Vagner Rocha's match against AJ Agazarm at this weekend's Fight To Win Pro 14 in Tampa, Florida is special for a number of reasons. 

First, it's an epic grudge match between two talented grapplers with a real distaste for each other that will be played out live on FloGrappling on Saturday.

Secondly, it sees the return of a talented and decorated black belt to gi competition.

"I competed a lot in the gi up until my early years as a black belt," said Rocha, a black belt under Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu. "I've been a black belt for almost nine years now. I got bronze as a brown belt in Worlds. I stood on the podium with Otavio Sousa and Kron Gracie. We had some epic battles when we were brown belts."

I got steered away from it in the last five or six years in my life. The gi doesn't have a lot of opportunities for people to make money, and explore the opportunity to become professional. I took the option of competing in MMA and no-gi tournaments.

 
A two-time ADCC North American Trials winner, Rocha is an ADCC veteran and regularly competes in no-gi superfights. He battled Gordon Ryan to a 20-minute draw, against whom most opponents get viciously leg locked for their trouble, and Rocha holds a 2015 points win over Romulo Barral from the ADCC absolute division. That's not to mention his extensive MMA career, which saw him make three trips to the UFC Octagon. 


Agazarm requested that the match will be in the gi. Given Rocha's recent career history, it's forgiven to think that he's at a disadvantage. He certainly doesn't think so. 

"I've been getting my training down here between my school and Cyborg's Fight Sports," Rocha said. "The group over there is amazing, I get the majority of my competition training over there."  

Even though I haven't been competing in Worlds or PanAms or big tournaments, I have been getting my gi training in. In preparation for this I've been putting more time training and drilling and rolling with higher level training partners, and it's made me feel great. I feel like I'm 100 percent ready to take it to this guy this weekend.

 


Rocha moved to the U.S. from Brazil and has lived in Florida since he was 5 years old. While Agazarm is usually thought of as the hometown hero in this match, Rocha will count on plenty of local support of his own. 

"First off, fighting in Florida is like fighting at home for me," Rocha said. "I started jiu-jitsu in Florida, and I love competing and fighting here. To fight in such a great event in the state of Florida -- where my students and my friends could be here to witness -- is amazing. It's a huge honor for me. I'm excited to showcase my jiu-jitsu there."  

Vagner Rocha will take on AJ Agazarm as the main event of Fight To Win Pro 14 on Saturday, October 1, 2016. You can watch it live exclusively on FloGrappling.