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means it’s time for another edition of the Brazil Beat. You know, the weekly roundup of all the news in the Brazilian fighting community (from the UFC and beyond), all conveniently put together in one place by yours truly.
This week, we’ve got Wanderlei Silva still trying to spark up his rematch against Vitor Belfort in a boxing ring, Paulo Costa assessing his loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298, the latest development in the Brazilian celebrity boxing business and much more.
So let’s jump right in.
Wanderlei Silva looking at celebrity boxing
The celebrity boxing bug continues to bite more and more aging MMA veterans. Although he has not stepped into any rings yet, legend Wanderlei Silva has been hinting at a potential comeback, especially against some old rivals.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Silva explained how he would not turn down a potential fifth encounter with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson or even his long-awaited rematch with Vitor Belfort.
“I’ve been training boxing, which has been seen as entertainment lately. There are lots of fights people might want to see that could be really good. It’s a new opportunity for us to do old and new fights. I’ve been preparing in order to be ready as soon as an opponent comes up. It could be Rampage or another one, if the conditions are perfect, which is Belfort, maybe. Why not?”
Between both former rivals, Wanderlei Silva does have a preference for Vitor Belfort. Ever since their rematch fell through back in 2012, at the TUF Brazil 1 finale, the ‘Axe Murderer’ has been trying to meet the ‘Phenom’ again, but to no avail.
“Other than getting that wuss Belfort, there’s nothing left, I don’t think there’s anything left. Lots of people ask me if I have any fights stuck in my throat and that’s the only I’d really like a rematch. He’s also been boxing, so I hope that if it happens this time, he doesn’t break his hand. It was all set, then they told me the opponents had changed, that it wasn’t Belfort anymore, but Franklin, because he had broken his hand.
“I was like ‘Oh, he broke his hand, did he?’. That’s cool, though, it’s water under the bridge. If I have the opportunity to do this fight again, you bet I’m going to be there. Like I’ve always been for pretty much all of my fights.”
A 47-year-old Wanderlei Silva swinging for the fences is just what everyone needs right now, isn’t it? This celebrity boxing trend is here to really accelerate the brain damage symptoms for some fighters.
Paulo Costa is feeling motivated, despite UFC 298 loss
Leaving Wanderlei Silva aside to speak about a different middleweight who also enjoys a barnburner, it seems Paulo Costa has taken his latest loss quite well.
The unanimous decision defeat Costa suffered to former champion Robert Whittaker did not seem to take the wind out of the Brazilian’s sails. Having been away from the Octagon for the past 18 months, ‘Borrachinha’ is happy with his performance, despite the frustrating result.
On his official Twitter account, Paulo Costa shared a video talking about the fight. In his opinion, if it were not for some minor technical mistakes, he could have walked out of the cage with his hand raised at UFC 298.
“I’m not happy. This kind of feeling always sucks. It was so close, so f-cking close. Everybody saw the very end of the first round. If I had a couple of seconds, It would be different. Not only that, If I had put just a little bit more pressure in the second and third rounds, it would be different”. Costa said.
I’ve never really been on the Borrachinha bandwagon, he always seemed like an entertaining brawler who would hit his ceiling once he got to the top 5 of the division and I feel like that’s what’s been happening so far. He does manage his career very well and was able to create a unique persona within the community, which sometimes is enough to make a name for yourself. Other than that, I never really feel too excited about his fights.
Mackenzie Dern shares the same feelings as Costa
Paulo Costa was not the only Brazilian to lose a unanimous decision but still keep a smile on his face following the frustrating result at UFC 298.
Although she did not have her hand raised, Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt Mackenzie Dern seemed quite pleased with her performance against Amanda Lemos, which even earned the pair a Fight of The Night award.
On her official Instagram account, Dern expressed her feelings after the loss, thanked Lemos for the fight and seemed eager to keep on training and improving.
“’Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world’
The results weren’t what I was hoping for! Thank you everyone for all the support! I love doing what I do! Now, it’s time to correct the mistakes and keep up the hard work! Congrats to Amanda Lemos for an amazing fight! FOTN for us!”
You know what? I, for one, am enjoying seeing fighters react so positively to their losses. I think that’s the best way to handle a defeat and nothing but good things can come from this way of thinking. Kudos to both of them.
Popo now facing the Brazilian McGregor
While Wanderlei Silva still has not made his debut in the actual world of Brazilian celebrity boxing, that does not mean things are not happening. With its main ambassador being former WBO and WBA champion Acelino ‘Popo’ Freitas, the trash talk for the Brazilian legend has already started.
Now paired up against body builder and Big Brother Brazil 1 winner, 46-year-old Kleber ‘Bam Bam’ Pedra, on February 24 in Sao Paulo, the trash talk from his opponent’s side has already begun.
In an interview with Combate, Bam Bam called himself the Brazilian Conor McGregor and let readers know he is about to shock the world when he meets Popo in the ring.
“I’m so happy with everything that’s happening around this fight. Popo, I’ve got a message for you. I’m retiring you on Globo, I’m taking your four belts and rip your head off. Galvao Bueno (Brazil’s most famous sports narrator), I want you in the first row, because I’m giving you Popo’s head as a gift. That’s my message. Globo, let’s go. I’m the Brazilian McGregor, I make entertainment. I’m shocking the world.”
An aging former boxing champion against an aging celebrity with more muscles than technique. Nothing new under the celebrity boxing scenario’s sun. Still, expect this to make huge numbers when it airs on national TV.
A Brazilian Beat
Back in the 1990’s, axe (pronounced ‘asheh’) music had hit it’s peak in Brazil with massive groups such as Eva, Asa de Aguia, Araketu and many others. A mix of African beats with electric guitars, samba, reggae and many other rhythms, it became mostly associated with Carnaval due to its upbeat songs that just make you want to stand up and dance.
Originally from Bahia, one of Brazil’s states with the biggest black population, it is no wonder axe quickly rose to popularity among its people by celebrating African culture and then took over the country since the music just was filled with positivity and was very family-friendly.
One of its most popular groups was Timbalada, which takes its name from African instrument ‘timbal’ and is popular for the body paint its members wear and for its drum-oriented beats, making the groups sound quite unique even among axe groups.
Led by Carlinhos Brown, one of Brazil’s most popular singers, the group saw enormous success during the decade and released hit after hit throughout the decade.
Today’s song comes from the 1993 self-titled debut album ‘Timbalada’. The track is probably the group’s biggest hit and just an axe anthem that can be heard during Carnaval parties even to this day. So check out ‘Beija-Flor’ (Hummingbird), by Timbalada.
That’s it for this week, folks. See you next time. Stay safe.
Lucas out.
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