Posts tagged Gracie
Renzo Gracie Instructor Rafael Sapo Natal Gets Picked Up by UFC
Jul 9th
Rafael “Sapo” Natal, a jiu jitsu black belt middleweight who teaches at Renzo Gracie’s academy in NYC, just signed a four fight deal with the UFC, according to Renzo’s website. Sapo, who holds a 12-2 professional mma record, most recently dispatched Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis Lutter at the Moosin MMA event in Massachusetts. Another New Yorker, by way of Brazil of course, joins the big show.
Roger Gracie Facing Randleman at May 15 Strikeforce Event
Apr 30th
Roger Gracie will be making his Strikeforce debut May 15 in St. Louis where he will meet former UFC heavyweight champ Kevin Randleman. Gracie, not surprisingly, is a world-class jiu jitsu practitioner who won the 2005 Open Class division at the renowned Abu Dhabi World Championsips. He also holds a 2-0 mma record though he has not fought since May of 2008 due in part to injuries. Randleman, a decorated Division 1 wrestler with back to back titles at Ohio State, has been in the sport since 1996 and currently holds an mma record of 17 wins and 14 losses. His last win was against Ryo Kawamura at Sengoku 2 in 2008. Should be an interesting fight.
