Rio de Janeiro is the place to be at this time of year (or any time of year for that matter). As the sun shone down on my commute across Rio this morning, it was as good as ever. There was plenty of people-watching along every beach – from Botafogo to Barra da Tijuca.

This weather takes a hold on even the most dedicated workers, drawing them from their workplace to the outdoors, for the enjoyment of the radiant natural beauty that this city is known for. I am thankful to be here today. For anyone here on vacation or to train, summer weather is the best!

If you are currently in Rio and hoping to send a post card, it may be difficult as the postal service has been on strike for the past 22 days. As of yesterday, there were an estimated 147 million pieces of mail waiting to be processed and delivered.

To make things worse, the banks have also been on strike, with over 8,500 agencies closed today, and 30,000 striking workers in Sao Paulo alone. This is said to be the largest strike in 20 years. For residents waiting on new bank cards or pin numbers via mail, you are out of luck. Be thankful for the great weather and plenty to do in the city of Rio.

This week brought me into the City of God to witness negotiations for Jungle Fight, who are holding a show in the area (Jungle Fight #33 on Oct. 22). This part of Rio de Janeiro has gained a pretty bad reputation from the film “City of God” released in 2002.

While it may not have the relaxed feeling of Ipanema or the laid back nature of Pepe beach in Barra, there were no bullets flying through the air and people I met where polite and in good spirits.

In the short few hours of my visit to the “comunidade”, it was apparent by the good reception that the upcoming event will be awesome.

Children crowded in on co-promoter “Bebeo” Duarte in hopes of fighting on the show, insisting upon their fighting ability! His response was enthusiastic, encouraging them to keep training as the age limit to legally fight professionally is 18.

Jungle Fight  will bring an explosive card to this event and it’s anticipated crowd of supporters. Keep an eye on BJJ Hacks (www.bjjhacks) site as journalist/cameraman Hywel Teague will be bringing an exclusive interview with Jungle Fight promoter Wallid Ismael to you soon.

As the Real Rio Show gears up for it’s second season, one of the first episodes will take place at Jungle Fight in the City of God. The latest welcome addition to RRS is it’s new host, Rafael Simoes (cousin to Renzo Gracie). Rafael will be involved with each episode in season two. Leading up to the beginning of the new season, he will begin with a video introduction, out soon on the Real Rio Show official Site – www.realrioshow.com.

Until next week, “Live your Dreams”.

– Dennis A. Asche

Dennis Asche is ProMMAnow.com‘s direct connection to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As an American living in the birthplace of modern MMA, and as a BJJ black belt training and teaching in Rio, Dennis has his hand on the pulse of the MMA and BJJ scene in Brazil. Tune in each week as Dennis keeps us informed through his Connection Rio blog. Follow Dennis on Twitter @ConnectionRio.

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