The Brazilian Impact

MMA fans across the world know its origins. They know the name that began it all: Gracie. The importance of Brazilians to MMA is clear, they began it with Vale Tudo, and continue to dominate the sport they helped make.
One of the most prominent Brazilian contributions to modern MMA is the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The ability for a fighter to win from off of his back can completely turn the fight around. In a random coincidence as I wrote this, I watched Nate Diaz getting pummeled on the ground by Kurt Pellegrino, only to catch him in a triangle choke seconds later and win the fight. BJJ may be the most useful skill for any fighter because it allows the fighter to never really get caught in a bad position.
In Strikeforce, two of the five men’s champions are Brazilian, and one of the two women’s champions hails from the unofficial land of the fighter. One of these men’s champions is Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza. Jacaré is 14-2 with one no contest and the owner of black belts in BJJ and Judo. 11 of his 14 victories have come by way of submission, one of the most important aspects of BJJ. Jacaré made his first successful title defense against Robbie Lawler on Jan 29 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg.
While not a champion, Brazilian grappler Fabricio Werdum is considered a notable Strikeforce fighter after upsetting MMA behemoth Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor was, at the time, considered the best fighter in the world and largely unbeatable. Werdum and fellow Brazilian Antonio Silva are scheduled to participate in Strikeforce’s upcoming heavyweight grand prix that involves Fedor and current champion, Alistair Overeem.
The Pride Fighting Championships, or just Pride as it is better known, was where most of the notable fighters in the UFC got their start. Fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Noguira, Shogun Rua, Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva all came from the Japanese fighting promotion to the UFC when it was bought out by Zuffa in 2005.
In the UFC, Brazilian fighters are the defending champions in three of the seven weight classes---two having been added with the UFC-WEC merger. Anderson Silva, the UFC’s current middleweight champion, has defended his title a record seven straight times, and is on a record 12-fight win streak. The UFC’s light heavyweight champion, Shogun Rua won the title from fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida and will prepare for his first defense on March 19 versus Rashad Evans.
There are also a number of Brazilian fighters in contention for the title in their respective weight classes. Junior Dos Santos is set to face Brock Lesnar for the chance to challenge Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title, Vitor Belfort fights Anderson Silva for the middleweight title on Feb 5 and Thiago Silva is beginning to move his way up the light heavyweight ranks after a win over Brandon Vera.
American born fighters make up more than half of the UFC’s roster, but Brazilians are the next highest nationality signed by the UFC. Currently, there are 34 fighters of Brazilian origin on the UFC’s roster.
With so much success over the lifetime of MMA, one has to wonder: what is it they’re putting in the water over there?