THROUGH THE EYES OF A FAN: A GLIMPSE FROM UFC RIO

It's been 26 years since my last confession and five days since UFC Rio. The MMA world is now abuzz with rumors and news as all focus shifts to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and UFC 135. Not being able to keep up with it all, I had no intention of posting anything for a few days while I made some changes to the site. I’m well aware that this page needs an abundance of work and I'll be diligently trying to make sure that looking at it doesn't give anyone eye cancer. Be that as it may, I felt compelled to give all three of my readers one last thrill before I closed up shop for a few days to work on the inevitable brilliance (read as mediocrity) that this venture will produce.

As an avid MMA fan and now budding amateur blogger, I try to stay as up to date as possible with everything that is happening in the world of MMA. No worries though, I've never thought that the job of a blogger is to relay the news. If you're logging in here and expecting to see news updates about MMA, than you've come to the wrong place. I suggest you visit http://www.mmajunkie.com/ if that's what you're looking for as they are my personal favorite place for MMA news on the internet. So, it's without hesitation that I make you this solemn promise my dear readers (probably more like reader). I will never take the easy way out and just give you the news! I will strive to write about things that interest me as an MMA fan, and I will do my best to provide social commentary on noteworthy MMA topics. With that being said, let's move on.

While trying to make heads or tails of how I could change KneeBar Reactions to look less like visual diarrhea, I came across a video that fired up my brain in unexpected ways. For all you perverts out there, it's not what you think. Thanks again to my brother and newly minted collaborator for finding it and showing it to me as it was the inspiration for today's post. After watching the video I began to search for more just like it and what I found was amazing. If you read any of my earlier posts than you already know that I'm Brasilian by heritage. You may also already know how I feel about Brasilian fans. Anyone who's ever been at a bar with Brasilian soccer fans during a world cup game knows exactly what I’m talking about. The thing about Brasil is that national pride is most openly demonstrated when athletics are involved. This pride, however, is generally reserved for soccer, volleyball, and some of the more main stream sports that Brasilians excel at. While many consider Brasil to be the unofficial birthplace of modern MMA, it is rare that it is accepted in popular culture and is almost never shown on television. I guess the world is not without a sense of irony in this case. These videos showed me that not only have Brasilians accepted MMA as a mainstream sport, they’re willing to show the same spirit and fervor normally reserved for soccer in support of their favorite MMA fighters. Just to be clear, I’ve been to a live MMA (UFC) event in the U.S. and there was no where near the level of energy I felt from the videos below. It's literally palpable! If only I could go back in time and get my ass to Brasil. Where's Doc Brown with the DeLorean when you need him?


So……..It’s to you, Brasilian MMA fans, that I dedicate this post!! And to the rest of the world, be careful when you sign up to fight a Brasilian MMA fighter. You’re not just fighting a man anymore, you’re fighting an entire country.

(*** A special thanks to the fans who made these videos)
 
Enjoy!!

(The reaction after Minotauro KO'd "The Hybrid." I promise, no more Prius jokes)

(Shogun KOing Forrest Griffin)

(Anderson Silva being a bad ass mofo)

This is the only one of the videos that needs a back story. You might notice that the captions are in Portuguese. I would take the time to translate them for you, but I'd really rather not. Here's a link to google translator if you really want to know what all of them mean.......... http://translate.google.com/........ The first clip is especially important because it is of Paulo Thiago entering the arena for his fight with David Mitchell. For those of you that don't know, Thiago is a member of the Brasilian Special Forces police squad known as BOPE (Batalhao de Operacoes Policiais Especiais). The song he's walking in to is from a movie about this police unit called Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad). If you've never seen it, put it on your Netflix, download it illegally, even go to Blockbuster. It's that good!! Anyway, the rest is self explanatory.

 

Well, that's all folks!

As always, feel free to leave comments, concerns, or hate mail. Any attention is good enough for me.

Don't forget to follow me on twitter @theguardfighter.

Thank you everyone for the unexpected support! I'll be back as soon as I get this biatch looking mildly presentable. Until next time, I bid you adieu.

(***disclaimer***.... I am in no way affiliated with www.mmajunkie.com or any other MMA organization. I'm just a fan. But feel free to send me free stuff if you want. I'm talking to you Junkie!)