Interview: Renato 'Charuto' Verissimo - 1/22/2004
by Michael DiSanto

What do you do when you are scheduled to fight one of the UFCs most popular fighters and most of the bookmakers and MMA fans dont recognize your name? Simple, you shock the world by beating the man placed in front of you. At least, thats what Renato Charuto Verissimo plans on doing when he steps into the Octagon on January 31st at UFC 46 to face Carlos the Ronin Newton.

For those of you who dont know Charuto, the guy is a world class fighter. Anyone who thinks hes out of his league against Newton will be in for a huge surprise next Saturday night. Granted, he has a very brief MMA fight history, but he did utterly dominate Gil Castillo, which is no small feat. Add to that the fact that Verissimo has excelled in worldwide grappling and jiu-jitsu tournaments, and you start to see the picture. Finish all that off with the knowledge that the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert is B.J. Penns jiu-jitsu coach, and you start to understand that Newton has his hands full at UFC 46. In fact, this may be the best technical jiu-jitsu match-up that weve seen in the UFC in quite some time.

Charuto took a break from getting his medical clearance to speak with us from the beautiful island of Hawaii.

InsideFighting: Charuto, how are you? Hows training going for the Carlos Newton fight?
Charuto Verissimo: So far so good. We had a guy from Team Quest, Matt Lindland, come down to train. Ive been working with B.J. Penn and other students, as well. You know, it is good for our training that me and B.J. have a fight at the same time. I had to go back to Honolulu to my kickboxing coach, Haru Shimanishi. But we did really good going back and forth for our training. We covered all the techniques and did all the training for the fight, so thats good. And I dont have any injuries or anything, so thats another big thing.

IF: Youre facing Carlos Newton who is renown for his jiu-jitsu skills. How will you approach the fight?
Charuto: Thats pretty much it. Whos going to be the most dominant? The thing is that his jiu-jitsu skills are more amazing than his judo skills. I dont think hes had the level of jiu-jitsu competitions or grappling competitions that Ive had over the past few years. Thats what Im counting on a little bit. Im not going to see new stuff from him. But I think Im going to surprise him with some motions or my jiu-jitsu. I really think my jiu-jitsu is newer and more refined than his jiu-jitsu.

IF: Your last 2 fights against Ray Elbe and Gil Castillo ended in technical knockouts. When you step into the Octagon with Newton, will you look to keep it standing and use your kickboxing? Do you want to take him down and pound him out? Or do you see yourself getting a submission?
Charuto: The difference between those fighters is that I saw Newton fighting and I know he has a real good chin. But I saw his fight with Anderson Silva and he threw a really devastating knee to his face. He didnt even see it and it knocked him out. So I might use my standup just to help in the fight because I know that jiu-jitsu wise we are pretty similar. Hopefully, I can use my standup just to add to my game and make things more surprising to him. You know, throw him off a little bit.

IF: Have you signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC or is this a one-fight deal?
Charuto: I dont know about that. J.D. [Penn, his manager] would know more about that. So far I think its just a one-fight deal. I dont know what their plan is for after the fight. As far as Im concerned, its just one fight for now. After that we can sit down and negotiate for the future.

IF: Hows your weight? What are you walking around at right now?
Charuto: My weight is usually like 10 pound over the fight weight, so like 180 pounds or even 182 sometimes. Its not too bad, you know? I used to come down to 160 pounds for jiu-jitsu tournaments. I used to come all the way down to 147 for a tournament, so Im pretty happy that I get to weigh 170 pounds. The weight is good for me right now.

IF: How do you feel about making your UFC debut?
Charuto: I cannot say that I am totally calm about it. But, you know, Ive been there already and Ive seen what the UFC it is and know what to expect. Plus, Ive been around a lot. You know, Ive been in a lot of jiu-jitsu tournaments too. Actually, I get more nervous for jiu-jitsu tournaments because of the situation. MMA is a little bit better because we still get paid and we only have to fight one person. But in jiu-jitsu competitions and grappling competitions you may have to fight 5 or 6 matches, and thats tough. But Ive been around, so I pretty much know what to expect. Hopefully, I can bring that experience in there with me to hold my nerves down and be good to go.

IF: Youve spent a lot of time rolling with B.J. Penn for this fight, right? How has that been?
Charuto: Yes, yes. Weve worked hard for this fight together. We trained 100% for the fights. Thats how we approach all of our fights. Weve trained hard on our jiu-jitsu, and Im ready for my debut.

IF: How do you think B.J. will do against Matt Hughes?
Charuto: My true opinion is that he is somebody to challenge Matt Hughes. Youve got to have crazy good hands or be a really good ground guy to beat him. You dont need to try and match strength with Matt Hughes. We know hes strong and he likes to hold you. As far as B.J.s game, I think Matt Hughes will have a lot of problems controlling B.J. His physical ability is beyond that that Ive seen in my training. And I dont think that Matt Hughes has been training with the same caliber of guys as B.J. in terms of jiu-jitsu and hands. So I think B.J. is the guy that can challenge him, and he can win this fight.

IF: Will you be in B.J.s corner for the fight?
Charuto: Yes. Well, I hope so. Im not sure when my fight is. Maybe it is the first fight or something. But I will be there for sure if I get the chance. Another jiu-jitsu instructor will be there too, so that will be a big help being in our corner.

IF: Ill tell you what. Im certainly looking forward to getting to see you fight live for the first time. Im sure many of the local fans in Vegas are looking forward to seeing you fight also. Is there any message you want to send out to them?
Charuto: Oh yes! Just tell them that Im going to put everything that I have into this fight. Ive been waiting for this opportunity for awhile. I thank God for the opportunity, and hope everything turns out well. Hopefully, guys will see me put up a good fight. And whoever bets on me, they should make sure they talk to me after the fight!

IF: [we both laugh] Best of luck to you, my man. Stay healthy and well see you in Vegas.
Charuto: Alright, man. I appreciate you guys interviewing me. Hopefully, I see you guys there, and hopefully we get to talk after the fight.

IF: Certainly. We will get your thoughts at the post fight press conference for sure.
Charuto: Okay, great. Thank you.

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