UFC in Richmond va

In 1993, a Brazilian introduced the concept of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the United States. Rorion Gracie brought the Vale Tudo format to Denver, Colorado, and featured 8 of the toughest fighters in the world. Each fighter was considered one of the best in their discipline, like Savate, Pankration, Wrestling, and Boxing. In the end, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Royce Gracie won the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). His excellence in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helped him win 3 out of the first 4 tournaments.Five years later, the UFC held its first event in Brazil. The event, known as Ultimate Brazil, was hosted by Ginasio da Portuguesa in Sao Paulo, Brazil on October of 1998. Ultimate Brazil witnessed the debuts of eventual heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo and Pride superstar Wanderlei Silva. The latter was victim to the famous "Vitor Blitz" that was handed to him by "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort. The same night also featured the first UFC welterweight champion in Pat Miletich. It would take 13 years before the UFC came back to the birthplace of MMA.Recently, the UFC finally returned to Brazil after 117 pay per view events. Hosted on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, UFC 134 was marketed all throughout its promotional tours as UFC: RIO. The event was headlined by middleweight champion Anderson Silva of Brazil against Japanese contender Yushin Okami, the last man to defeat Silva. The loss was considered technical than legitimate, because the controversial setback ended in disqualification. Both men felt that the title bout should end all questions on whether Silva's loss would be vindicated, or if Okami's win would be validated.Want to read more? Click on UFC in Richmond va. Another rematch was made, as former light heavyweight champions Mauricio "Shogun" Rua aimed to avenge his defeat to the original Ultimate Fighter Forrest Griffin. Rua was choked out by Griffin in his UFC debut in 2007, when he was ranked the number one Light Heavyweight in the world. Rio de Janeiro's own, heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira ironically fought for the first time in his hometown after 40 fights, against up-and-coming fighter Brendan Schaub, a heavy-handed former NFL player. 11 other Brazilians fought on the card and provided a great show for their countrymen, who deserved such a spectacle after missing live action for 13 years.In the end, eight Brazilian fighters went home the victor, highlighted by Silva's title defense over Okami in two rounds, a brutal revenge for Shogun in one round, and another first round win by Minotauro. All three main card fighters won by TKO. Five other Brazilian fighters delighted the crowd with victory after victory. The electric atmosphere inside the arena was a testament on how much Brazilians love their MMA, and how a prospect of returning to Brazil soon is a viable option for the top brass of the organization. There is much more to read on this page!