Avalanche Overwhelm Tsunami
Gleidson Venga Oct 1, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil, Sept. 29 -- The second Mo Team League event
repeated the success and drama of the first one, as the contest
between the Avalanche and the Tsunami went down to the final
match.
The Avalanche, coached by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures), prevailed in the team-oriented event. They defeated Pedro Rizzo (Pictures)'s Tsunami 3-2 to set up a November showdown for the championship against Murilo Bustamante (Pictures)'s Wildfire.
Leonardo Santos
(Pictures) (Tsunami) opened with one
of the best fights of the night against Rafael Bastos (Pictures) (Avalanche). Considered one of
the best lightweights in Brazilian jiu-jitsu history, Santos took
down his opponent and nearly finished the fight with a side-choke
in the first round.
Bastos escaped, though, and scored a knockdown in the second round. Santos recovered well, then started to impose his game with good takedowns and a transition to the mount.
The unknown Sergio Moraes (Pictures) (Avalanche) easily overcame Andre Santos (Pictures) (Tsunami) to even the score at 1-1. A student of Fabio Gurgel (Pictures), Moraes shortened the distance early and knocked down his opponent. He quickly moved to the mount, where he worked some blows and pulled a triangle for the tapout.
Mauricio Alonso (Pictures) (Tsunami) did not have an easy time against the tough Julio Cesar (Pictures) "Field" Almeida (Avalanche).
Using a longer reach, Alonso connected with good strikes that made it a difficult night for his foe. Almeida looked to shorten the distance for a takedown early without much success. However, he came back better in the second round, obtaining some good takedowns.
Alonso recovered and connected with solid strikes before the round ended. Then, in the third stanza, he carried enough of an edge to warrant the decision and a 2-1 lead for the Tsunami.
The most exciting bout of the evening pitted Fabio Maldonado (Pictures) (Avalanche) against Vitor Miranda (Pictures) (Tsunami).
Miranda, the top Muay Thai fighter in Brazil, was debuting in MMA and struggled early. Maldonado closed the distance and took him down. Although Miranda defended, he had a hard time fighting on the ground.
Maldonado's strategy worked well, and he dictated the rhythm of the fight almost throughout. In the final minutes of the last round, though, the fighters traded.
Miranda connected with good kicks, but Maldonado struck back efficiently with his well-calibrated hands. The judges awarded the win to the Avalanche's Maldonado, tying the teams at 2-2.
The decisive confrontation matched Junior Cigano (Pictures) (Avalanche) and Jair Gonçalves (Tsunami). Gonçalves went straightforward and got a takedown, but Cigano reversed and called for a stand-up fight.
Gonçalves accepted. However, he struggled while trading with his opponent, who landed the best blows and avoided Gonçalves' onslaught.
After connecting with good punches, Cigano took Gonçalves to the ground and forced a stoppage. He had won the fight -- for himself and for the Avalanche, who triumphed 3-2.
"My team was very good," Nogueira said as his squad celebrated. "Everyone dedicated themselves a lot, the way I expected. The fights were hard, and I liked the performance of everyone -- congratulations to everyone. Now we will prepare them for the finals in November."
In a preliminary bout, Hacran Dias (Pictures) showed his sharp ground game in a dominating victory via decision overt Alan Nilson (Pictures).
Mauro Ximentho Jr. (Pictures) also won a decision, besting Bruno Pisani (Pictures) on the feet and on the ground.
The Avalanche, coached by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures), prevailed in the team-oriented event. They defeated Pedro Rizzo (Pictures)'s Tsunami 3-2 to set up a November showdown for the championship against Murilo Bustamante (Pictures)'s Wildfire.
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Bastos escaped, though, and scored a knockdown in the second round. Santos recovered well, then started to impose his game with good takedowns and a transition to the mount.
As the bout continued, Bastos was more dangerous on the feet, but
he couldn't escape Santos' takedowns and ground work. In the end
Santos won the decision, giving the Tsunami a 1-0 lead.
The unknown Sergio Moraes (Pictures) (Avalanche) easily overcame Andre Santos (Pictures) (Tsunami) to even the score at 1-1. A student of Fabio Gurgel (Pictures), Moraes shortened the distance early and knocked down his opponent. He quickly moved to the mount, where he worked some blows and pulled a triangle for the tapout.
Mauricio Alonso (Pictures) (Tsunami) did not have an easy time against the tough Julio Cesar (Pictures) "Field" Almeida (Avalanche).
Using a longer reach, Alonso connected with good strikes that made it a difficult night for his foe. Almeida looked to shorten the distance for a takedown early without much success. However, he came back better in the second round, obtaining some good takedowns.
Alonso recovered and connected with solid strikes before the round ended. Then, in the third stanza, he carried enough of an edge to warrant the decision and a 2-1 lead for the Tsunami.
The most exciting bout of the evening pitted Fabio Maldonado (Pictures) (Avalanche) against Vitor Miranda (Pictures) (Tsunami).
Miranda, the top Muay Thai fighter in Brazil, was debuting in MMA and struggled early. Maldonado closed the distance and took him down. Although Miranda defended, he had a hard time fighting on the ground.
Maldonado's strategy worked well, and he dictated the rhythm of the fight almost throughout. In the final minutes of the last round, though, the fighters traded.
Miranda connected with good kicks, but Maldonado struck back efficiently with his well-calibrated hands. The judges awarded the win to the Avalanche's Maldonado, tying the teams at 2-2.
The decisive confrontation matched Junior Cigano (Pictures) (Avalanche) and Jair Gonçalves (Tsunami). Gonçalves went straightforward and got a takedown, but Cigano reversed and called for a stand-up fight.
Gonçalves accepted. However, he struggled while trading with his opponent, who landed the best blows and avoided Gonçalves' onslaught.
After connecting with good punches, Cigano took Gonçalves to the ground and forced a stoppage. He had won the fight -- for himself and for the Avalanche, who triumphed 3-2.
"My team was very good," Nogueira said as his squad celebrated. "Everyone dedicated themselves a lot, the way I expected. The fights were hard, and I liked the performance of everyone -- congratulations to everyone. Now we will prepare them for the finals in November."
In a preliminary bout, Hacran Dias (Pictures) showed his sharp ground game in a dominating victory via decision overt Alan Nilson (Pictures).
Mauro Ximentho Jr. (Pictures) also won a decision, besting Bruno Pisani (Pictures) on the feet and on the ground.
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