Editorial

Why the Brazilian always have to be so critic? Why here, more than any other place in the world, out big idols have to kill a lion every day to make you remember their names? A good example of this ugly mentality is our neighbors from Argentina. It doesn’t matter what Diego Maradona dos outside the soccer fields, it never erased the admiration and recognize they have for everything he have done until today. But here in Brazil… If Ronaldo, the one who made more goals in a World Cup and maybe the best example of overcome w have in the soccer, be photographed in a night clube (and he was injured, he couldn’t train) to become a national villain. If he didn’t have done his fourth overcome, with many goals, in Corinthians, maybe we’d be remembered forever because of the transvestites.

 

In MMA, Minotauro and Wanderlei were always criticized after the few losses they suffered. But in last months, undoubtedly, the problem is with Anderson Silva, who, even after broking every record in the UFC (nine consecutive victories, being seven by knockout and two submissions, and five title defenses with victory), were criticized for not knocking out Thales Leites at UFC 97, last April.

 

Anderson’s answer couldn’t be more eloquent. Accepting the challenge to face the former light heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin, at UFC 101, the Curitiba native did a great show and, after a knock down in the American, helped him to get up, opened the guard and took him down again with a simple jab in just three minutes of fight. With this masterful performance, Anderson, the snobbish, was one more time considered the genius, MMA’s biggest unanimity. When will this honey moon end? It’s hard to say, but I cheer for this lesson to be used by those who don’t know to value and respect our idols.

 

Besides the biggest victory in the UFC history, we also have a preview of the title fight between former Pride champion, Mauricio Shogun, and the champion Lyoto Machida. Both accepted our invite to chat face to face, where they revealed what they will do to win the fight.

 

And it’s now only the men that are dominating the MMA world to Brazil. As you’ll see at page 48, Cris Cyborg had no trouble to knock out Gina Carano to become the first ever Strikeforce female champion and the biggest name of the female MMA around the world.

 

In the Paredão, we invited Royler Gracie, the biggest competitor in the BJJ history, to remember his career and tell us about his life in California. To finish this edition in great style, Augusto “Tanquinho” shows in the open training session his defense to the polemical 50/50 guard.

 

Marcelo Alonso

alonso@tatame.com.br