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One forgotten night in Rio produced four future UFC fighters, two future champions and one of the most remarkable talent pools in Brazilian MMA history.
What would Brazilian MMA champions have become without the events that helped launch them internationally during the 1990s and early 2000s? Without promotions such as Frederico Lapenda's WVC, Sérgio Batarelli's IVC, Rudimar Fedrigo and Joinha's Meca,' Shooto Brazil or Tatá and Philip Lima's WOCS, Brazil likely would not have become the dominant force it was in bothAdvertisement Offering a $1,000 purse — well above the Brazilian standard at the time — the XFC gathered many of the country's top prospects in four tournaments: welterweight , middleweight , light heavyweight and heavyweight.
Iha's plan was to select one winner from each division to compete at the promotion's second event, scheduled for July 30 in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, that edition never materialized. Still, the inaugural tournament proved remarkably prophetic: All four champions eventually reached the UFC, giving the event a perfect 100% success rate.
"It was Monday, and I was in a public hospital in Niterói with a fever, receiving IV fluids, when my phone rang. My manager said, 'I've got two pieces of news for you—one good and one bad. The good news is you're fighting on Saturday. The bad news is you'll have to fight twice in one night,'" RDA recalled.
"Even though they were two 10-minute fights, when I heard the winner would receive US$1,000—which was a huge purse by Brazilian standards back then—I didn't hesitate. " Dos Anjos opened the tournament by submitting Thiago Minu of Boxer Team with a rear-naked choke before repeating the feat in the final against tough BTT representative Maurício Souza, who had earlier defeated José Fabiano of Black House via ankle lock. "It couldn't have gone any better.
I won US$1,000 and met my wife," Rafael said, referring to Cristiane, who was working as a promotional model for one of the event's sponsors when they met backstage. Representing Gracie Barra Combat Team, led by his coach Roberto Gordo, Dos Anjos soon won the Fury tournament and then made a successful international debut in Japan's Pancrase, quickly submitting local fighter Hirayama. Those performances earned him a UFC contract in 2008..
Later, he moved up to welterweight, where he quickly climbed to the top of the rankings. Now 41, with a professional record of 31 wins and 17 losses, Dos Anjos will faceTraveling from Bahia, Cigano claimed the heavyweight tournament after two grueling fights. He first defeated Edson Paredao of Nova Geracao Paraíba by doctor's stoppage at 8:46.
In the final, he facedof Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte, who received a second chance after André Mussi injured his arm in their semifinal and was unable to continue. Knowing Cigano trained under renowned boxing coach Luis Dorea, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Mamute immediately looked for takedowns.
However, Cigano defended every attempt, kept the fight standing and punished him with punches. Exhausted from his earlier battle and frustrated by Cigano's takedown defense, Mamute eventually retired from the fight.
"Paredao is incredibly strong, and Mamute is a great fighter with excellent ground skills. Both fights were very tough, but I managed to perform well," Cigano said afterward. Following three more victories on the Brazilian circuit, Dos Santos received a late call to make his UFC debut at UFC 90 against the far more experienced.
He shocked the MMA world by knocking out his countryman just 1 minute, 20 seconds into the opening round with a devastating right uppercut followed by ground strikes. The victory immediately established him as one of the heavyweight division's brightest prospects and marked the beginning of a journey that culminated in his UFC heavyweight title victory in 2011.of Nova União with a textbook armbar from guard before defeating Gerson Silva of BTT by unanimous decision in the final.
Gerson reached the championship bout after semifinal winner Danilo Motoserra suffered a fractured rib and was unable to continue.
"I tell people this, and they don't believe me. I train six hours a day. I'd train even more if I had the time. I've waited a long time for this opportunity to fight internationally," Natal said.
Eight more fights in Brazil eventually earned Natal a UFC contract. He competed for the promotion from 2010 to 2017, compiling a 9-7 record. , then a brown belt and reigning IBJJF world champion in both his weight class and the absolute division, entered the event with only one professional MMA fight. Braga Neto imposed his grappling, secured multiple takedowns, maintained dominant top position throughout the fight and even threatened with a rear-naked choke before earning a unanimous decision.
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