TUF Brasil Special: Reality from the point of view of former participants

Participants meet the coaches in the first episode of TUF Brasil 2. Photo: Disclosure

Participate in a season of reality show The Ultimate Fighter Brazil It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for an MMA fighter. Athletes normally used to performing in smaller events, with relatively low attendance, gain the opportunity to participate in an attraction broadcast on open television throughout the country, with the possibility of receiving a contract with the largest MMA organization on the planet.

The experience is intense in several ways, from the euphoria for the opportunity to living in the house with fellow competitors and renowned coaches, in addition to the four fights necessary to reach the final.

Plus, life goes on after leaving TUF. Despite names like Ron Jason, Cezar Mutant, Daniel sarafian e Francisco Massaranduba To manage to establish themselves in the UFC, continuing their international trajectories, most of the TUF Brazil fighters need to return to their old routines and seek a place in the sun on the national MMA scene again. The experience of fighters in reality show The Ultimate Fighter Brazil is the subject of a special report that the SUPER FIGHTS will publish from this Monday.

Vina: “Arriving at TUF Brasil was the peak of my career

Vina (photo) was a member of the first season of TUF Brasil. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

 Participant of the first season of the program in Brazil, Marcos Vinícius “Vina” summarizes in a very simple way the meaning of the experience for your life. “This represented the appreciation of my work, of everything I had been seeking and dedicating myself to since an early age. This was the peak of my career, arriving and presenting to the whole of Brazil, to the whole world, a little of my work and my talent”, commented the man from Paraná.

Vina, member of the Wanderlei Silva on TUF Brasil 1, he reached the semifinals of the program, being defeated by Geoffrey Pepey. Precisely because he remained in the race practically until the end of the recordings at the house, he was able to see an evolution in his game after the intense period of training. “We are high-performance athletes, so we are already capable of certain positions and modalities. This makes it easier for us to understand some things. We were able to absorb more accurately what our technicians were going through,” he detailed. “And there we not only had the coaches, but also the athletes, like the Ron Jason, Wolverine, massaranduba, Lead Foot… They are all well-regarded, well-known guys, so we took a little from each one. It was an unusual experience,” she praised.

READ: TUF BRASIL SPECIAL, PART 2 – Returning to reality – the post-show difficulties

After leaving the house, the fighter felt a difference in the public's treatment. “It was crazy, lots of people asking for autographs, photos, asking me what it was like at the house. This still happens today. Nowadays I take it more calmly, but when I left the house, I was even embarrassed. This is ten and shows that people valued everything we went through”, he said. “A lot of people remember and say that TUF Brasil 1 was the best of all so far, you know? This is a great show.”

Experience on TUF made Jambo review important concepts about his career

Minotauro's pupil, Jambo participated in TUF Brasil 2. Photo: Luiz Pires Dias/Zuffa LLC

Thiago Jambo, a member of the cast of the second season of TUF Brasil, considers that the experience at the house made him review some important concepts about his career. “Before TUF I cared too much about my career. I put a lot of pressure on myself and thought I couldn't lose. This was reflected in my fights, since I fought without exposing myself, in a conservative way. After I lost on TUF, I don't care so much about the results as long as I win or lose doing my best,” he explained.

Eliminated in the round of 2 of TUF Brazil XNUMX, Jambo does not believe that the experience affected his routine away from home. “It didn’t change my life at all. One person or another recognizes me, but that's it. People tend to remember and like champions or those who caused controversy more. That wasn’t my case”, said the fighter, who, despite not having caused controversy, was at the center of the disagreement between Viscardi Andrade, who defeated him, and his team's coach, Rodrigo Minotauro. After beating Jambo, Viscardi provoked the leader of the rival team.

If controversies are what mark TUF Brasil fans, the expectation is for a standout program in the third season. With arch rivals Chael Sonnen e Wanderlei Silva in charge of the teams, the competition is expected to be intense inside and outside the Octagon. “I think this TUF has everything to be controversial. The rivalry between Wand and Sonnen should heat up during the program. Of course, I'm looking forward to seeing and cheering on my friends who are participating”, said Jambo.

In the next report, participants from both editions of TUF Brasil comment on how the experience affected their professional careers. Don't miss it!