast, driving shots that few of his peers in Brazil can neutralize. On the floor, he’ll posture for ground and pound while looking for openings to pass or set up submissions while his opponents squirm to avoid punishment. It sounds simplistic, but Marcelo’s potent combination of strength, tight control and relentless aggression can quickly demoralize his opposition.

Though Guimaraes’ first recorded fight dates back to 2006, his career didn’t begin in earnest until 2010. This gap may help to explain his decidedly retro approach to fighting. The little-known Caveira Team has served him well so far in his career, but Magrao ought to consider seeking out additional instruction in Muay Thai and boxing to round out his skill-set. Even with the limitations, he has run his record in Jungle Fight to a perfect 6-0, capping off the streak with a second round sleeping of Curitiba’s Lucas Rota to claim the inaugural Jungle Fight middleweight championship belt in August. Given his laurels and a conspicuous lack of activity since the title fight, there stands a chance that Guimares could be among the middleweights competing in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil for a shot at another newly-created prize.

Check out video footage of Marcelo Guimaraes after the jump…

Flyweight	Bantamweight	Featherweight	Lightweight
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 –	#1 – Rony Mariano #2 – Aljamain Sterling #3 – Chris Holdsworth #4 – Josh Hill #5 – Fabiano Fernandes #6 – Claudio Ledesma #7 – Sirwan Kakai #8 – Kyoji Horiguchi #9 – Leandro Hygo #10 – Pedro Munhoz	#1 – Hacran Dias #2 – Joey Gambino #3 – Brandon Bender #4 – Lance Palmer #5 – Jim Alers #6 – Anthony Gutierrez #7 – Max Holloway #8 – John Teixeira #9 – Cody Bollinger #10 – Bubba Jenkins	#1 – Fabricio Guerreiro #2 – Alessandro Ferreira #3 – Adriano Martins #4 – Justin Salas #5 – Neilson Gomes #6 – Eduard Folayang #7 – Zorobabel Moreira #8 – Anton Kuivanen #9 – Jordan Rinaldi #10 – J.P. Vainikainen

Welterweight	Middleweight	Light Heavyweight	Heavyweight
#1 – Andrey Koreshkov #2 – Dhiego Lima #3 – Brandon Thatch #4 – Nordine Taleb #5 – Hernani Perpetuo #6 – Brock Jardine #7 – Alan Jouban #8 – Mohsen Bahari #9 – Andre Santos #10 – Stephen Thompson	#1 – #2 – Marcelo Guimaraes #3 – Claudio Silva #4 – Bojan Velickovic #5 – Ildemar Alcantara #6 – Michal Materla #7 – Elvis Mutapcic #8 – Tor Troeng #9 – Jack Hermansson #10 – Tim Ruberg	#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 –	#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 –