Ildemar, Iuri Alcantara Training at Jackson-Wink MMA for Upcoming Bouts

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- More Brazilian talent is headed to Jackson-Wink MMA.

UFC middleweight Ildemar Alcantara made his way to the New Mexico-based gym last Friday, while his brother, world-ranked bantamweight Iuri Alcantara, is expected to arrive in town early next week. Fabio Augustin, the Thai boxing coach for both fighters, told Sherdog.com that the brothers will each spend approximately two months training with the renowned fight team.

Ildemar and Iuri Alcantara were introduced to trainer Greg Jackson by “TUF 18” alum Igor Araujo at UFC Fight Night “Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2” in Brasilia, Brazil on Sept. 13. Jackson was at the event to corner both Araujo and Andrei Arlovski.

“They expressed interest in coming to the school, and I was familiar with who they were, so I was like, ‘Heck yeah, we love those guys.’ They’re great,” Jackson said.

Ildemar Alcantara is scheduled to square off against Richardson Moreira at UFC 183 in Las Vegas on Jan. 31. The 32-year-old is 3-2 in the Octagon, most recently dropping a unanimous verdict to Kenny Robertson at UFC 175. After posting a 2-2 mark at 170 pounds, Ildemar is returning to middleweight to face Moreira.

Iuri Alcantara doesn’t currently have a fight scheduled, but Augustin said that the bantamweight is expected to compete on a card in February. The 34-year-old is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, including a unanimous decision triumph over Russell Doane on Sept. 13.

At the moment, Ildemar Alcantara and Augustin are staying an extended stay hotel. Living accommodations should become more convenient when the Jackson-Wink gym moves to a more modern location sometime in 2015.

“It’s gonna be a lot easier because we’ll have better facilities. Right now, the dorms here are almost full all the time. They’re old,” Jackson said. “These are gonna be state of the art, so much nicer, so fighters around the world don’t have to find hotels or places like these guys do.”

Regardless of the location, the gym remains a desired destination for many fighters from around the world.

“We have a lot of fighters from all over the world. It’s not just Brazilians -- it’s Japanese, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Australians, it’s everywhere around the world. They come together in certain hubs,” Jackson said. “I’ve been doing it long enough -- 22 years now -- where it’s a hub. It’s just a hub where people come.”

Another noteworthy Brazilian fighter will likely be headed to New Mexico next year. As previously reported by MMAFighting.com , Brazilian welterweight Erick Silva is expected to train at Jackson-Wink at some point in 2015.

“As far I know I think Erick’s planning on coming. I hope so , because he’s an amazingly talented guy,” Jackson said.