Roleta x Wallid Ismail 1996 Mundial

Old school match of the day is 1996 semifinal match w/ Wallid Ismail from Carlson Gracie and Roberto “Roleta” Magalhaes in the 1st Mundial. The helicopter sweep!! To give you guys some background on this match, when the first Mundial was created, Roleta was given his black belt, by Carlos Gracie Jr. (Gracie Barra founder), so he could fight Wallid Ismail, who was one of Carlson Gracie top students. There was an intense rivalry between Gracie Barra team and Carlson Gracie team at the time. Wallid had been unbeaten for several years and came to the championships very confident. Wallid, then, the most famous fighter not in the Gracie family, was so confident he would win …. he promised to cut off his hand if he lost…lol. At the end of this match, Roleta hits his ‘helicopter sweep’, a trap in which the attacker sees himself in a position of apparent total control, only to fall victim to the pendulum, turning the situation around completely. This move was unheard of at the time outside of the Gracie Barra Academy. everyone practiced “helicopter sweeps’ for the next year. My friend Armando and I have pictures of us in Brazil getting “helicopter swept” by Roleta. Roleta’s legacy can be seen in the majority of sweeps used by competitors today.