Wanderlei Silva protege Vitor Vianna targets big-show contract with MMA Xplosion fight


Vitor Vianna (8-1-1) hasn't had a mixed-martial-arts fight in 26 months.

But just think about what he has done since: Move from his native Brazil to Las Vegas because Wanderlei Silva was once so impressed with fights he saw years ago he wanted Vianna in his camp. Become a teacher at Silva's gym. And gain a buzz that is one of the most significant for the relatively unknown fighter in Vegas.

He just hasn't been fighting, but not all by his choice.

"It's been difficult for us," said manager Rob Cardenas. "It's been … I don't want to say people are afraid to fight him because that's not exactly true, but it's been difficult."

But now, after more than two years, a major move and significant improvement in his standup, Vianna is ready to be re-introduced to the MMA world. Vianna, 8-1-1 as an MMA pro, will face B.J. Lacy at an MMA Xplosion show on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The 185-pound fight, both Vianna and Silva hope, will help the MMA world understand Vianna's improvement and power and boost him into gaining more fights and a shot at bigger promotions.

"I feel very different from my last fight," Vianna said. "I feel more strong, I feel more confident, and (Silva) helps me in hours of training of using your hands. It makes me feel very good."

For those who don't know Vianna, Cardenas said, the fact he has the full support from Silva should say plenty. Silva, in fact, wants to be at the fight so much he'll be coming in a wheelchair after undergoing knee surgery this past week.

"This is kind of like Vitor's coming out party, again," Cardenas said.

Finding Vitor

The decision was not hard for Silva.

When he opened his gym in Las Vegas, he was looking for skilled teachers, and he thought back to times he had visited fights back in Brazil, where Vianna got his MMA start.

"He had seen me fight, maybe three or four times," Vianna said. "He remembered me, and he asked me to come help him here."

Even though he was somewhat unknown in the U.S. at the time, Vianna had a long and varied fighting career. He started jiu-jitsu training at age 15 before gaining his black belt in 2002. Before that, he had been mainly a soccer player, but there was a gym near his home with a respected teacher, so he first tried it as a hobby and found success.

He got into Muay Thai training in Holland, but Brazilian jiu-jitsu is where he has mostly made his international mark.

Vianna estimated he has fought 300 times in BJJ, most of them in tournaments, and most of them with strong success. Despite his layoff in MMA, Vianna has never been hesitant to fight often.

"In Brazil, you can fight every weekend in a tournament," Vianna said. "You can fight six, seven, eight times in one day.

"The more you compete, you train your body, your mind and you get comfortable. That helps me a lot."

His grappling, because of his experience, was never questioned. And, he has been impressive enough to gain the attention of some of the world's best, including Silva.

But he still holds the frustration of his lone loss (which occurred because of a broken arm) and the understanding that many MMA fans might not remember his previous fights.

MMA layoff

Vianna first entered the MMA consciousness in October 2004, when he took his first fight at a Shooto Brazil show.

In the next two years, he fought nine times. He won seven of his first eight fights, with a lone draw, and entered his November 2006 matchup against a pre-UFC Thiago Silva at a Fury Fighting Championships show with plenty of momentum.

Then, a broken arm changed things.

"It was a head kick from Thiago, and Vitor blocked it," Cardenas said. "It just broke his arm."

The TKO stoppage gave him his only loss, and he has fought just once since, winning a Beast of the East fight in May 2008. That means, in 44 months, Vianna has fought one time.

But don't think he hasn't been working.

"I've been training in the gym hard," Vianna said. "I've been sparring hard, I have great training partners. Now I have the opportunity to show America who I am, and I'm ready to do it."

So what will the MMA world see from him?

"He's a great jiu-jitsu guy, obviously, but he's also become phenomenal in the standup game," Cardenas said. "He has that Wanderlei style, very aggressive. It doesn't matter where the fight goes, he can do whatever he needs to do."

Vianna has often fought at 205, but he is down to 185 for the Saturday bout, and Cardenas said he can fight comfortably at both. Either way, Vianna hopes to make a good enough impression to gain more fights and hopefully move up to a bigger promotion.

One thing is clear: For as powerful and exciting Vianna has become in the cage, he also has big-time backing from Silva and the Wand Fight Team, which is another boost. Silva, especially, is thrilled with him, Cardenas said.