MMA Scene Heating Up in Brazil

One of the great Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners of all-time will be in action later this month at UFC 79. Wanderlei Silva, the former PRIDE middleweight champion, will face Chuck Liddell. Also on the card are fellow countrymen Lyoto Machida, Luis Cane and Roan Carneiro.

Brazil is well represented at the top levels of the sport, but their local scene doesn’t get a lot of attention. RioHeroes may yet change that. The vale tudo promotion wrapped up its first year of operations on Tuesday with their “RioHeroes 13” tournament. Flavio Alvaro and Udi Lima survived all the way to the finals, where Alvaro won by submission to become a two-time RH champion.

This fighting style is not for the faint of heart. We’re talking old school steel cage matches – no timekeeping, and very few holds barred. But this isn’t a backyard brawl; the fighters take their craft seriously, and the promotion does not charge admission. Top that, UFC.