BTT NEWS 01:

- BTT patriarch Mario Sperry is still recovering from injuries sustained from his last PRIDE bout against Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kosaka. Sperry had a knee injury and a broken hand from the bout, which led him to surgery on both body parts that forced him to the sidelines. However, while he was recovering the "Zen Machine" had osteomyelitis (a bone infection) diagnosed in his hand and had to go though surgery yet again. Now, after 44 days of heavy medication Sperry is recovering fine, and is expected to get back to training soon. Sperry's knee is already in perfect condition, and it's only a matter of time before his hand is healed as well.
-With the finals of the PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix coming up, things are busy in the Brazilian Top Team camp with Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira training hard for his coming bout with Josh Barnett, but that's not all the reason for activity going on with the top dogs of the team in Rio de Janeiro. On extended vacation since his loss to Wanderlei Silva at PRIDE's December 31 show, Ricardo Arona is finally on the verge of coming back to action and is training hard for a likely participation at PRIDE's September 10 event. Although nothing has been determined as of yet, chances are good that his opponent may be Dutch fighter Alistair Overeem. In the meantime, Arona just made his debut as a writer. The PRIDE veteran is now writing his own column for a Rio de Janeiro newspaper called "O Fluminense," where Arona speaks about fighting and sports in general.
-Back to the PRIDE USA subject, Brazilian Top Team will also have its representatives in the Las Vegas scheduled show, and as always, although nothing is set in stone, two fighters are emerging as likely candidates to be on the card. Former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante, due to his reputation in America for being a former UFC title holder, as well as his fighting skills of course, has strong chances to be a part of the card, as well as his teammate Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira.
-In addition to being a top MMA fighter, BTT heavyweight, and PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix Semifinalist, Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira continues his career as a promoter, as the fourth edition of his show Minotauro Fights just took place this past August in the city of Salvador, capital of the sate of Bahia. This time the show hosted an eight-man tournament, plus five single matches, always giving opportunity to new Brazilian talents. Two Minotauro Fight veterans, Ediberto Crocota and Eder Jones made it to the final of the tournament and curiously their bout was ruled a draw, likely leaving things set for a future rematch to determine the true winner. In maybe the most important single match of the evening, BTT representative and Meca veteran Marcelo "Bocao" was surprised by Nova Uniao fighter Marlon Sandro, who won a judges' decision
-NEWS FROM www.fcfighter.com(EDUARDO ALONSO)