Brazil
A Different Kind Of Rumble In The Jungle
Who else has vivid memories of that absolutely unforgettable boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) on October 30, 1974?
This fight was promoted as and even today it is simply known as “Rumble In The Jungle”.
Ali won in the 8th round by KO after fighting a very clever bout by wearing Foreman out or better letting Big George wear himself out.
But there is a different kind of “Rumble In The Jungle” that I want to introduce to you today.
Several years ago I was watching “The Rundown” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Christopher Walken and Seann William Scott.
There is one fight scene that takes place in the Brazilian jungle that always gets my attention, especially because one of the jungle fighters is played by Erne Reyes Jr. and he does an incredible job.
But I will let you be the judge:
Seann William Scott has a point when he refers to these fierce jungle fighters as “Speedy little bastards.”
Agree or disagree?
Do You Think And Act Like WEC-Champion Jose Aldo?
I will be honest with you: I didn’t get to watch yesterday’s World Championship bout between these two great featherweight mixed martial artists, who both fight for WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting):
Urijah “The California Kid” Faber vs. Jose “The Phenom” Aldo
Let’s not forget that the bout took place in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento and I am guessing the overwhelming majority of the 15,000 screaming spectators was probably screaming for Faber.
But that did not deter the reigning world champ from Brazil, Jose Aldo, from dominating the match and inflicting serious pain to former title holder, Urijah Faber, who was in charge of this weight division for some time before losing to Mike Brown.
Jose Aldo has now 17 wins and only 1 loss to his record and Urijah Faber’s record 0f 23-4 is nothing to sneeze about either.
Anyway, I found a statement by Jose Aldo that I really think are true words by a true champion:
“My dream of winning the belt came true. I’ve worked my butt off to get here.
But now every time I have a match, I don’t look at it like I’m defending the belt, I’m going out there like this is a brand new fight and I’m going to win a brand new belt.
It’s like I have a brand new dream and that is to get another belt. So even though I am the champion, when I go to the gym I’m still very humble, always wanting to learn and wanting to get better.”
That’s the kind of attitude I can appreciate.
Kudos, Jose “The Phenom” Aldo!
Nip Tuck And Martial Arts
How do the two go together?
Well, if you’re Roberto Miguel Rey Júnior, not a problem.
Some of you might be asking yourselves, whom I’m talking about.
You’re probably more familiar with his aliases such as Dr. Robert Rey or simply Dr. Rey.
I saw him the first time on E! about 3 years ago on the reality show Dr. 90210.
Again, if you’re not familiar with all these U.S. American intricacies, that’s the zip code for Beverly Hills, California.
In my humble opinion, Dr. Rey is quite an interesting guy and here’s why.
Born in th U.S. in 1961, the naturalized Brazilian lived in Sao Paulo until he was about 12, when he was brought to Utah along with his siblings by Mormon missionaries.
Four years later his mother reunited and lived with them in Prescott, Arizona.
So, what happened to his father?
Well, let’s put it this way:
It just didn’t work out and yet it did a lot better in many ways for Dr. Rey, who went on to study medicine at Tuft University School of Medicine, where he got his M.D. in 1990.
He advanced to acquire the knowledge and skills to become a very accomplished cosmetic surgeon licensed in California and Massachusetts.
And believe it or not, Dr. Rey has performed over 10,000 surgeries!
He has been featured on too many TV shows to even list here and it is safe to say that he is somewhat of a household name through the reality show, simply known as Dr. 90210.
What I find admirable is the fact that the married father of 2 children donates a lot of his time and skills to humanitarian missions to operate of children with physical deformaties.
Even with the craziness of a heavy workload and countless other obligations, Dr. Rey still has the drive and enthusiasm to pursue his commitment to martial arts which include Tae Kwon Do (black belt) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (blue belt).
I found the following clip of Dr. Rey starting his BJJ training with Rener Gracie. Very cool!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1542083985294472959
Another Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Here’s your week in review at TheMartialArtsReporter.com and two great quotes, just because it’s that season again!
Gegard Mousasi, MMA Fighter With A 27-2-1 Record And Only 24 Years Old
From Leiden,The Netherlands, referred to by many as “Europe’s Best-Kept Secret”.
Is Yildiz Aras The World’s Best Female Karate Kumite Competitor?
From Istanbul, Turkey, meet the “Strong Girl”.
New Zealand’s Maori Haka Get Warriors For Battle
From ‘Lord of the Rings’ country comes a ritual that will get any opponent’s attention.
Bruce Lee And Albrecht Pflueger. Albrecht Who?
Find out who this karate pioneer is and what role he played in my life.
Yoga And Martial Artists
If it helps Rickson Gracie in his workout regimen, could you possibly benefit from yoga?
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu – Behind The Scenes In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Rio is more than just the ‘Girl from Ipanema’.
And here are the two quotes as promised. I hope you like them.
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”
Lord Byron
But wait, there’s more!
“Nurture your mind with great thought, for you will never go any higher than you think.” Benjamin Disraeli
Thanks again for following me at TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu – Behind The Scenes In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
If you’re not a martial artist, what probably comes to your mind when you think of Brazil is soccer football, Carnival in Rio, Copacabana beach, Gisele Buendchen, right?
On the other hand if you are a martial artist, you have without a doubt heard of or even trained in a martial art that has changed the art of fighting in so many ways.
It is simply known as BJJ or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
The Japanese brought Jiu-Jitsu to Brazil at the beginning of 20th century.
During this process Count Maeda tought this style of self-defense to Carlos Gracie, who then in turn instructed his younger brothers.
Carlos then together with his youngest brother, Helio, went on to refine the style and create a form of fighting and self-defense that has been nothing short of revolutionary.
Grandmaster Helio (1913-2009) promoted the Gracie way of fighting through teaching, competing and countless public challenges over a span of 40 years to demonstrate its effectiveness even against heavier and presumably stronger opponents, especially on the ground.
His legacy lives on through his sons and nephews such as Rickson, Royce, Rorion, Relson, Renzo, Reyson, Reylson, Rilion, Robson, Royler, Carlson, Carlos, Crolin.
There is certainly a lot more to be said about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu which I will do in the near future.
In the meantime, check out this really impressive video clip on Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
I know it’s about 10 minutes long, but heck, there’s nothing on TV anyway. So, just sit back and take it in.
2016 Olympics Awarded to Rio de Janeiro – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Anybody?
“Tonight I have the honour to announce that the Games of the 31st Olympiad
are awarded to the city of Rio de Janeiro,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said.
My heartfelt congratulations go out to the people of Brazil in general and the
citizens of Rio de Janeiro in specific.
When I think of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, what immediately comes to my mind:
Pele and artistic Brazilian soccer football, Copacabana, super-model Gisele Buendchen,
the famous song “The girl from Ipanema”, churrasco, Carnival in Rio, and …
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, of course.
The Gracie familiy members have done herculean work in laying the foundation
and together with their Machado cousins spreading the now immensely successful
and, just ask any of their opponents, very effective martial art.
BJJ founder Helio Gracie must have a really big smile on his face right now!
So, the Olympic Games 2016 have been awarded to the mesmerizing metropolis
of Rio de Janeiro and that leads me to the following question:
Can Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu become an Olympic discipline ?
And why not?
Just look back at the Olympics 1964 in Tokyo when Judo became an official
discipline and has stayed one ever since!
Or how about the Korean martial art of Taekwondo that first was a demo sport
during the 1988 Olympic Games of Seoul, Korea and then just 12 years later
officially became an Olympic discipline in 2000 during the Sydney, Australia games.
By the way, this recognition came less than 50 years after Taekwondo was first
officially introduced to the world.
Can Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu do the same?
Tell me what you think!
Check out some great books on BJJ, too:
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