(Curated story via Bloody Elbow)
The UFC has a new addition to its already stacked middleweight roster, as they have signed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom Rodolfo Vieira.
Vieira (5-0) made his MMA debut in February 2017, all five of his fights have been won by finish. “The Black Belt Hunter” most recently fought for ACB, winning three fights in the promotion. His last win came this past weekend when he defeated Vitaliy Nemchinov by first-round submission at ACA 96.
The 29-year-old is as talented a grappler as they come. Most recently Vieira took gold at the ADCC Championship in Sao Paulo in 2015, he has multiple BJJ world champion wins and has won the world cup seven times in his career. Vieira has won two Pan American gold medals and also has two European championships to his resume as well.
Josh Gross of The Atheltic has reported that Vieira will make his first UFC appearance against Oskar Piechota on the UFC’s debut card in Uruguay this August. Piechota (11-1-1) won consecutive UFC fights before suffering the first loss of his career against Gerald Meerschaert last July. The Pole hasn’t fought since that loss.
UFC on ESPN+ 14 takes place at the Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay on August 10th. No main event has yet been announced for the card.
Andy Gonzalez is a coach at Aces Jiu Jitsu Club. He has earned his BJJ Brown Belt under 2nd Degree Black Belt, Professor Mikal Abdullah. Follow Andy on Twitter at @GoGoGonzilla
Andy lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Amanda and their 3 beautiful children. Andy is also the father of a Marine who is honorably serving in the United States Marine Corps.