Five-time world jiu-jitsu champion and ADCC 2015 -99kg titleholder Rodolfo Vieira will not defend his title at the 2017 ADCC World Championships in September in Finland.

The black belt has signed up for an MMA fight, scheduled for August 27 in Rio de Janeiro.

"My next fight will be at Shooto Brazil," Vieira said. "I would have fought on Real Fight in Curitiba, but [there were] some problems and they changed the date, so my manager was able to speak with Andre Pederneiras and get me onto Shooto. I am very happy for the opportunity, and now I'm looking for my second win in MMA." 


​Photo: Kinya Hashimoto

Vieira made his MMA debut earlier this year with a first-round submission win. He prepared for his transition to MMA by training at American Top Team in Florida.

Since I decided to go to MMA, I decided I wouldn't fight any more in events like the IBJJF Worlds or the ADCC, because you need to focus 100 percent on grappling.

"You can have a lot of matches at these events," Vieira said. "In ADCC you can have a 40 minute match like I did in 2015. So you need to be totally focused on the specific training for this type of competition. It was because of this I decided not to defend my title ADCC this year."

When asked to identify a possible favorite in the -99kg category in which he was crowned champ in 2015, Vieira had this to say: "I don't really know who's in the division. I know that Felipe Pena [2015 silver medal] is confirmed, and I believe he is the favorite. He's in a good phase. But the ADCC is a very difficult event -- anybody could give a surprise." 

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