Sapateiro 11 isn’t going down until August 12, but the heat’s already been turned on between Spencer Mumme and Marcelo Cohen, who will be competing in a 135-lb gi match in the main event.
It all started when Mumme, a five-time Sapateiro veteran, called out Cohen on Facebook.
Mumme reached out to me to tell me that the jab against the Jiu-Jitsu Times was just playful, but his issue with Cohen is anything but a game.
“I’m nobody special, I’m just like everyone who trains I love this sport and art. But this is a sport where one promotes himself over social media, and when you do and claim to step up or that you have accomplished this or that, then a lucrative opportunity on highly viewed invitational shouldn’t scare you. Especially to the point where he is a nogi champ but insisted a gi match. I think that makes him a pussy, he’s scared of me. So I’d rather talk smack because he gets to hide and retreat to his typical ways of being a paper tiger who brags that he wins a two man bracket for a simple IBJJF title. Test yourself against me in nogi and you’ll see.”
While Cohen is a black belt no-gi Pans champion and an EBI veteran, he insisted that his match with Mumme take place in the gi (although the match will allow all submissions and have no time limit). He didn’t mince words when it came to saying what he thinks about his opponent’s accusations.
“I’m not scared of leg locks. I’ve proven that to be true. I went to EBI with only 3 weeks’ notice, followed by ONNIT a few months later where I lost in the first found via heel hook. I knew what these tournaments are — everybody knows. He’s been calling me out for a little while. I finally agree to give him a match and he complains about the rules that I want to set. It seem to me like he wants to fight me to make a name for himself. So as the fighter with the bigger name I’m going to set my terms. I gave enough wiggle room and met him in the middle. His leg locks are still allowed. He teaches with a gi — does that mean he’s scared to fight me in the gi? I keep seeing him and others saying that I’m bragging about my American Nations title as well as others. Posting a picture and a video of your match is bragging… since when? Yes, sometimes I have only one opponent. I can’t dictate how many people want to come for the division. I do my job and train the same as everyone else, I feel like I deserve the title the same as anyone else who wins. It shocking to me all of these 135-145 guys keep calling me out. The rooster weight division for IBJJF NoGi is 122.5. Do they realize this? The weight class is there for everyone. I don’t see any of these guys that want to fight me cutting the weight and meeting me at an IBJJF tournament. They all want me to come to them. I honestly just think Spencer is making all of this noise to hype up the fight. He wants to be in the spotlight and he’s trying to use me as someone with a bigger name to do it. I’m surprised to hear someone saying that Carlson Gracie would be disappointed in me. I know one person that he might be disappointed in, and it’s not me. I feel like this Carlson Gracie quote says it all: ‘Always enter like a kitten and leave like a lion. But NEVER enter like a lion and leave like a kitten. Always be humble.’”
The verbal sparring between the two competitors is turning what was already sure to be an exciting match into a must-see for sub-only enthusiasts. It’s rare to see a gi match in an event as prominent as Sapateiro that not only features no time limit, but also allows for all submissions. Mumme may not be pleased about having to put on the gi for this one, but Sapateiro promoter Josh Leduc knows that no matter what these competitors are wearing, this is going to be a supercharged match. “I’m really looking forward to this match between Spencer and Marcelo. Both are super legit and there’s real bad blood between them. This is going to be a great match for the fans in a no-time-limit rule set.”
Make sure you’re watching when Cohen vs. Marcelo (plus a no-gi 16-man bracket featuring 205-lb grapplers) goes down on August 12 by checking out the livestream on the Sapateiro Facebook page.
