Brazilian Top Team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Brazilian Top Team
Est. 2000
Founded by Murilo Bustamante
Ricardo Libório
Mário Sperry
Luis Roberto Duarte
Past titleholders Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira heavyweight Champion (PrideFC 2001-2003) 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)+
Murilo Bustamante middleweight Champion (UFC 2002) 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Vitor Belfort light-heavyweight Champion (UFC 2004) 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Prominent Fighters Ricardo Arona (PrideFC)
Murilo Bustamante (PrideFC) Rousimar Palhares (UFC) Marcello Salazar (IFL)
Training Facility Locations Flag of Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (headquarters)
Official Website www.braziliantopteam.com

The Brazilian Top Team (BTT) is a mixed martial arts academy specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing. The academy was established in April 2000 by Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Libório, Mário Sperry and Luis Roberto Duarte, former-members of the Carlson Gracie Academy, to develop and create new training techniques for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, submission wrestling and mixed martial arts.[1]

Contents

[edit] Rivalry with Chute Boxe

BTT maintains an intense rivalry with Brazilian mixed martial arts stable Chute Boxe, which is descended from a Muay Thai lineage. BTT traces its lineage to the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu of Carlson Gracie.

The most storied chapter of this rivalry was reached at the apex of each teams success in PRIDE FC. Chute Boxe which was comprised, at the time, of such fighters as Wanderlei Silva, Murilo and Shogun Rua, and current UFC Middleweight Champion and number three pound-for-pound fighter Anderson Silva.

While BTT consisted at the time of top fighters such as, Ricardo Arona, Murilo Bustamante, The Nogueira Brothers, Vitor Belfort, Allan Goes, Mario Sperry, and former WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho.

Competition between the two teams was hardly limited to the Pride scene however. Matches between fighters of the two organizations had taken place in Brazil, Portugal, the U.S., and other parts of the world before, but perhaps the most interesting chapter of the rivalry took place on August 28, 2005 at the 2005 PRIDE FC middle weight Grand Prix.

The 2005 PRIDE FC middleweight Grand Prix would be the first such competition for newcomers Mauricio Rua of Chute Boxe, and BTT’s Ricardo Arona. Both scored impressive victories over highly regarded veterans Alistair Overeem and PRIDE Middleweight Champ Wanderlei Silva respectively. It was Arona’s victory over the latter that would stoke the flames of the rivalry, because until then Silva had been the torch-bearer for Chute Boxe. Later that night, however, “Shogun” would compensate for that loss with a thoroughly dominating first round victory, ultimately finishing Arona by KO due to strikes.

Another noticeable aspect of this period is that it shortly followed the departure of promising prospect Anderson Silva. Silva had noted several disputes with Chute Boxe's management as reasons for leaving the team and shortly began training with some of Brazilian Top Team's best in the Noguiera brothers. He was quoted in an ESPN article as stating that friendships formed with his former rivals helped to save his career upon his departure from Chute Boxe.[2]

[edit] Locations

In April 2002 BTT inaugurated a new center in Brazil for training professional fighters in mixed martial arts. In the new center, the athletes are able to count on teachers of: Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling and the already recognized skills of its teachers of mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Other locations are:

[edit] Future

Like Chute Boxe, BTT had fallen on hard times since the selling of PRIDE to Zuffa in 2007. Beginning with the departure of the Noguiera brothers, the team has lost much of their roster including co-founder Mario Sperry, The Nogueira Brothers, and Paulo Filho. Most of this is considered to be due to the fact that with the fall of PRIDE FC and the lower pay scale in the U.S., fighters cannot afford to pay the high dues charged by the team.

Recently however, things have begun to turn around for BTT. Despite contrasting rumors, Ricardo Arona has publicly stated he is still a member of BTT. In reference to him leaving BTT, he stated in a Sherdog.com interview, that "I’m still on the team. Nothing has changed. I’m not training there by choice, but I still have a connection with Murilo Bustamante, and I don’t have any quarrels with them. We always made it clear that if our opinions ever changed, we would sit down and talk."

A few rumors have also surfaced that Paulo Filho has trained with BTT for his re-match title fight on Sept. 10, 2008 against Chael Sonnen, whom he already has a victory over. Potentially meaning Filho could return to BTT sometime in the future, due in large to his close friendship with Ricardo Arona, and Anderson Silva. [5][6]

[edit] Fighters

[edit] Current BTT Brazil Members

[edit] Current BTT Canada Members

[edit] Former Brazilian Top Team fighters/trained with

[edit] References

  1. ^ BTT Official Site
  2. ^ "Silva not fazed by fighting in Franklin's home town". ESPN/Sherdog. 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=3070271. Retrieved on 2007-12-16. 
  3. ^ Fabio Holanda/BTT Canada Official Site
  4. ^ Combined Martial Arts Academy - CMAA - Mixed Martial Arts School - New England
  5. ^ "The downfall of BTT and Chute Boxe". ESPN.com. 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3253436&type=story. Retrieved on 2008-03-09. 
  6. ^ "Brazilian MMA expanding, exciting fights are on the way, July 25, 2007". ESPN.com. 2006. http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=2948970. Retrieved on 2008-03-09. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Professional mixed martial arts training associations
North America:
South America:
Asia:
Europe:
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Top_Team"
Personal tools
Languages