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It’s Thursday again, boys and girls! That means it’s time for the third edition of the weekly roundup of Brazilian fight news delivered by yours truly, also known as the Brazil Beat. We’ve got stories all across the spectrum from the combat sports world focusing on athletes and fights from one of the world’s premiere fight cultures.
From former Bellator champion Douglas Lima’s tough situation, to Mark Zuckerberg’s BJJ match that caught the world’s attention; tragic loss in the MMA community and yet another UFC fighter set to take their talents to reality TV, join me for a look at what’s shaking up the fighting universe in Brazil this week.
Mark Zuckerberg’s referee praises his performance
In our top story, it’s the BJJ match heard around the world. Mark Zuckerberg’s secret jiu jitsu competition entry made headlines, even including a touch of (overblown) controversy.
After discussing the details of the bout itself in an interview with Bloody Elbow, referee Lucas Costa had more to say about the billionaire’s potential combat sports future in a conversation with Brazilian BJJ website Tatame. Having watched Zuckerberg closely on the mat, Costa felt there was a bright potential future for Zuckerberg, if he keeps the same discipline he displayed in his first tournament.
“He’s a natural. I think he will make it to blackbelt. He showed himself to be humble, firm, excited and thirsty to win. Besides, he made the crowd go crazy when they noticed him. It was like the wave game you see at stadiums. One person would tell the next and soon enough a bunch of people were gathered to see him fight.”
Mark Zuckerberg has been training at Guerrila Jiu-Jitsu, which is captained by black belt Dava Camarillo. On his personal Instagram account, the billionaire thanked his coaches for helping him.
Douglas Lima in a tough spot ahead of Bellator 296
Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima will try to snap an awful four-fight losing skid when he faces Costello Van Steenis in a middleweight bout at Bellator 296 on May 12. In an interview with Combate, the Brazilian talked about his opponent’s strong suits and what he needs to do in order to avoid a dreaded fifth straight defeat.
“I’m more experienced, for sure. He trains with Gegard Mousasi’s team, so he has some tough training partners. He’s from the Netherlands, everyone from there is good at fighting. From what I can see, he’s hungry. He’s really aggressive. He’s good at striking and on the ground. It’s a dangerous fight, so I have to be 100%. He’s a big guy, too. I’m moving up a weight class, where guys are bigger. So I actually have to be 1000%, there’s no other way. It’s a tough fight, but where we are, all fights are tough.”
Douglas Lima (32-11) lost to Jason Jackson, Michael Page, Yaroslav Amosov and Gegard Mousasi in his most recent outings, all by way of decision. The 35-year-old has not won a match since a unanimous decision victory over Rory MacDonald in October 2019.
Fighter killed in motorcycle accident
Last week, Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Robson Gracie passed away at the age of 88. Athletes from multiple sports celebrated the veteran’s long and accomplished life. Sadly, the sudden death of former UFC bantamweight Felipe Colares was a stark reminder that tragedy can also strike in an instant. Unfortunately, this week provided more proof of that fact.
Training partner to former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, Joriedson Reis, died in a motorcycle accident in Brazil. A passenger on a motorbike in the streets of Belem, Reis was killed when the driver of the bike made an irregular turn, putting the vehicle in the path of a bus. Globo Esporte reports that both driver and passenger were killed instantly.
The 36-year-old flyweight fighter left behind a wife and three children. On his official Instagram account, Deiveson Figueiredo wrote a post about the loss of his friend.
“To all family and friends, our deepest thoughts. We know how Joriedson was an admirable person and he will certainly leave a big void in the hearts of everyone who has had the honor and pleasure of meeting him.”
In his 12-year MMA career, Joriedson Reis (25-10) fought for Shooto Brazil, Russian Cagefighting Championship and Serbian Battle Championship, among many other promotions. He had been planning a return to competition against Ederson Cardoso at Barcarena Super Fight 5 on May 6th, the day following his death.
Newcomer impresses Dana White at UFC 288, gets show money in loss
He didn’t win his debut at UFC 288, but new UFC featherweight Diego Lopes clearly gained some new fans after his fight against Movsar Evloev. Having taken the match on just five-days notice after Bryce Mitchell withdrew during fight week, the Brazilian made the best of the opportunity, showcasing an exciting skillset on the main card of last Saturday’s pay per view event.
In an interview with Super Lutas YouTube channel, Lopes analyzed his own performance against Evloev and gave himself a 7 out of 10 given all the circumstances he had to face prior to the match. Fortunately for him, even UFC president Dana White was impressed by what Lopes was able to do on such short notice.
“Dana White approached me and said he didn’t think the fight was 30-27. He said it was a 29-28, at most, and that the fight could have gone either way and he would have agreed with the result.”
“He thanked me for taking the fight and told me I had shown a high level and that it would not be the last time they saw me.” Lopes said. “He said they were really happy with me and that that night I didn’t lose, I would only win. Meaning they were going to pay me the win money, too. For me, that’s what matters, you know? When your boss is happy. He knows it was a tough fight against a tough guy that nobody wanted to face, so only a few people could do what I did.”
Diego Lopes (21-6) was on a two-fight winning streak prior to the Evloev loss at UFC 288. The 28-year-old had scored knockout victories over Angel Rodriguez and Ken Glenn, respectively in November and February 2022.
Another UFC fighter set to star in a reality show
After former UFC middleweight Antonio Carlos Junior’s run on Big Brother Brasil—which ended ingloriously, with ‘Shoeface’ getting the boot over a sexual harassment incident—another MMA fighter will get their chance to become a reality TV star.
This time around, it’s UFC strawweight Maria Oliveira. Oliveira is set to feature on Rede Record’s ‘A Grande Conquista’, a reality show in which celebrities and unknown people must live together in the same house. The fighter herself shared the news on her official Instagram account.
The show will award its winner with a one million reais prize (approximately 200 thousand dollars) and is scheduled to debut on May 18.
Worth noting that Oliveira is scheduled take on Diana Belbita on June 10 at UFC 289 The fight has not been cancelled, as of yet, so it seems Oliveira’s stint on the show hasn’t interfered with the 26-year-old’s training schedule and won’t force her to withdraw from the bout.
Olympic gold medalist to return in June
Olympic boxer Robson Conceicao will have to wait a little longer before his next outing. Originally scheduled to take on Nicolas Polanco next Saturday in Stockton, California, the Brazilian had visa issues that rendered him unable to make the trip.
Now, according to promotion Top Rank, the boxer is expected to take on Polanco on June 10. Conceicao himself shared the news on his official Instagram account.
Robson Conceicao (17-2) won the gold medal at lightweight in the 2016 Olympic games. In his last professional outing, he dropped a unanimous decision to Shakur Stenveson, in September 2022, in a fight for the vacant WCB, WBO and The Ring super featherweight belts. The 34-year-old’s last win happened one bout prior, when he defeated Xavier Martinez by unanimous decision, in January 2022.
A Brazilian Beat
I’d like to start a tradition in this edition of the Brazil Beat.
Being the music lover that I am, I think it would be interesting to close each piece with a song from my country. Who knows, maybe you guys can discover some great artists along the way, right? Let me know!
To start off, I’d like to pay homage to the legend Rita Lee, who passed away at age 75 this week. This is goes out to her!
See you guys at the next Brazil Beat!
Lucas out.
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