Marcelo Alonso’s MMA Roots Series

Vale Tudo Relics: The Untold Story of Larissa Pacheco A poor girl from the Amazon who overcame all the adversities thrown her way until she became a two-division Professional Fighters League...

Women’s MMA

Marcelo Alonso

Oct 17, 2024

Vale Tudo Relics: From Campgrounds to the Sport’s Biggest Stage Renan Ferreira, who grew up extremely poor in rural Brazil, has transformed himself into an absolute force with the Professional Fighters League...

Professional Fighters League

Marcelo Alonso

Oct 10, 2024

Vale Tudo Relics: The Career Arc of Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino The Brazilian icon will take on Larissa Pacheco for the Professional Fighters League women’s featherweight super fight championship in the PFL...

Women’s MMA

Marcelo Alonso

Oct 03, 2024

Pictures: The Career Arc of Cris Cyborg Marcelo Alonso shares some exclusive photos from the early career of one of the most dominant fighters in history, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

Women’s MMA

Marcelo Alonso

Oct 03, 2024

A Conversation with Luiz Azeredo Chute Boxe's top lightweight of the Pride Fighting Championships era clashed with all-time greats including Anderson Silva and Takanori Gomi. As an early mentor to Diego Lima, head of a Chute Boxe academy that...

MMA Roots

SHERDOG

Sep 23, 2024

Pride 4: Three Generations of Legends on One Historic Card Marcelo Alonso shares photos and stories from Pride 4 on Oct. 11, 1998, where the top fighters in the world at the time collided with some of...

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Jul 17, 2024

Pictures - Pride 4 Marcelo Alonso was on hand on Oct. 11, 1998 at the Tokyo Dome to witness the historic Pride 4.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Jul 17, 2024

Vale Tudo Relics: The Career Arc of Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua The former Pride Fighting Championships grand prix winner and onetime Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder enjoyed an...

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Jul 08, 2024

Headbutts, Soccer Kicks, Groin Strikes, Oh My: Sergio Batarelli and the Legendary IVC in this Sherdog exclusive, the founder of the legendary International Vale Tudo Championship talked about the IVC's original 15-event run, and...

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Jul 03, 2024

Vale Tudo Relics: The UFC Debuts in Brazil The South American country has played host to more Ultimate Fighting Championship events than any other nation on the planet outside the United...

UFC

Marcelo Alonso

Apr 22, 2024

Pictures: UFC 17.5 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first trip to the birthplace of vale tudo, UFC 17.5 or "Ultimate Brazil," took place on Oct. 16, 1998 in...

UFC

Marcelo Alonso

Apr 22, 2024

IVC 2: The Birth of Wanderlei Silva In the wake of Wanderlei Silva's selection to the UFC Hall of Fame, Marcelo Alonso shares some exclusive photos and anecdotes from the...

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Feb 26, 2024

Pictures - IVC 2 A 21-year-old Wanderlei Silva burst onto the scene at the IVC 2 one-night tournament on Sept. 15, 1997.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Feb 26, 2024

U-Japan: The Night That Severn, Frye, Kimo and Wallid Ran Roughshod over Tokyo In November 1996, nearly a year before Pride Fighting Championships, an upstart Japanese promotion put on an ambitious card stacked with some of the world's best fighters. Marcelo Alonso shares...

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Feb 12, 2024

Pictures - U-Japan On Nov. 17, 1996, an ambitious promoter put on a blockbuster show that could have become Japan's answer to the UFC—if not for one small problem.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Feb 12, 2024

UVF 6: ‘Carlao’ Barreto Answers Randleman’s Challenge In March of 1997, Kevin Randleman achieved the seemingly impossible: uniting all the rival fight schools of Rio de Janeiro in a quest to kick his ass.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Feb 04, 2024

UFC 15: The Consecration of Mark Kerr and Randy Couture in a Circus Tent A little over twenty-six years ago, Ultimate Fighting Championship put on one of its most important events—under a circus tent that seated 500...

UFC

Marcelo Alonso

Jan 29, 2024

Pictures - UFC 15 On Oct. 17, 1997, onetime wrestling rivals Mark Kerr and Randy Couture made a big impression on the new sport of mixed martial arts—in a...

UFC

Marcelo Alonso

Jan 28, 2024

UVF 4: Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman Consecrate Wrestling in the Land of Jiu-Jitsu Marcelo Alonso shares exclusive photos and anecdotes from the fabled 1996 tournament in Rio de Janeiro where Mark Coleman introduced his...

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Dec 11, 2023

Pictures - UVF 4 In October 1996, Mark Coleman, fresh off winning back-to-back UFC tournaments, brought his pupil, Kevin Randleman, to Brazil for Universal Vale Tudo...

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Dec 11, 2023

Vale Tudo Relics: Grappling with Greatness Sherdog correspondent Marcelo Alonso travels through time and relives the historic 2000 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championship.

Grappling

Marcelo Alonso

Oct 16, 2023

Chute Boxe vs. BTT: The Nine Chapters of The Greatest Rivalry in MMA History Marcelo Alonso presents the story of MMA's greatest team rivalry, as told by the legendary fighters and coaches who were there.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Jun 08, 2023

Renzo Gracie vs. Wallid Ismail: The Beginning of Jiu-Jitsu’s Greatest Rivalry Thirty years ago, representatives of two of Brazilian jiu-jitsu's greatest schools sparked a rivalry that has only grown over the years.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Mar 14, 2023

Rickson Gracie vs. Byron Amona: A Tale of Jiu-Jitsu, Surfing and Acai One seemingly nondescript street fight over a surfboard ended up popularizing a fruit and changing the landscape of jiu-jitsu forever.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Feb 20, 2023

Vale Tudo Legend, Carlson Gracie Rival Wilson ‘Passarito’ Dead at 94 Brazilian Vale Tudo icon Wilson “Passarito” Oliveira died on Sunday at the age of 94.

MMA Roots

Marcelo Alonso

Jan 30, 2023