Will Ribeiro

Last updated
Will Marcos Pessoa Ribeiro
Born (1983-02-17) February 17, 1983 (age 40)
Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality Brazilian
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
Division Bantamweight
Reach69 in (180 cm)
Team Black House
Academia Boxe Thai
RankOlympian Boxing
Black belt in Muay Thai under Luiz Alves
Purple belt in Taekwondo
Brown belt in Luta Livre
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
Years active2003–2009
Mixed martial arts record
Total12
Wins10
By knockout5
By submission2
By decision3
Losses2
By submission1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: 8 de março de 2011

Will Ribeiro (born February 17, 1983) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist and Luta Livre Esportiva (brown belt) practitioner, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Contents

Biography

Born in Campo Grande, a suburb of the city of Rio de Janeiro Will Ribeiro was raised along with his three siblings by his grandfather and mother, never having known their father. After the passing of their mother, Will and his family had to struggle to stay afloat, and the then 20-year-old Ribeiro took a career as a prizefighter to help support his family. [1]

Will, who begun his training as a boxer in the age of 17, soon started to draw attention for his achievements in the sport, winning five straight titles in the state of Rio de Janeiro, also winning important titles such as the Copa Brasil de Boxe and the Torneio de São Paulo Eder Jofre. Ribeiro was then chosen as part of the Brazilian Olympic boxing team, in Santo André, São Paulo. [2]

Mixed martial arts career

After making waves at fight events in Brazil, and quickly becoming a bantamweight prospect in MMA, including the Brazilian chapter of Shooto, Will Ribeiro was signed by World Extreme Cagefighting, debuting against the American Chase Beebe, and winning by a split decision. [3] [4] Afterwards, Will faced bantamweight standout Brian Bowles, being defeated by submission due to a guillotine choke in the third round. [5] [6] Will was a solid part of many rankings of his division, and was ranked the 9th top bantamweight fighter by Sherdog. [7]

Injury and rehabilitation

On December 16, 2008, Ribeiro was critically injured while riding on the back of a motorcycle on rain-slick wet roads without a helmet. He was in a hospital in a comatose state and has lost vision in one eye. Doctors gave him a 50/50 chance of ever waking from the coma. [8] By December 23, doctors reported that he had not awoken from the coma, but that his condition was improving. [9] This very unfortunate incident has effectively ended Ribeiro's Mixed Martial Arts career. At the time of his accident Will was ranked as the #7 Bantamweight fighter in the world by the MMAWeekly Worldwide MMA Ranking System.

Will Ribeiro has reportedly awoken from an induced coma and is recovering well after being hospitalized since December. According to Tatame.com, Luiz Alves, Ribeiro’s Muay Thai coach, recently visited him in the hospital and was surprised to see that Ribeiro was able to talk to him and is currently undergoing therapy after doctors stated he had a 50-50 chance to live due to his injuries suffered in the accident.

Almost two months after the serious accident that almost cost his life, Luiz Alves, his Muay Thai trainer, commemorates the excellent recovery of the WEC fighter.

“I had visited him at Christmas and then in January, but I left very sad and swore I wouldn’t return there anymore. He was swollen, very thin… But I was there yesterday and left very happy, because he spoke with me, remember everything that happened, kissed me”, revealed Luiz. “He is already in the ward, it’s better because he can watch TV now, he’s doing physiotherapy, is eating well and is excited”.

As of September 2010, Ribeiro is still recovering from his near fatal injuries. [10]

In December 2010, a Shooto Brazil event was held, with all of its earnings going towards Will Ribeiro's treatment. The representative of Shooto Brazil, André Pederneiras, decided to hold the event to raise funds towards Will's cranioplasty surgery. [11] In May 2011, Will underwent a successfully cranioplasty surgery. Ribeiro is back to the fighting world, acting as a boxing instructor and a cageside referee. [12] Will Ribeiro also works with social projects in the city of Rio de Janeiro, teaching boxing lessons for impoverished youth. [13]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
12 matches10 wins2 losses
By knockout50
By submission21
By decision31
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss10–2 Brian Bowles Submission (guillotine choke) WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia December 3, 200831:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win10–1 Chase Beebe Decision (split) WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver June 1, 200835:00 Sacramento, California, United States
Win9–1Andre LoboKO (punches)Shooto - Brazil 5January 26, 200810:09 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win8–1William ViannaKO (punch)Shooto - Brazil 4October 27, 20073N/A Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win7–1D'Angelo de Souza VieiraKO (knee to the body)Conquista Fight 3May 12, 200710:16Brazil
Loss6–1Erinaldo PitbullDecision (unanimous)Shooto - Brazil 11March 24, 200735:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win6–0D'Angelo de Souza VieiraDecision (split)Top Fighter MMA 2October 25, 200635:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win5–0Daniel SiqueiraKO (punches)Juiz de Fora - Fight 3April 8, 20061N/ABrazil
Win4–0Washington dos AnjosSubmission (punches)Submission PC: Pantanal CombatFebruary 10, 200622:01Brazil
Win3–0Luis Rogerio de AgostinhoTKO (upkick to the body)Minotauro Fights 1May 21, 200514:00 Macapá, Amapa, Brazil
Win2–0Dini DiniDecision (unanimous)IMVT - Iron Man Vale TudoJanuary 10, 200435:00 Macapá, Amapa, Brazil
Win1–0Gabriel BarrosSubmission (side choke)Conquista Fight 1December 20, 200324:05Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil

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References

  1. ↑ "Will Ribeiro, a Life Lesson".
  2. ↑ http://www.faixapreta.com/Materia.aspx?C=1707
  3. ↑ "Ribeiro Represents Boxe Thai Legacy".
  4. ↑ "WEC Play-by-Play".
  5. ↑ "Will Ribeiro lamenta o "vacilo" no WEC :: TATAME". www.tatame.com.br. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06.
  6. ↑ "WEC 37: Brian Bowles Submits Will Ribeiro, Deserves Bantamweight Title Shot". 3 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings - Bantamweight".
  8. ↑ MMA on Tap - Will Ribeiro Fighting for Life, in Coma
  9. ↑ MMA Junkie - WEC's Will Ribeiro "making progress" in recovery from accident
  10. ↑ "Will Ribeiro Cries For Help, Black House Turns Back on Injured Fighter". mrjamesryan.com. September 28, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Shooto BR 20: Disputas de cinturão e renda para Will Ribeiro | Graciemag". 30 November 2010.
  12. ↑ "Cranioplastia de Will Ribeiro realizada com sucesso em Teresópolis". www.portaldovt.com.br. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18.
  13. ↑ http://www.faixapreta.com/Materia.aspx?C=2531
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