– WANDERLEI & BUSTA HEAD BRAZILIAN TEAM MMA

by Ivan Canello – MMAWeekly.com

Everybody knows the IFL team MMA concept that is growing in North America, but now that concept has made its way to Brazil.

The IFL has pushed the team concept in America and garnered much attention with the high profile coaches they enlisted, coaches like Bas Rutten, Pat Miletich, Frank Shamrock and more. The MTL (MO Team League), the Brazilian counterpart not affiliated with the IFL, has chosen a similar approach utilizing some of the biggest names in Brazilian MMA to coach its teams. Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Pedro Rizzo are set to coach the new contenders.

The coaches where chosen by the Reunion Company (which runs car races in Brazil similar to NASCAR in America). According to Nizan Guanaes, chairman of Ypi Group and Reunion Associated, the team MMA potential here in Brazil is huge.

“There are some big opportunities to be explored in the fight universe. My idea is to put the methodology that we used in the stock car [races], where we have doubled the sponsors and we get 4 big car companies in one single category. It’s definitely a success case,” explains Guanaes.

One of the coordinators of the league, four-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion, Fabio Gurgel also states, “This kind of [fighting] is a pioneer model in Brazil. This concept allows us to invite international stars to participate in the event.”

Last Saturday the athletes were picked by their coaches and the teams were formed at a meeting with all the coaches and the organizers in a big restaurant in Rio de Janeiro.

Wanderlei said that he had luck even with the name of his team, “I got all the athletes I wanted to and I wanted the Hurricane name. I hope this luck continues when the competition starts.”

Murilo Bustamante was also very happy when he got the right to choose before the other coaches who his 155-pound representative will be. “I was hopping to get Luciano Azevedo on my team. I am very satisfied,” he declared.

Rogerio Nogueira that was in Bahia training for his boxing fights coming up at the Pan Ams, so was unable to attend. ” I am going to call them right now to be sure they are already training their butts off,” he said laughing.

Finally, Pedro Rizzo said, “The level of the fighters were so good that even the coaches that have picked their fighters last were satisfied.”

The first event will feature Bustamante’s Wild Fires against Silva’s Hurricanes on August 11th and the second meeting will be Nogueira’s Avalanches against Rizzo’s Tsunamis on September 29th.

The teams are:

HURRICANE (Wanderlei Silva)

155 lb – Jean Silva

170 lb – Flávio Álvaro

185 lb – Rafael Sapo

205 lb – Rafael Monteiro

265 lb – André Mussi

WILD FIRE (Murilo Bustamante)

155 lb – Luciano Azevedo

170 lb – Gerson Conceição

185 lb – Silmar Rodrigo

205 lb – Alexandre Cacareco

265 lb – Joaquim Mamute

TSUNAMI (Pedro Rizzo)

155 lb – Leonardo Santos

170 lb – André Chatuba

185 lb – Mauricio Alonso

205 lb – Jair Sorriso

265 lb – Walter Broca

AVALANCHE (Antonio Rogério Nogueira)

155 lb – Rafael Mantega

170 lb – Sergio Moraes

185 lb – Julio Cesar Field Almeida

205 lb – Erick Wanderlei

265 lb – Fábio Maldonado

And the Card will be:

August 11: Wild Fire (Bustamante) vs. Hurricane (Silva)

155 lb: Luciano Azevedo vs. Jean Silva

170 lb: Gerson Conceição vs. Flavio Alvaro

185 lb: Silmar Rodrigo vs. Rafael Sapo

205 lb: Alexandre Cacareco vs. Rafael Monteiro

265 lb: Joaquim Mamute vs. André Mussi

September 29: Tsunami (Rizzo) vs. Avalanche (Nogueira)

155 lb: Leonardo Santos vs. Rafael Manteiga

170 lb: André Chatuba vs. Sérgio Moraes

185 lb: Mauricio Alonso vs. Julio Cesar Field

205 lb: Jair Sorriso vs. Erick Wanderlei

265 lb: Walter Broca vs. Fabio Maldonado