A historic day to MMA in Brazil

Photo Eduardo Ferreira

An event to be marked in the history of the Brazilian MMA. The great turn of the sport that fans and athletes dream started Monday, in Rio de Janeiro. In front of an audience with great personalities, of the main vehicles of communication in the country and the whole team of Bitetti Combat, the Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Cabral, entered the octagon. Not as a fighter, but as a big supporter of the fight, it was what the Governor did on the afternoon of Monday (August 3), at the Guanabara Palace.

Getting down the stairs, walked beside Cabral the promoters Amaury Bitetti, Fernando Miranda and the Secretary of Tourism, Sport and Recreation Márcia Lins. In the audience, the president of Vasco, Roberto Dinamite, the Secretary of Sports Chiquinho da Mangueira and the Federal Police superintendent Ângelo Gioia were mixed with important figures from the world of fight as Robson Gracie, Oswaldo Alves, João Alberto Barreto and Oswaldo Paquetá, just to say some names of the many present.

Sérgio Cabral praised the Fight for Peace project, which will take martial arts to the pacified communities of Rio, and the present fighters, who have contributed next to the Police through seminars. Beyond that, dismissed any connection between the practice of fighting and violence: "I, personally, in the ring, was always a failure, I’m only good in the political struggle", said Cabral. "Today I follow closely the benefits of martial arts. I don’t know a more peaceful person then my son Marco Antônio, who practices martial arts. My son José Eduardo, 13 years old, now also wants to start practicing. The Government has worked alongside many great events and this will be one more. I guarantee that it will have international repercussions”, said the governor, who received from the hands of Bitetti a pair of gloves.

"It’s one of the most practiced sports in the world. The fight was very well developed in ancient Greece and appeared to be a balance between body and mind", also commented the Secretary Márcia Lins. After signing the documents that firmed partnership with Bitetti Combat and Fight for Peace until 2016 and Amaury Bitetti as President of the Brazilian Confederation of MMA, it was the turn of the fighters to show techniques. Cabral’s son, Marco Antonio trained with Milton Vieira. Ricardo Arona showed what he knows with Paulo Filho, Henrique Chocolate with Leonardo Chocolate and Rodrigo Artilheiro with Antoine Jaoude.

"We could make that the great artists of the sport, who are idolaters abroad, could fight here and at the largest stage, the Maracanãzinho. And all this coupled with what is most important, a social project that will take the sport to poor children", celebrated the organizer Fernando Miranda. "I thank God for the opportunity to represent here today many fighters. I ensure that it will be a great show. Thank you", speech Amaury Betetti, followed by many applause.

An audience of approximately 300 people observed the ceremony. Besides the majority of fighters of the card, beasts as Rogério Minotouro, Pedro Rizzo, Glover Teixeira, Alexandre Pulga and Luciano Azevedo, another important figures of the fight marked presence, such as the coaches Artur Mariano, Luiz Alves, Daniel D'Dane, Eraldo Paes and Sérgio Babu; the professor of fights in the PF by the ANSEF José Baioneta, the promoters of MMA André Bottino, Marcio Keske and Otávio Tatá, among many others.