BJJ phenom Vinny Magalhaes signs six-fight deal with M-1 Global

Royler Gracie black belt and “The Ultimate Fighter 8” veteran, Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes (5-5, 1 NC) has signed a new six-fight/two-year contract with European mixed martial arts promotion M-1 Global according to a press release sent out by the organization on Monday.

M-1 Global Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan commented on the acquisition:

“M-1 Global is looking to expand its roster with fighters who are at the top of their game and Vinny is by far one of the best submission experts on the planet. The skills he possesses are unparalleled. With the growth that M-1 Global is going through, extending a long-term contract to Magalhaes is the right thing to do for us a promotion. We have expectations that Vinny will become one of the greatest fighters in the world and are proud to have him on board.”

The 26-year-old Magalhaes made his M-1 Global debut in December with a second round triangle armbar submission over Alihan Magomed0v (4-2) at M-1 Challenge 22 in Moscow.

UFC fans will remember Magalhaes representing Team Mir on “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir”, where he made it to the finals by scoring wins over Lance Evans, brother of Rashad Evans, Jules Bruchez and Krzysztof Soszynski.

He faced Team Nogueira light heavyweight Ryan Bader in the “TUF 8 Finale” in Dec. 2008 but suffered a first round TKO loss. In April 2010 he took on Eliot Marshall at UFC 97 but lost a unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the organization.

Following his UFC stint Magalhaes has gone 3-1, scoring wins over submission artist and “The Ultimate Fighter 3” veteran Mike Nickels (9-4), well-rounded finisher Chris Davis (9-2) and the aforementioned Magomedov.

Stay tuned for upcoming details regarding Magalhaes’ first bout under his new contract with M-1 Global.

EDITOR”S NOTE: Check out ProMMAnow.com’s exclusive interview with Vinny back in June 2009 when he decided to move from his homeland in Brazil to Las Vegas and he had just been released from the UFC.