Post by Codesters on Nov 27, 2008 15:07:34 GMT -5
MMAMANIA
Strikeforce recently bolstered its lightweight division with the signing of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel (12-5), according to ProMMA.info. Terms of the contract were undisclosed at this time, but he hopes to make his debut with the promotion sometime in early 2009.
The former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) was released from the UFC following a close decision loss to Aaron Riley two weeks ago at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar,” which was awarded “Fight of the Night” accolades for the performance. In fact, Gurgel also earned similar honors with his win over Diego Saraiva at UFC 73 last July.
With Elite XC falling off the map, Strikeforce has pretty much moved into its place as one of the second tier organizations behind the UFC. Signing an exciting and well-known fighter such as Gurgel can only help the promotion tcontinue to establish itself.
Gurgel had this to say about the news:
“I am very very excited to part of Strikeforce and given a chance to fight new blood and capture a belt. UFC has been my family for a few years now but I am ready for the next chapter. There are some amazing contenders in my weight class including Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez. I will do whatever it takes to climb to the top of this league.”
The adopted Cincinnati, Ohio, native competed seven times in the UFC following his time as a contestant on the second season of TUF. He compiled a record of (3-4) in the Octagon with wins over Danny Abbadi, Diego Saraiva and John Halverson, as well as losses to Riley, Cole Miller, Alvin Robinson and Mark Hominick.
Also the long-time jiu-jitsu coach and training partner for Rich Franklin, Gurgel is highly respected as an instructor, teammate and jiu-jitsu practitioner. Mostly considered a ground specialist, he’s been working with Mark Dellagrotte recently in hopes of establishing a more complete striking game to go along with his already solid mat work.
He’s a talented guy, but was often over matched by the competition provided in the UFC’s tough 155-pound division. By his own admission, Gurgel often fails to execute his gameplans and gets caught up in brawls rather than leveraging his strong ground skils.
Perhaps a fresh start in Strikeforce against some new faces could prove to be a great move for the Brazilian, especially if he keeps improving his all around game with Dellagrotte.
Time will tell.
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Shame to see him leave UFC. I guess he had too many losses for Dana's taste.
Good with Strikeforce JG. Hopefully Dellagrotte can up his game.
Strikeforce recently bolstered its lightweight division with the signing of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel (12-5), according to ProMMA.info. Terms of the contract were undisclosed at this time, but he hopes to make his debut with the promotion sometime in early 2009.
The former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) was released from the UFC following a close decision loss to Aaron Riley two weeks ago at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar,” which was awarded “Fight of the Night” accolades for the performance. In fact, Gurgel also earned similar honors with his win over Diego Saraiva at UFC 73 last July.
With Elite XC falling off the map, Strikeforce has pretty much moved into its place as one of the second tier organizations behind the UFC. Signing an exciting and well-known fighter such as Gurgel can only help the promotion tcontinue to establish itself.
Gurgel had this to say about the news:
“I am very very excited to part of Strikeforce and given a chance to fight new blood and capture a belt. UFC has been my family for a few years now but I am ready for the next chapter. There are some amazing contenders in my weight class including Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez. I will do whatever it takes to climb to the top of this league.”
The adopted Cincinnati, Ohio, native competed seven times in the UFC following his time as a contestant on the second season of TUF. He compiled a record of (3-4) in the Octagon with wins over Danny Abbadi, Diego Saraiva and John Halverson, as well as losses to Riley, Cole Miller, Alvin Robinson and Mark Hominick.
Also the long-time jiu-jitsu coach and training partner for Rich Franklin, Gurgel is highly respected as an instructor, teammate and jiu-jitsu practitioner. Mostly considered a ground specialist, he’s been working with Mark Dellagrotte recently in hopes of establishing a more complete striking game to go along with his already solid mat work.
He’s a talented guy, but was often over matched by the competition provided in the UFC’s tough 155-pound division. By his own admission, Gurgel often fails to execute his gameplans and gets caught up in brawls rather than leveraging his strong ground skils.
Perhaps a fresh start in Strikeforce against some new faces could prove to be a great move for the Brazilian, especially if he keeps improving his all around game with Dellagrotte.
Time will tell.
==================
Shame to see him leave UFC. I guess he had too many losses for Dana's taste.
Good with Strikeforce JG. Hopefully Dellagrotte can up his game.
