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Originally from Venezuela, Maximo Blanco (8-4-1) was a stand out wrestler in high school and earned himself a scholarship at a Japanese University in Fukuoka spending many of his early years growing up in Japan. Fighting out of the Yoshida Dojo; in 2008 he debuted for Pancrase and went on to become the Lightweight King of Pancrase after brutally knocking out Katsuya Inoue for the belt. In 2009 he gained great exposure worldwide with his fights in top Japanese organisation Sengoku, where fans got to see his brutal style and crushing knock outs, over the likes of Rodridgo Damn, Akihiko Mori, Chang Hyun Kim and Kiuma Kunioku. In 2011 after Sengoku went out of business he signed with Strikeforce and had an exciting back and forth fight with Pat Healy which he sadly lost to a bigger fighter. Realising this Maxi dropped down a weight class to featherweight and was signed by the UFC. Maximo Blanco is a really exciting and crazy fighter to watch. He goes for the finish and has a natural killer instinct inside the cage. I can't wait for him to return to the octagon in 2013.

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Brazilian Top Team fighter Pedro Nobre (14-1-0) hails from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and fights at 135 lbs. Training alongside Murilo Bustamente, Rousimar Palhares and Milton Veira. An aggressive stand up and ground fighter he began his career in 2008 racking up 9 wins via Knock out and 4 by submission. He's a really exciting prospect to watch in the division.

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Tarec Saffiedine (14-3-0) from Brussels Belgium fights under Team Quest in Temecula. This video showcases his journey from his start in Belgium all the way to the Strikeforce world title. In 2008 Tarec moved from his homeland to train alongside Dan Henderson in California. He went 6-1 before signing to DREAM for 2 appearances and then in 2009 for Strikeforce where he defeated Scott Smith, Tyler Stinson and Roger Bowling to earn a title shot at champion Nate Marquardt. Despite beginning the heavy underdog, Tarec rose to occasion and dominated the fight winning the Strikeforce belt. Tarec is a really good technical fighter he has excellent stand up from his Karate background and working alongside Dan Henderson you see he has amazing clinch skills and defensive wrestling to keep the fight standing. In 2013 it will be really exciting to see how he does in the UFC.

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Ivan Menjivar (25-9-0) who is Salvadorian but lives in Canada training at the Tri Star Gym in Qubec is a long time veteran of the sport and has literally fought the who's who of MMA from 135lbs to 170lbs all over the world. For many years Ivan was fighting way above his natural weight class at a time when there were no lower weight classes availiable. He's fought great fighters such as Caol Uno, Joe Lauzon, Urijah Faber, Matt Serra, Vitor Shaolin and Georges St. Pierre. Ivan Menijivar is extremly well rounded with his aggressive stand up game and spinning back kicks/ punches. Ivan's ground game is wicked, a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu he holds 10 wins via submission to his credit. Ivan is a really exciting fighter and it's nice to see him finally fighting opponents his size. The UFC's 135lb has not been around for a long time and it's going to be exciting to see Ivan work his way through the ranks and possibly contend for the belt in an exciting fight vs Champion Renan Barao.

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Sound Track - Braille. Blessed Man

Brazilian featherweight Diego “The Gun” Nunes (18-2-0) is an exciting Muay Thai fighter who integrates amazing spinning back kicks and punches into a well rounded game. Born in Rio Grande do Sul, Diego Nunes began training Muay Thai. At the age of 20 he left home traveling to the best schools in Brazil and live his dream of becoming a professional fighter. This Nova Uniao prospect first 11 fights ended quickly by Knockout or submission, which led him into the Zuffa owned WEC, who established the 145lbs featherweight division within the United States. Diego went 4-1 with notable wins over Raphael Assuncao, Rafael Dias and Tyler Toner before the WEC was merged into the UFC, where he debuted against former Featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown defeating him by decision. With a win over the former champion Diego was given Kenny Florian at UFC 131. Despite dropping Florian in the first and third rounds he unfortunately lost a close decision. With amazing kicks and a solid ground game Diego Nunes is one of the most exciting fighters within the UFC.

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Sound Track –  John Murphy. In the house in a heartbeat. 28 Days Later OST

Featherweight Rony Jason (14-3-0) is a veteran of  WFE, Max Fight and UFC with 4 wins by knock out and 8 by submission he is the Max Fight Featherweight champion and winner of the Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2012. Fighting out of Team Nogueira, Rony Jason is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and is well versed in Muay Thai. Rony made his Debut in 2006 and racked up 10 wins by facing notable opponents such as Genair da Silva, Felipe Arantes and Renan Barão. After winning the Max Fight title in 2011 he tried out and was accepted on to the the first ever TUF Brazil reality show. In the qualifying round he knocked out Dileno Lopes to move into the house. On the show he was apart of Team Wanderlei; in the quater finals he defeated Anistavio Gasparzinho by armbar and in the semi finals he defeated Hugo Viana by decision. At UFC 147 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil he fought a hard decision over Team Belfort finalist John Teixeira to claim the six figure UFC contract. Rony Jason is a well rounded aggressive fighter and is one to look out for in the future.

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Sound Track - Go Hard or Go Home (2Deep)

Fabricio Guerreiro is a Featherweight hailing from Santana Amapa, Brazil fighting out of the Clube de Judô Ronildo Nobre he is a veteran of WCC, Eco Fight and TUF Brazil Season 1. Fabricio Guerreiro began his career in 2009 going on an impressive 12 fight win streak before his first loss to Rafael Bastos which he avenged in the next fight as it was considered that the referee stopped the fight too soon in the first meeting between the two. His impressive record contains 12 wins via submission and 2 by K.O. In 2012 he was apart of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil, where he fought veteran Rodrigo Damn in the qualifying round to enter the house. He sadly lost in round 2 by choke. After returning with a win in August he was signed by Bellator for their future featherweight tournament in 2013 on Spike TV. Fabricio Guerreiro is an extremly well round young prospect coming up in the division. He has great stand up, Judo and Jiu Jitsu. It will be very interesting to see how he gets on inside the Bellator cage.

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Wow man Thank You! Great show” ~  Ronny Markes

Brazilian middleweight Ronny Markes (14-1-0) is a veteran of Shooto Brazil and the UFC. With 5 wins via knock out and 4 by submission, he hails from Rio Grande do Norte and fights out of Kimura Gym & Nova Uniao Team amongst champions such as Eduardo Dantas, Renan Barao & Jose Aldo under the tutildge of the great Andre Pederneiras. Ronny Markes began his MMA career in 2007 gaining 10 victories and the Shooto Brazil championship. After an impressive victory over former WEC champion Paulo Filho he was signed by the UFC and made his debut against wrestling champion Karlos Vemola in which he dominated with takedowns and ground and pound. In his next UFC appearance he came from behind after being dropped in round one from a lethal uppercut by Aaron Simpson, winning the next 2 rounds with control in the clinch and takedowns. Ronny Markes is a young up and coming middleweight fighter who looks to have very solid stand up and is extremely strong in the clinch and relentless with takedowns. I can see this prospect being a top contender in the division.

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Sound Track – Black Mesa Questionable Ethics 1

Lightweight powerhouse Gleison Tibau returns for another highlight which showcases his fights over the past two years.

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DMX – Ruff Ryder Anthem & Lion & Prime – Way of the Samurai

Yasubey Enomoto (10-4) is a veteran of Sengoku & M-1. Fighting out of Zurich he represents the Enomoto Dojo alongside his brother Felipe. Born in Switzerland to a Perviuan father and a Japanese mother his family bloodline can be traced back to his great grandfather, who was a samurai Jigoro Kano the founder of Judo. Prior to his MMA debut Yasubey was a Swiss muay thai champion and a successful grappler on the European circuit. He is a purple belt under Jeffrey Annis. In 2010 Yasubey was apart of Sengoku’s welterweight tournament where he defeated Sanae Kikuta, Kenta Takagi & Taisuke Okuno to make it into the finals, unfortunately losing to Keita Nakamura for the championship belt. With the fold of Sengoku in 2011, Yasubey was signed by top European organisation M-1 where he debuted in a title fight against Shamil Zavurov, losing a controversial decision. Yasubey would bounce back with two wins and would go on to face Shamil Zavurov once again defeating him via guilotine choke in the 5th round becoming the M-1 Champion. Yasubey Enomoto is a well rounded fighter with great kickboxing and submissions. He fights with a great samurai spirit and I hope will be signed to the bigger leagues soon.

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Sound Track – Position Music – The New York Nightfall

Paulo Filho (23-4-1) is a veteran of  DREAM, Pride FC & WEC. From Rio De Janeiro Brazil he is a Black belt in Judo and Jiu Jitsu fighting out of the famed Brazilian Top Team he debuted in July 2000 and went 8 years undefeated with an amazing 18-0 record and the WEC title. Between 2000-2004 he fought in Brazil and Japan for organisations such as Bitetti Combat, Pancrase and DEEP racking up 7 wins. He was eventually signed to Pride where he went on an amazing 7-0 undefeated streak with wins over Armar Suloev, Ryo Chonnan, Kazuo Misaki & Murilo Ninja Rua. After the fold of Pride he was considered the number 2 ranked middleweight behind UFC champion Anderson Silva. In 2007 Zuffa decided to put Filho in their WEC promotion, where he fought for the WEC middleweight championship against Joe Doerkson. He won via TKO and went on to successfully defend his title against Chael Sonnen winning via armbar. However Sonnen denied he tapped and a rematch was set 11 months later where Filho didn’t make weight and didn’t look his best in an awful fight Sonnen won via decision and Filho was released by WEC. It would later come out that Filho was suffering from pain killer addiction and depression. After getting clean and over his demons, Paulo Filho would return in spectacular fashion against Melvin Manoeff at DREAM 10 winning via armbar. Since then Filho has fought at heavyweight and at light heavy weight and this is where his most recent losses come from, to bigger fighters such as Ronny Markes. In 2012 Paulo returned to middleweight and destroyed Murilo Ninja in the much awaited rematch between the two as he dropped Ninja in 47 seconds of the first round. Paulo Filho is a great fighter and I hope this marks a return for him as one of the top middleweights in the world.

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Sound Track - Michael Calfan – Resurrection (Axwell’s re-cut version)

“Great show, Many Thanks”

Kinberly Novaes (4-1-0) fighting out of the Junior Aguiar  Team in Santa Catarina, Brazil is a female fighter in the flyweight division (55KG/ 125lbs). With a background in Muay Thai she has competed and won championships such as the Golden Girls GP and Samurai Muay Thai -53K.G title. She has also represented the Brazilian national team in the world championships. Kinberly made her MMA debut in 2011 and is currently riding a 4 fight win streak. Already after one year  she has won two belts; the MKT Grand Prix title and the Nitrix FC -55KG/125lb championship. Kinberly is an aggressive Muay Thai fighter who likes to relentlessly throw combinations of kicks, knees and punches until her opponent falls. At just the age of 21 Kinberly Novaes is a prospect to look out for in the future.

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Sound Track – 2Pac Uppercut remix

Featherweight Genair da Silva (12-4-0) is a veteran of Fury FC, Platinum Fight, WOCS and Bellator. Commonly known by his nickname Junior PQP, he fights out of the RFT team in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil alongside fellow Bellator stars Luis Nogueira and Maiquel Falcao. Genair began fighting professionally in 2008 and since then has 7 wins via knock out and 2 by submission. In 2011 after impressive performances inside his native Brazil he was signed by Bellator to be apart of their Summer Series 2011. He debuted at Bellator 46 against top 10 featherweight Marlon Sandro losing a hard fought decision. He would return to Bellator later that year, against Bryan Goldsby winning via Darce choke. Genair would follow that win with a TKO of Bobby Reardanz at Bellator 62. Genair is a talented fighter with solid base in both Muay Thai and Luta Livra; an aggressive fighter always looking to finish, he will be one to watch out for in Bellators season 8 tournament.

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Sound Track – God Within ~ Rain Cry (FIFA 99 OST)

Middleweight  Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (16-3-0, 1 NC) is a veteran of Jungle Fight, DREAM & Strikeforce and a black belt in Judo and Jiu Jitsu. Prior to his MMA career, he was a 5 time world BJJ champion and the winner of the -87KG division at ADCC. Fighting out of the X-GYM,  he debuted for Jungle Fight in 2003 and created an impressive 7-1 record with many finishes by TKO strikes or submission. In 2008 he was signed by DREAM to compete in their middleweight tournament, where he defeated Ian Murphy, Jason Miller and Zelg Gaelsic to reach the finals, eventually losing to tournament winner Gegard Mousasi. In 2009 he was signed by Strikeforce, winning fights over veterans Matt Linland and Joey Villaseñor. In 2010 he defeated Tim Kennedy to win the Strikeforce middleweight belt. Ronaldo Jacare would defend his title successfully against Robbie lawler but would lose a controversial split decision to Luke Rockhold, in a fight where Jacare dropped Rockhold twice, scoring the heavier shots and landing multiple take downs. Since the defeat, Ronaldo Jacare has come back and looked amazing, with an arm triangle submission over Bristol Marunde and a knock out of Derek Brunston which guaranteed Jacare the next title shot. Ronaldo Jacare is world class on the ground and his striking is improving with every fight. Without doubt he is my favourite Jiu Jitsu fighter of all time.

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Sound Track – Lion & Prime ~ No fear

Dhiego Lima (7-1-0) is a veteran of XFC, SportFight and MFC. He is the younger brother of Bellator fighter Douglas Lima and fights out of the ATT/Ascension MMA in Atlanta Georgia coached by Roan Carneiro, Junior & Rafael Assuncao. Born in Brazil, Dhiego moved to the U.S at the age of 11. He began fighting at the amateur level in 2009 and by 2010 he was 3-0 as a professional signed by the MFC. He made an impressive debut over Bill Fraser at MFC 27 with a knockout in the first round. Following that win a submission over Josh Taveirne and a KO over Jamie Toney. In 2012 Dhiego Lima would be named as one of Sherdog’s top prospects with 2 knockouts and 4 submission wins in his 7-1 career. With solid Muay Thai and submissions, Lima is an aggressive fighter who looks for the finish, it’s no surprise why he’s been deemed a fighter to look out for  in the future.

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Zack Hemsey – Redemption & When I come back (Instrumental)

“Many Thanks! The first images were very emotional”

Patricky Pitbull Freire (10-3-0) is a veteran of Leal Combat, Platinum Fight and Bellator. Fighting out of Team Nogueira in Brazil he is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and well versed in Boxing.  He is the older brother of fellow Bellator fighter Patricio Pitbull. Patricky began fighting MMA in 2005 for local shows in Natal and in his first 3 fights he won via Knock out. By 2010 Patricky was 8-1 and would be signed to Bellator, following his younger brother into the organisation for their season 4 lightweight tournament. Patricky imediately impressed with a knock out of Rob McCullough in the quarter finals and a TKO over Toby Imada in the semi’s. Patricky would go on to face Michael Chandler, losing in a hard fought decision that saw Patricky take an illegal low blow in every round.  Patricky would return at Bellator 59 with a TKO over Kurt Pellegrino but sadly lose in a war against Llyod Woodard where he got his arm broken in a Kimura submission. Patricky Freire will next be fighting former champion Eddie Alvarez. With 7 wins via knock out Patricky Pitbull is always exciting to watch in Bellators lightweight division.

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Sound Track –  50 Cent – Money (Instrumental)

Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira (20-2-0) hailing from Sao Paulo, Brazil is a veteran of Predador FC,  Jungle Fight, Ring of Combat and UFC with 6 wins via knockout and 9 by submission. Fighting out of the Bronx Gold Team in Sao Paulo and coached by Jorge Macaco in Houston Texas,  Charles Oliveira is a highly talented fighter with great Muay Thai and amazing Jiu Jitsu. He began fighting at light weight in 2008 impressively going a 12-0 which included winning two one night tournaments. In 2010 he was signed by the UFC and making an impressive debut against Darren Elkins winning via arm bar in 41 seconds. Charles followed that up with a rear naked choke over Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero. In 2011 after losing two fights to larger experienced Lightweights it became apparent Charles was better suited to fighting at 145 lbs. At the beginning of 2012 he made his featherweight debut with an amazing calf slicer submission over Eric Wisely. Charles would then follow that win over another Ultimate Fighter winner in Jonathan Brookins with an anaconda choke. Charles Oliveira is highly skilled and highly talented at only 22 years old, I believe he is the future of the division and a future champion.