ADCC Champion & M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Ace To Defend Belt Oct. 14th
Decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, Vinny ‘Pezao’ Magalhaes (8-5) has been a tear as of late; not only has he culminated his sensational submission career with the recent gold medal at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships, he’s also won four MMA fights in a row and has had his arm raised in six out of his last seven outings. His recent run has been nothing short of an unbridled success; Magalhaes exhibited a commanding TKO victory over undefeated Jake Doerr on M-1’s SHOWTIME, through out a slick mounted Gogoplata submission on Viktor Nemkov to capture Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion’ Light Heavyweight strap and cemented himself as one of the planet’s best submission artists. All in all that equates to one incredible year.
Magalhaes’ next trip to the ring comes October 14th as the co-main event on M-1 Global’s third US-based, televised event on SHOWTIME; standing opposite the champion will be Russia’s versatile standout fighter Mikhail Zayats. Fans can capture the joint-jacking warriors in action from the new 5,500 seat Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona LIVE on SHOWTIME starting at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast).
Establishing himself as a dominant fighter, the three time BJJ world champion and ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion has showcased an incredible evolution; a dominant performance over Jake Doerr which ended with a first-round TKO win was ample evidence that Magalhaes is well on his way to becoming an MMA superstar. A follow up performance against Viktor Nemkov for the vacant M-1 Global light heavyweight championship marked one of the greatest submissions of the year – a mounted Gogoplata neck-crank. And the crowning jewel was his incredible victory over Fabricio Werdum at the recent ADCC’s. It’s quite easy to say that Vinny Magalhaes is hitting his full potential in stride.
In his first outing with M-1 Global this past December, Magalhaes executed an impressive inverted triangle submission for the victory over Alihan Magomedov, an excellent performance to mark his return to the ring after being sidelined for the better portion of 2010 while rehabbing from knee surgery. The win caught the attention of the M-1 Global executive team who offered up a six-fight contract with Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion; the battle with Doerr marked the slick submission specialist’s first trip into the ring under the new 2-year deal.
As a world-class BJJ expert who owns a Black Belt under instructors Vinicius Aieta and Royler Gracie, Magalhaes currently trains and teaches at the Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he’s dedicated to evolving his skills in Wrestling, Muay Thai and Boxing; with a versatile arsenal, Magalhaes has every opportunity to become one of the world’s best light heavyweight fighters and a marquee name for the M-1 Global promotion.
2009 marked an impressive year for Magalhaes at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, where he took home a pair of bronze medals in the Under 99 kg and Absolute Divisions. On his way to win the bronze in his weight Division, Magalhaes defeated BJJ World Champion Rodrigo Cavaca, the 2003 ADCC World Champion and two-time BJJ Absolute World Champion, Marcio Cruz, ADCC Brazil Trial Winner Glover Teixeira; the quest for gold ended with a loss by points to the eventual Champion Xande Ribeiro.
On his run for his second bronze, Magalhaes beat the 2005 ADCC Absolute World Champion Dean Lister by Judges Decision, moving on to the Quarter-Finals against the two-time NCAA Wrestler and MMA Prospect Chris Weidman, who he beat with his patented ‘Flying Armbar’; the semi-final match against Braulio Estima ended with Magalhaes losing by points. In the 3rd Place match, Vinny scored a late takedown against Gunnar Nelson which guaranteed the win.
2011 came together for Magalhaes who achieved his dreams with the gold medal match win over Fabricio Werdum at the World’s ‘Holy Grail’ of submission tournament’s Over 99Kg bracket.
A recognizable figure to the North American fan base, Magalhaes was part of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter where he went on to defeat Lance Evans, Jules Bruchez and Krzysztof Soszynski, advancing to the TUF finals against Ryan Bader where he lost by TKO.
Now sitting as the king of M-1 Global’s 205-pound division, Magalhaes is making preparations for the short trip to Phoenix, Arizona where he intends to seize another unprecedented victory over the extremely competitive Zayats.
Expect a war on October 14th.
Tickets are priced at $35, $40, $50, $75 and $150 and can be purchased at www.GCUArena.com, charge by phone at 602-639-8999 or visit the GCU Arena Box Office located at 3300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85017
Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with Pat Miletich serving as analyst. The telecast will be produced by Chuck McKean and directed by Craig Farrell. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.
With M-1 Challenge champions established in all five weight classes, a true contenders system will fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.
2011’s full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe are primed to be mega-event spectaculars where Champions defend their titles and contenders jockey for position for a coveted shot at the gold. Feeding the contention system will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.
For information on M-1 Global, go to the official M-1 website, www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photos and much more, please visit http://sports.sho.com
