Former Coach Says Amanda Nunes Has ‘All the Tools’ to Beat Miesha Tate at UFC 200

Daniel Valverde, who was considered the biggest jiu-jitsu rival of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the ’90s, is now the leader of Florida team MMA Masters. The team houses such names as Cezar Ferreira, Leonardo Guimaraes, Ricardo Lamas, Josh Samman and Jim Alers. Happy with the recent victory of new team member Ferreira — a former Blackzilian — Valverde recently spoke with Sherdog.com. The judo and jiu-jitsu black belt praised the excellent structure of MMA Masters, which was opened with his business partner, Cesar Carneiro, a capoeira master who also hails from Bahia. “I’ve been in Miami since 2004,” Valverde explained. “I started to teach in a small academy where Carneiro taught capoeira, and I taught judo and jiu-jitsu. Our first fighter was Luis Palomino. Suddenly, other fighters started to come, and today we have a 15,000 square foot gym.” Asked why Florida is such a haven for Brazilian fighters and trainers, …

continue reading in source www.sherdog.com