MMA and grappling legend Rickson Gracie is looking to make waves with a new philosophy in fight promotion. "Mestre do Combate" will host their inaugural event on November 22 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. However, with significance changes in rules and mentality, they don't intend on being just another fight league.

In Rickson's words (via Fighters Only):

We want to create a new paradigm and recover values from the fight that were lost over time. Today, MMA fighting means blood and money. We will honour the warrior spirit and the fighting art

To achieve this goal, the promotion will have fighters weigh in on the day of competition instead of the day before. The point being to discourage the combatants from drastic weight cuts and force them to compete in a more "natural" weight class. It will be interesting to see if this has the desired effect or if we'll just see dehydrated fighters.

Additionally, no one will be "saved by the bell". If a fighter appears to be near finishing his opponent, either by submission or strikes, the round will continue until there's a finish or the offense is neutralized.

Mestre do Combate will also be taking a page from the IFL book. Cities from around Brazil will compile 5-man teams - one fighter from each division, lightweight through heavyweight. At each event, the winning team will be determined by the first to pick up 3 wins. The winning team will progress to the next event.