Roger’s start

I’m spending some days in NY.

It’s not exactly a vacation, but I won’t bother you guys with most of the stuff I’m doing here, since it’s not reporting.

By the way, I had a chance to pass by Renzo Gracie’s academy on 30th st, Manhattan, and caught a glimpse in Roger’s training on last Thursday.

American Citizen

It will take some time to the new issue comes out from press, departs Brazil towards the US, and finally gets to the subscribers and/or GMA members that sell them. It will probably be available around mid-Oct. Before that, I don’t want to write too much about the Renzo-Miletich’s article.

But I can anticipate that, among many subjects, it’s also about schizophrenia.

Back to the business

We were all busy in the last days.

Now that the upcoming issue went to the press (it will come out beautifully, believe), and that I even rested a little bit, it’s time to update this blog.

Before that, I want to thank everybody’s support while I was reporting in Moline; this blog got real followed on those days. At least, for a such new diary.

More than 500 people clicked daily to read the posts in a full, what it’s not much, but it’s a good start.

Special thanks to Guilherme Valente, Pedro Gama, JP (Choke), Rafael Ellwanger and all known fellows that not only read but commented those poorly-written lines.

Renzo shines, Miletich retires

Moline, Il. Although local Silverbacks started the evening driving the audience crazy with a tight, exciting victory over the Pitbulls, the crowd went home quiet and upset after Renzo Gracie submitted fan’s favorite Pat Miletich with an acrobatic guillotine at 3m37s of main event’s first round.

About to cross the bridge

It’s fight day.

Ramada Bettendorf is a calm hotel, compared to how it has been in the last couple of days. The place is quiet, with all fighters in their rooms relaxing and concentrating. The arena is very close to here, just a matter of crossing the Mississippi River, that, at this point, separates Iowa from Illinois.

I talked to Frank Shamrock at the breakfast. The first time we met

The Naked and the Lives

And so goes the weigh-ins. The local Hooters was packed, and the fighters were introduced to the fans in a tent at the parking lot in front of American’s famous bar. Renzo weighed 180lbs with trunks wrapped with a belt, while Pat, wearing only trunks, stepped on the scale with 183.5lbs (photo).

Illustrating the pitbulls

I’m little busy to write a long post now, so there will go a photo session of Pitbull’s last training action, that happened yesterday’s night at swimming pool of Ramada Bettendorf.

At Miletich’s camp

Bettendorf is the city where Pat Miletich started teaching in the mid90’s. It was here he put 170 students in a racquetball court before he had to move to a bigger place (Gold Gym of nearby city Davenport).

Nearly four years ago, Miletich moved back to Bettendorf and opened the place where he claims he has now over a thousand of students and where I met him earlier today.

Half Gracie, half Miletich

I’m tired. After three flights (Rio-SP/SP-Newark/Newark-Chicago), we arrived at Illinois. One of GMA members, Marcos Barros, caught me and Robsinho at the O’Hare airport and took us to another GMA academy–Gracie Barra Chicago. The main teacher, my friend Eddie Redzovic, wasn’t there. He is in Bosnia (yes, Bosnia) doing seminars, praying and… Looking for a wife!

After that, we tasted a bit of Chicago’s traffic to get out the city and rode a three-hours ride south to Springfield, where Marcos teaches and… The Simpsons live; Or, at least, where I believe they do.

Heading to Moline

It’s 1h30pm here in Rio de Janeiro. I’m late already. In a few hours, I will depart to Newark, NJ, where I’m going to take a plane to Chicago. From there, I will drive to Moline, where Renzo and Miletich will fight on next Saturday.

Along with me, I’m taking Robsinho, the 15-years old Renzo’s brother, for his debut in watching someone of his own blood fighting MMA.