After the hurricanes of 2007 and 2008 passed through Chute Boxe and swept away some of its biggest champions in Wanderlei Silva and MaurÃcio "Shogun" Rua, one of Brazil’s oldest teams is recovering and rebuilding.
Looking totally adapted in the post-Pride era, Fedrigo now splits his time between Chute Boxe and his government post as the Secretary of Sports in Curitiba, Brazil. He greeted Sherdog.com at his new office to discuss the famous team’s next chapter, its new jiu-jitsu partnership, the opening of Chute Boxe USA, and his picks for the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Sherdog.com: How do you do balance your coaching schedule at Chute Boxe and being the Secretary of Sports for Curitiba?
Fedrigo: Working hard, from Monday to Monday, I have to be present at car races, marathons and many other sportive events related to my post, but I can balance this new job with Chute Boxe because we have a very good structure that allows me to do it. Today, here in Curitiba, I have Master Nilson de Castro responsible for heading up the MMA training and we have Daniel Lima and Julio Borges as assistants at muay Thai, along with a lot of muay Thai black belts. Taking care of the wrestling, we have the Cuban Alejo Morales, who’s doing an excellent job with the team, and with him, focused on the MMA, we have Cristopher. We also have Luiz Azeredo focused on the jiu-jitsu and now we have a partnership with Fábio Gurgel (Alliance) and he is sending world champion Sérgio Moraes. So, in my opinion, it’s a top-level team of trainers, so it’s just a matter of time before the new athletes show if it’s working or not.
Sherdog.com: Cristiano Marcelo was responsible for Chute Boxe’s jiu-jitsu instruction for so long, but decided to leave. What changed after his departure?
Fedrigo: We didn’t disagree about anything -- he has a lot of friends here at Chute Boxe and will continue having them, including me. We had the privilege of living together for a long time, and that’s the important point. He now has a goal of creating a team, with his own training system and I wish him good luck. Actually, I had a goal for this year to establish new partnerships for jiu-jitsu. So after that, I talked to Fábio Gurgel, the leader of the Alliance academy, and he accepted my offer to bring his system to Chute Boxe. I have a huge respect for Fábio Gurgel. Not only is he an icon in MMA’s history, but his school, Alliance, has shaped some of the most important jiu-jitsu champions of Brazil.
Sherdog.com: Speaking of new acquisitions, how did the team receive Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira?
Fedrigo: It was also very good. He’s a special person that I already knew for a long time. About ten years ago we met at backstage at an event in Holland and we had a very nice conversation. A few years later, he had a controversial situation with some Chute Boxe members at a Jungle Fight event, but it’s part of the past for me. Actually, anything from the past -- we are over it. The important thing is that he was well accepted by the team. I’m sure he will bring happiness to our team and it’s a pleasure to be his manager. I hope I can give him the improvement he deserves.
Sherdog.com: Do you believe this is all part of the evolution of MMA? That he rivalry time is over?
Fedrigo: Can be, can be. I think so. In a certain way, the sport is starting to be like soccer clubs. But the most important thing is that anyone who comes here must have the proud to defend Chute Boxe’s name. Anyone who trains here must understand that he has a surname, which is Chute Boxe. There was a Swiss guy who spent one month training with us here and after this period he asked me if he could sign a contract to be part of our team. So, that’s fundamental and I’m sure that Cacareco wants to represent our team in the ring.