The 2016 MMA National Olympic Teams: Brazil

With the 2016 Summer Olympics scheduled for Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sherdog.com staff and contributors sat down to put together hypothetical MMA Olympic teams for the following countries: United States, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Australia and Sweden. This 10-part series will map out the yellow brick road to Rio de Janeiro for the men and women who call the cage home, Zika virus be damned.*** The International Olympic Committee on Oct. 2, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark, made the historic announcement: Rio de Janeiro would become the first city in South America to host the Summer Olympics. Nearly seven years later, more than 11,000 athletes from 206 countries have descended upon the “Cidade Maravilhosa,” its arms, like Christ the Redeemer, spread wide open. Brazil has captured 108 medals since its Olympic debut in 1920, tying a team record (15) at the 2008 Summer Games in China before breaking it with 17 four years later in London. Sailors Robert Scheidt and Torben Grael remain the most decorated Olympians in the nation’s history, each having reached the podium five times. Scheidt was awarded gold in the laser class competitions at the 1996 and 2004 Olympics, while Grael won gold in the star class competitions at those same Games. Brazilian athletes have also shined in combat sports: Aurelio Miguel (1988), Rogerio Sampaio (1992) and (2012) all struck gold in judo. Meanwhile, Esquiva Falcao took silver in boxing in 2012, and Natalia Falavigna claimed bronze in taekwondo in 2008. Envisioning the formation of a hypothetical Brazilian MMA squad for the Olympics gets the blood of any hardcore fan pumping. The possibilities are endless. Brazil would be favored to medal in a number of weight classes, most notably heavyweight, lightweight, featherweight, women’s bantamweight and women’s strawweight. Four current or former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders tip the team’s spear: Fabricio Werdum, Rafael dos Anjos and Amanda Nunes, giving the country that gave us the Gracies a veritable Murderer’s Row for the rest of the world to navigate. Nova Uniao’s Andre Pederneiras, Kings MMA’s Rafael Cordeiro and American Top Team’s Ricardo Liborio will oversee a powerhouse coaching staff that includes Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Renzo Gracie, Murilo Bustamante and Ricardo Almeida.2016 Brazil National MMA Team • Heavyweight: Fabricio Werdum • Light Heavyweight: Glover Teixeira • Middleweight: Ronaldo Souza • Welterweight: Demian Maia • Lightweight: Rafael dos Anjos • Featherweight: Jose Aldo • Bantamweight: Marlon Moraes • Flyweight: Jussier da Silva • Women’s Bantamweight: Amanda Nunes • Women’s Strawweight: Claudia GadelhaHEAVYWEIGHT: “Vai Cavalo” has a wealth of international experience upon which to draw, in mixed martial arts and beyond. A two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist and multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Werdum has blossomed into one of the best heavyweights in MMA history. The 39-year-old owns submission victories over three all-time greats — Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez, the latter bringing with it the UFC heavyweight crown in June 2015. Werdum saw his six-fight winning streak halted in stunning fashion at UFC 198, where he was cut down by a Stipe Miocic right hand before more than 45,000 of his fellow Brazilians. Nevertheless, he remains a preeminent force in the division and would be one of the favorites for gold in Rio de Janeiro. Alternates: Junior dos Santos, Augusto SakaiLIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: With the decline of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and relative inactivity of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Teixeira has risen to the top of the 205-pound pecking …

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