More "Return of Macaco" Photos

More photos from Saturday night's "Return of Macaco" event, courtesy of photographer Stephen Reiss. This was Reiss' second MMA show; his first was the WCA the night before.

Weekend Schedule

Get ready for another busy weekend in combat sports. Friday night will feature the eagerly-anticipated debut of the World Cagefighting Alliance, but it will also see another installment of promoter Lou Neglia's Combat at the Capitale (a long-running kickboxing show in Manhattan's Chinatown) and New York Fight Club 2, a multi-discipline fight show on Long Island. Info for both are here http://www.louneglia.com/upcoming_recent.shtml and here www.NYfightclub.net . MMA Journalist will be cageside to liveblog the WCA. Then, on Saturday night, there's "The Return of Macaco" in Newark - MMA Journalist will be liveblogging that one, too. Finally, Sunday morning has the NYC Submission Shootout. Expect some coverage for that one as well.

In Case of Riot, Hide Behind Bryan Vetell

This coming Saturday is "The Return of Macaco", a pro MMA event at Newark's Essex County College that features Jorge "Macaco" Patino, an old-school vale tudo legend, returning to combat to square up against Brandon Olsen of Montana - the main event on a card rich with Brazilian talent. In the co-main event, the massive IFL veteran Bryan Vetell takes on Steven Banks of South Carolina, while on the under card Marcus Rodrigues of Sao Paulo, Brazil, faces local boy Anthony Montanaro, Valter Roberto de Menezes of Sao Paulo faces Philadelphia's Lamont Lister, Flavio Roberto Alvaro of Sao Paulo faces Illinios' William Hill, and locals Jay Silva and Plinio Cruz will go at it. That's a lot of Brazilians, and it could translate into a night jam-packed with action. It could also translate into a decent-sized riot. Back in 1997, Renzo Gracie took on Eugenio Tadeau at a Rio de Janeiro event called Pentagon Combat, an event that degenerated into a chair-throwing, fighter-stabbing melee involving everyone in the place. And while MMA Journalist doesn't really expect The Return of Macaco to get as out of control, one mantra will be repeated silently throughout the night: in case of riot, hide behind Bryan Vetell.