UFC 131: Power Ranking the Top 10 Members Training Out of Team Black House
Team Black House is a world-renowned group of fighters consisting of several former and current UFC champions, including Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Lyoto Machida.
The popular fighting team is located in Brazil and was started on Nov. 27, 2006 by Brazilian Top Team members Carlos Barreto, Rogerio Camoes and Jorge Guimaraes.
This Saturday, three current members of Black House will be competing for contention spots in their division, including Junior Dos Santos, Diego Nunes and Mark Munoz. A victory for each will guarantee them a big step toward the title-holders in their weight classes.
Black House members Silva and Nogueira will both be fighting at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro.
No. 10: Diego Nunes (16-1)
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Featherweight contender Diego Nunes recently made his UFC debut when he took on former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown. Nunes won the fight by split-decision.
With only one defeat on his record, which consists of five appearances in WEC and one in the UFC, Nunes is making a strong case for himself as a future contender for current champion and training partner Jose Aldo. Nunes holds victories over Raphael Assuncao and Tyler Toner as well.
His next bout will be against two-time UFC lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian at UFC 131.
No. 9: Mark Munoz (10-2)
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Middleweight contender Mark Munoz is 5-2 inside the UFC with notable victories over Kendall Grove, Aaron Simpson and C.B. Dollaway.
His next bout will come against former title challenger and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ace Demian Maia at UFC 131.
This NCAA Division I wrestler became the first Filipino-American to win a National Championship before making his MMA debut in 2007.
A two-fight stint in the WEC was quickly followed by his UFC debut in 2009. He was defeated by Matt Hamill, but made a move to the middleweight division where he holds a considerable strength advantage, especially in his ground-and-pound.
No. 8: Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (10-3)
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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante is one of the most dangerous strikers in the 205 lbs. division with nine knockouts in 10 victories.
Following in the footsteps of training partner Anderson Silva, "Feijao" loves to utilize knees and elbows. He has used them to defeat many opponents, including Muhammad Lawal, to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship.
His most recent fight was a devastating knockout loss to Dan Henderson, but he put up a good fight, dropping the former two-division Pride champion in the first round before being knocked out himself in the third.
Cavalcante has never been to a decision in his entire 13-fight career.
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No. 7: Antônio Rogério Nogueira (19-5)
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Antônio Rogério Nogueira is a fighter in the light heavyweight division of the UFC, but he has not had the best luck lately, dropping consecutive defeats to standout wrestlers Ryan Bader and Phil Davis.
He does have quality wins over opponents like Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, Vladimir Matyushenko and Luiz Cane. They have brought him much success and recognition throughout the MMA community.
The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, who is also known as "Minatauro," will be fighting former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin at UFC 133.
No. 6: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1)
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Also known as "Minotauro," former Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira hasn’t been as active in the sport as of late, but he has established himself as one of the most important, exciting and popular fighters in the history of MMA.
He is widely considered to be one of the very best submission specialists in the sport and arguably has the best guard in the heavyweight division.
His next test will be against former Ultimate Fighter finalist Brendan Schaub at UFC 133. Schaub has knocked out three of his last four opponents, but he will have to bring an extra level of power if he has any intentions of stopping "Big Nog."
No. 5: Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (14-2)
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Current Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is 14-2 in MMA with 11 submission victories to his credit, including submissions over Robbie Lawler, Matt Lindland, Zelg Galesic and Alexander Shlemenko.
He also has wins over Tim Kennedy, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Joey Villasenor.
Souza hasn't only trained at Black House. He also has experience training at Xtreme Couture with "The Natural" himself. He was invited after he fought and drew with Randy Couture in a grappling match in 2006.
Some of the black-belt's grappling credentials include being the 2005 ADCC champion and the 2005 ADCC Absolute Division runner-up.
No. 4: Junior Dos Santos (12-1)
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Heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos is one of the best strikers in the division, and he has knockouts over Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel and Stefan Struve to back it up.
The 26-year-old made his UFC debut in 2009 and shocked the MMA world when he knocked out Werdum in the very first round. It sent off shockwaves that still resonate within the sport's fanbase today, and he takes that type of devastating power into every fight he's in. His last fight versus Roy Nelson was the first time he had been the distance in his career.
His next challenge will come in the form of heavyweight powerhouse Shane Carwin at UFC 131. It is anticipated to be a standup war, but Santos may be looking to utilize some of the well-rounded skills he and his team have taught each other.
No. 3: Lyoto Machida (17-2)
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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida is a fighter who is a karate master, but he also has a complete MMA game due to the fighters he gets to train with every day at Black House.
His superior striking skills and defensive-oriented fighting style led him to becoming the UFC light heavyweight champion when he defeated Rashad Evans at UFC 98. Machida remains the only fighter to have beaten the former UFC light heavyweight champion.
It’s been a rocky road since that career-defining victory, but he rebounded from back-to-back defeats to knock out Hall-of-Fame fighter Randy Couture at UFC 129.
No. 2: José Aldo (19-1)
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UFC featherweight champion José Aldo recently made his UFC debut when he fought and defeated Mark Hominick over five rounds to retain his title at UFC 129. It was a technical stand-up battle for the majority of the fight before Hominick had a late-round comeback.
The 24-year-old has made a name for himself in the WEC after he went 8-0 in the organization with wins over Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Cub Swanson, Jonathan Brookins and Manvel Gamburyan. He finished seven of his eight opponents in the WEC.
In 2009, he was Fighter of the Year on many fans' lists after he defeated four opponents, including Brown, to win the WEC featherweight championship.
Aldo is widely considered to be one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.
No. 1: Anderson Silva (28-4)
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If you were to take the best assets of each fighter from Black House and mold them into one Black House super-fighter, it would probably end up being current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
The pound-for-pound king has everything fans want in a fighter—well-rounded skills, a dynamic and dangerous striking ability, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and an incredible will to win.
He has victories over Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin (twice), Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin, Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt and Chris Leben.
His 13-fight win streak inside the UFC is an unmatchable feat, but he has pulled it off, and has some spectacular knockouts and submissions to show for it.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 131, including the latest UFC 131 results, UFC 131 fight card analysis and ongoing UFC 131 news and reaction from Vancouver.
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