Decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, Vinny ‘Pezao’ Magalhaes (6-5) faces
stiff competition at M-1 Challenge: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa where he’ll aim to
hand undefeated Jake Doerr (6-0) his first loss and move one step closer to
earning a shot at the M-1 Global light heavyweight championship belt. Fans can
capture the submission specialist in action LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, March 25
at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Riding solid momentum from
back-to-back wins and victorious in four of his last five outings it seems that
the three time BJJ world champion has a re-focussed mindset.
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 marks the slick submission specialist’s first trip into the ring under the
new 2-year deal.
As a world-class BJJ expert, Magalhaes currently trains
and teaches at the TapouT Training Center 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.
A Black Belt under instructors Vinicius Aieta and Royler Gracie,
Magalhaes won thirteen matches - ten by submission - and took home two Gold
Medals in the 2005 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship while still a Brown Belt. In
2007, Magalhaes would become the first Jiu-Jitsu No Gi World Champion in the
Super Heavy Weight Division as a Black Belt.
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.
Magalhaes
has also been instrumental in educating some of Europe’s top prospects and
M-1Global’s upcoming stable of young fighters by leading a training seminar in
Saint Petersburg, Russia late last year. Talking about his experience, ‘Pezao’
was quick to point out the determination his pupils possessed. “I’ve trained in
Japan, Brazil, the United States and now Russia, one thing that I can say is
that the Russian fighters were some of the most intense guys that I have ever
been around. It’s clear they don’t have the same resources we have in the U.S.A.
but that doesn’t change how tough they can be.”
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.
Ready to continue making his impact felt within the
205-pound division, Magalhaes is primed to make the most of his opportunity
against Doerr on one of the United States’ most prestigious, premium television
networks; a win places him atop the LHW food chain and directly into title
contention.
M-1 Challenge: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa airs LIVE on SHOWTIME
on Friday, March 25 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
For
information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive
behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and
more, please go to the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://sports.sho.com
For additional information, go to the official M-1 website,
www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global facebook fan page .
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