Cobrinha thread

[Mike Nall]

He's a top 10 grappler of all time without a doubt. He's got more wins in the gi, but he's competed MUCH LESS without one. That said, he's never lost at his weight without the gi on, except for Rafael Mendes.

EDIT:

Seriously ya'll. If you have not seen the epic that is Cobrinha vs. Rafa Mendes for the ADCC 2009 Gold Medal at 65k, you are missing out on what is probably the best no-gi battle in history. It's definitely the most back-and-forth war in ADCC history.

What makes it so amazing is that they're rivals and it was both of their first times at ADCC. These guys throw everything but the kitchen sink at each other. Kimuras, heelhooks, reverse heelhooks, RNCs, calf crushers, anaconda chokes, darce chokes, sweeps, back-takes, good stand-up, the whole 9. It's everything a no-gi fight should be.

[Tony Toffolo]

their rivalry is insane!

that match is the perfect example of just how close their skill levels are

[Enrique "Kiko"]

Anyone have a link of this legendary match?

[Mike Nall]

their rivalry is insane!

that match is the perfect example of just how close their skill levels are

I know! Even though Cobrinha just opened a new school, and he said he's not doing the Mundials, he said he's like to do ADCC. With Leo Vieira not in the competition this year (that's the word), Rani Yahya, Ryan Hall, and Jeff Glover would be the only people likely to prevent another Cobrinha x Mendes Final Match.

I think it's Mendes' time, and although most people think he came closer to finishing Cobrinha with the 2 Anaconda chokes than Cobrinha ever came to finishing Mendes, I dunno. Cobrinha had the 50/50 reverse heelhook and made Mendes roll out of bounds twice. A lot of people forget that part. Who knows how close it really was though... Cobrinha came out and said those Anaconda chokes were wicked!

I'd love to see a no-gi rematch. I have a feeling it won't be a battle if they face again. I think one will finish the other in regulation time limits this go around. I have no basis for that. Just a gut feeling.

[Mike Nall]

Anyone have a link of this legendary match?

It was on youtube but just got taken down about 3 weeks ago...

Here ya go:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjM1MDQyNjcy.html

EDIT: To get to the finals:

1. Cobrinha beat Hiroshi Nakamura via Armbar, Joel Tudor via RNC, and Rani Yahya via Kimura
2. Rafa beat Jayson Patino via Triangle Amrbar, Justin Rader via Anaconda choke, and Leo Vieira via RNC

[Enrique "Kiko"]

You the man WhiteMike

[Mike Nall]

Some of the things I find so interesting are the differences between two of Alliance's top dogs: Marcelo Garcia and Cobrinha.

They both are almost equally dominate. Marcelo is more accomplished in no-gi and Cobrinha is more accomplished in the gi. But they both have excellent performances in both. What always fascinated me was how well they are both known for their back attacks, yet they seem to have an entirely different strategy when it comes to attacking the back. Marcelo uses a lot of seated wrestling and the crucifix to take the back. Cobrinha uses a lot of inverted attacks and top side chair sits to take the back.

They're both always on the offensive and are incredibly fun to watch. True masters of the game.

[Mike Nall]

You the man WhiteMike

No problem. The last 15 minutes of the match do get a bit slow, but the first half hour and the final 5 minutes are enough to make it a match for the ages. Like I said...tons of attempts to finish from both guys, plus a clinic on how to use the DLR and reverse DLR guards without the gi. I really wish there were links to their matches leading up to this. Rafa hits the most unusual Anaconda choke on Rader and an equally strange RNC on Leo Vieira. Cobrinha breaks Rani Yahya's arm and slaps the RNC on Joel Tudor. Just all around greatness.

Rani and Leo didn't fight for Bronze because of injuries, so Ryan Hall fought Jeff Glover for Bronze instead. That was also an incredible match but it's not anywhere on the internet that I've been able to find. Lots of good back-and-forth action there too.

[Mike Nall]

Some Cobrinhas no-gi matches for ya'll:


This is from the 2007 No-Gi Worlds, which was Cobrinha's first no-gi tournament as far as I know of. I believe he had a RNC, and a step-over Darce choke for his submissions. He ended up beating Shane Rice on points to win the Gold. In this match he immediately inverts and gets the Tornado guard sweep, then immediately goes into back-attack mode and showcases a beautiful high-crotch lift takedown to a back-take. He methodically passes and uses a Kimura control from the back to secure both hooks, flatten Borges, and sink the RNC.


Ryan was a purple or brown here, and did a good job by attacking with the reverse heelhook from 50/50 early on, but Cobrinha's legs are made of rubber. Ryan also did a nice job stopping the Darce choke off the guard pass, and defended the step-over triangle Cobrinha likes to do, but the back-attack skills and Rear Naked Choke were too much for Hall to deal with.


Rader's constant pressuring knee-cut pass just is a bad stylistic matchup for Cobrinha's reverse De La Riva guard. Some really cool leglock attempts in here. Strong effort by Rader for constantly pressuring the pass.

[Mike Nall]

Just some fun videos: