UVF 6: ‘Carlao’ Barreto Answers Randleman’s Challenge

After winning three fights in one night to become UVF 4 champion in Rio de Janeiro, as I reported here previously, Kevin Randleman, disciple of two-time UFC champion Mark Coleman, achieved something unimaginable. He united jiu-jitsu, luta-livre and muay thai, longtime rival disciplines in Brazil, in pursuit of a common goal: to answer the challenge Randleman made four months before after winning his belt.

The fact is that the statement from the Hammer House representative, published in one of the most important Brazilian newspapers, Jornal do Brasil, saying that he “expected a jiu-jitsu representative with the courage to face him in the next edition,” stirred the enthusiasm of the entire fighting community in Rio de Janeiro. Whereas at UVF 4, the promoters Sergio Magnago and Joao Alberto Barreto had difficulty in reaching financial agreements with representatives of the main teams, for UVF 6 there was a big line of representatives willing to defend jiu-jitsu and luta-livre. From those many volunteers, Mario “Sukata” Neto (jiu-jitsu), Ebenezer Fontes Braga (muay thai and luta-livre) and Carlos Barreto (Carlson Gracie jiu-jitsu) were chosen to represent Brazil in the UVF 6 tournament, held on March 3, 1997, at Metropolitan concert house.

From Chain Link to Sisal Rope

The possibility of the biggest world vale-tudo classic taking place in the final of the tournament, between Carlson Gracie jiu-jitsu and American wrestling, as represented by Hammer House, for the first time on equal terms on the scales, made the fans turn out in force . Almost 5,000 fans filled the Metropolitan to push the Brazilians.

It's worth contextualizing that in addition to Randleman's victory at UVF 4, two classics had just taken place: Fabio Gurgel vs. Mark Kerr and Murilo Bustamante vs. Tom Erikson, with the American wrestlers winning both fights. At that moment, Hammer House founder Coleman was unanimously considered the greatest heavyweight in the world. In this global context, even the historical rivalry between luta-livre, muay thai and jiu-jitsu was left aside and for the first time, the disciplines came together, pushing Ebenezer, “Sukata” and “Carlao.”

Unfortunately, the organization was not up to the task. The problems started on the show stage. The octagon did not arrive from Campos, 300 km/186 miles from Rio, and the promoters had to rent an old boxing ring from Santa Rosa, a local teacher. A few hours before the show, Randleman discovered that he would not be fighting in a cage and rebelled. “I’m a wrestler, I’m not going to fight in this piece of s---.” Coleman had a hard time convincing his friend. Even worse, as the enclosure was being assembled a few hours before the event, one of the ring ropes broke. It was replaced with a plain rope made of sisal.

Barreto recalled, “As soon as I arrived at the gym, they told me that Coleman had already seen the rope and was coaching the Americans to throw me there, because it wouldn’t withstand it. I remember that I didn't believe it at the time, but that's what actually happened. In my first fight, the first thing [270-pound] Geza Kalman did was push me onto the sisal rope. The rope couldn't support our almost 530 pounds of combined weight and broke. I hit my back on the stage, hit myself in the ribs and fell headfirst onto the floor with him on top of me. Imagine multiplying my weight with his, it could have been something much more serious, but thank God, I managed to return to the fight.”

When the action resumed, Barreto took advantage of Kalman's next attack to submit him with a guillotine just over three minutes into the fight. His next opponent would be decided in just five seconds, the time it took for 330-pound American Dan Bobish to knock out boxer Jucymar Hipolito.

Ebenezer Lends Barreto a Hand

If Randleman thought he would have an easy path to the long-awaited final with “Carlao,” he was surprised in the first fight of the tournament, when he faced one of the toughest representatives of Brazilian muay thai, Braga, who already had nine vale tudo fights and just one defeat to Jorge Pereira. “I remember that right at the weigh-in I said to Luiz, how much do you want to bet that they'll give me that stronger black guy? There was no other way,” recalls the Niteroi native, who despite representing luta-livre and muay thai inspired even the jiu-jitsu fans with his big heart. Ebenezer played a fundamental role in the tournament, as he wore Randleman out across 20 minutes of fighting. After throwing the Brazilian several times and using his well-known explosiveness to deliver very hard blows, the American won the decision. Meanwhile, on the same side of the bracket, the other Brazilian representative, Mario Sukata, was beating Gary Goodridge, who in the sixth minute asked to stop for no apparent reason.

The Carlson Gracie Seal of Quality

After cooling down in the locker room, Barreto began to feel the pain of the rib injured in the fall, but thanks to the team's excellent recovery work he managed to return well. “As they called me too high and I hadn't warmed up, Carlson told me to walk a little before engaging Bobish, but I stupidly chose to take him down immediately,” recalled Barreto, who ate an immediate straight left. “I saw about four Dan Bobishes in front of me. But his big mistake was not waiting, when he came up and threw the first punch I woke up, took guard and ended up catching him in a triangle.”

“Carlao” returned to the locker room even more confident waiting for Randleman and the long-awaited finals battle. “I felt as if the honor of jiu-jitsu and Carlson were in my hands. With each victory the gym blew up, there were 5,000 people shouting ‘Jiu-Jitsu! Jiu-Jitsu!’” recalled Barreto, remembering that he was completely convinced that his teacher would make the difference. “Carlson had this thing about making you believe that no one could beat you. I remember him saying in the locker room, ‘Don't worry, if he gets into your guard you'll catch him, you can submit anyone,’ and that stuck in my head like a seal of quality.”

While “Carlao” took 7:47 to finish Bobish, Randleman spent almost 12 minutes to beat Mario “Sukata,” who had eliminated Goodridge. The American took him down and spent most of the fight in half guard trying to punch the Brazilian. Sukata closed a triangle, but the American escaped, striking him again from half guard. At 11:24, the Brazilian got tired and decided to give up.

Bustamante and Belfort Defend Coleman

It is worth noting that in a world like that of modern MMA there would not even have been a final that night. After all, no athletic commission would approve a fight between one man who had already fought 13 minutes, broken a rib and suffered a knockdown, and another man who had already fought for more than 32 minutes and had his right eye completely closed as a result of Ebenezer's blows, but as UVF 6 was held in 1997 under vale-tudo rules, “Carlao” and Randleman took to the ring in front of a noisy crowd that even threw a full glass of coke at Coleman's back, forcing Vitor Belfort and Murilo Bustamante to climb into the ring to calm things down. “Coleman is a great fighter and deserves respect,” said Belfort. He was promptly backed up by Bustamante, who said, “When we fight out there [in America], we are treated well; if Randleman wins, we will applaud.”

Both reached the final completely worn out, starting the fight very cautiously. Barreto gradually took the initiative, kicking his opponent, half-hoping for the American to pull him into guard. Nothing happened until around 10 minutes in, Barreto took guard and started attacking with punches and elbows. A very worn Randleman practically did not react, opening space for the Brazilian to try an omoplata and, soon after, a triangle that put the wrestler out. When judge Sergio Magnago declared the end of the fight, not even the language barrier stopped Carlson Gracie from mocking the creator of Hammer House, attacking him shouting with his ridiculous english: “Coleman! Coleman! Silipi Silipi!” at the same time he made a gesture with both hands, as if he were sleeping. The two-time UFC champion was left to greet Gracie with a yellow smile.

Randleman took a while to believe that he had gone to sleep. “I was harmed by having a ring instead of an octagon, I struggled a lot to beat Ebenezer who escaped from the ring three times. I don't want to make excuses. I faced high-level fighters, but I'm better than ‘Carlao’ and I'm ready to prove it in a rematch,” the American told me right after the fight.

Barreto’s victory over Randleman, coming as it did in an era of complete dominance for wrestling, restored the self-esteem of the jiu-jitsu community, earning the cover of Tatame and Gracie Mag, which at the time were the two main references in the national martial arts press. “It was an unforgettable day. I broke my foot, my rib, my hand, I had eight stitches in my eyebrow, I was out for a month, but I left that ring with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. For me it was a great honor to have defended my master Carlson, jiu-jitsu and Brazil and to have won. Later on, Randleman and Coleman became great friends of mine. I have nothing but respect for those two legends of the sport,” recalled the current UFC Fight Pass commentator.