Competition promises to rescue the role of capoeira in the midst of fights

A capoeira project with itinerant tournaments has been gaining prominence on the national martial arts scene and promises to give back to the modality the importance it deserves. The “Volta do Mundo”, created in August 2022, brings together capoeirista athletes who dream of making a living from the sport, knowing that there is finally a competition that represents them – not to give up or migrate to fights with more visibility – and to be recognized.

The flagship of the project is Volta do Mundo – Bambas (VMB), a championship that is going into its third edition, attracting athletes from all over the country. The first two events were held in Rio de Janeiro, in Barra da Tijuca, and had more than 500 people live and around 18 thousand viewers online. Another brand product is Volta do Mundo – Seletivas (VMS), which qualifies the winners for the Bambas. The qualifiers for the third VMB start in February and the expectation is that the mid-year edition will make even more noise for having the first belt dispute in the history of capoeira. In addition to cash prizes, the rules allow technical knockouts.

“In addition to spontaneous media, which was great, in past competitions we had a very interesting reach on social networks. More than 2.8 million people worldwide viewed our posts, with an engagement of 8.5% in the reach of our posts” , boasts Saverio Scarpati, executive director of Volta do Mundo Bambas, a capoeirista for 31 years and trained by master Paulinho Sabiá.

It is known that 78.6% of capoeiristas use Instagram as their favorite social network, followed by Youtube (10.7%). Therefore, for the parameters analyzed by the event’s marketing department, public interest points to a potential growth path. Each participant, to give you an idea, had a growth of up to 30% on their Instagram profile. “And everything was done in an organic way, there was no impulse”, observes Scarpati.

For a sport that, in the understanding of its creators, needs to regain prominence, the success numbers on the networks are a beam of light for a prominent place to which they are committed. No wonder the event’s ambassador is MMA fighter Thiago Marreta, formerly of the UFC and recently hired by the PFL. He started his career in capoeira, before changing modality because there were no incentives at the time he was a practitioner. In addition to Marreta, Volta do Mundo has had the unrestricted support of Rodrigo Minotauro, Pedro Rizzo, Fabrício Werdum and actors familiar with the sport such as Felipe Simas, Dudu Azevedo and Isabella Santoni.

“We want capoeira to have the recognition it deserves as a sport, culture and tool for inclusion. worthily, they will have cash prizes”, emphasizes Felipe Tropeço, capoeira master and technical director of the event, adding: “We are far from being a UFC, but we want to be a kind of Shooto Brasil, a Jungle Fight, national events that not only open doors, but they employ, remunerate and inspire fighters. Volta do Mundo employs this premise for capoeiristas”.

There is today in Brazil a community of 6 million capoeira practitioners. As far as protagonism is concerned, the scenario, according to Scarpati, is bleak. The young man who starts and continues in the modality is proud to represent the sport, a pride that increases when he becomes a master and works to strengthen the community. There is, however, no expectation of remuneration as in other martial arts. In very rare cases, like Thiago Marreta’s, the athlete makes it to the biggest fight competition on the planet. Still, Marreta stood out internationally for having practiced MMA, not just because of capoeira.

The fact is that the lack of protagonism at the tip is a bucket of cold water in the community. In addition to the lack of recognition of the sport, the great representatives resent sometimes jocular treatment. “Capoeira is still treated with irony, with mockery. It’s not the people’s fault, I understand. We need a construction job. We hear a lot of things that are dissonant with the reality of the sport. capoeira deserves it, being respected and admired by people outside the bubble. In fact, we have to break this bubble”, says Scarpati.

The structure of the company that runs the project is made up of managers, directors, marketing and communication departments, ambassadors, operational departments, external branding and consumer behavior consultancy, as well as business partners in Europe and Asia. held on March 4th at Tijuca Tennis Club, a historical place for being the stage of several martial arts competitions. Registration is now open on the official website www.voltadomundo.com/seletivas and more than 200 athletes are expected to register for the edition that will feature the adult (male and female) and youth (15 to 17 years old, male and female) categories.