Through UFC, Jiu-Jitsu showcased and reputations tested on #1 network in Brazil

14 Oct, 2012

Rodrigo Minotauro e Anderson Silva no octagon do UFC Rio. Foto: Inovafoto/UFC/Divulgação

Rodrigo Minotauro and Anderson Silva in the octagon at UFC Rio / Photo by Inovafoto/UFC/publicity

The downpour in Rio de Janeiro was a harbinger of storm clouds at UFC 153, but the show started out slow. The fights on the under card putted along, their outcomes predictable, and the most striking image for those who attended the event was perhaps the spectator wearing a rain coat in the stands, trying to dodge the awkward water spouts of the sold-out HSBC Arena.

The show started out cold, overcast and with an occasional flurry, but conditions improved as the card progressed. The event seemed programmed not just to entertain the 16,844 fans in attendance, but to test some reputations as well.

Could Minotauro still be the efficient Jiu-Jitsu fighters of bygone days? Is Anderson Silva capable of taking out a man with an iron-cast chin? Is Erick Silva indeed a top-five welterweight? Is Glover really the new beast on the block in the light heavyweight division? Is Demian capable of subduing an opponent with such heavy hands? Does Francisco Massaranduba have what it takes to beat a more seasoned opponent? What is Sérgio Moraes’s Jiu-Jitsu really capable of?

Some passed the test, and others didn’t, as you saw for yourself.

In the end, the ones who left the arena happy were the Jiu-Jitsu fans, who for some time hadn’t had the opportunity to beat their drum and chant “Jiu-Jitsu! Jiu-Jitsu!” like they did in unison for Demian, Minotauro and the other gentle-art professors on the card.

And the best part was that the Jiu-Jitsu fest was broadcast live to millions of future practitioners over Rede Globo, Brazil’s most popular television network.