På UFC 138 kommer Papy Abedi som fjärde svensk att debutera i den amerikanska organisationen och ställs då upp mot Thiago Alves från Brasilien.
Thiago Alves som har gått 10-5 i UFC kommer från en förlust mot Rick Story vid UFC 130 och har för tillfället gjort fem matcher på raken med två vinster och tre förluster som gått till domarbeslut. Att Alves inte har slagit någon till mattan sen knockoutsegern över Matt Hughes vid UFC 85 är en av frågorna som tas upp i intervjun tillsammans med hans uppfattningar om sin svenska motståndare och hur förberedelserna kommer gå till.
He’s a left-handed and he used to fight at middleweight division, I think it’ll be his first fight on this division, so I’ll have an advantage on that matter. He seemed to be a good striker, but not that good. He’s a Judo guy, and he has never fought a top guy. I’m not underestimating him, I’m preparing myself as if I had a title fight.
Alves gav även kommentarer om weltervikten i UFC och vem som vinner sammandrabbningen Georges St.Pierre mot Nick Diaz.
Läs hela intervjun som gjordes med nyhetssidan TATAME efter hoppet.
How is your preparation for this next fight going?
The trainings are very good, I’m training with a new Wrestling and Muay Thai program at ATT… It’s really good.
Are you training focused on Abedi’s game?
We’ve been training for a left-handed… I’ve seen his fights and we’re on the right track, but we’re not doing specific trainings yet.
He never fought in big events so yet… Was it hard to find his videos?
I’ve searched the web and I found four fights he did, and I guess it’s enough.
What could you tell about his game?
He’s a left-handed and he used to fight at middleweight division, I think it’ll be his first fight on this division, so I’ll have an advantage on that matter. He seemed to be a good striker, but not that good. He’s a Judo guy, and he has never fought a top guy. I’m not underestimating him, I’m preparing myself as if I had a title fight.
Do you believe your striking will be a crucial point on this fight?
I guess so… Absolutely.
Do you believe your bigger experience will be an important factor?
He has never fought in a big event, and UFC is a completely different thing. There are many advantages on my side, but I can’t count on that. I have to train the most I can to get there and kick some ass, do my best when it comes.
You had finished your sequence of defeats in UFC, but you loss again on your last fight, against Rick Story… How are you going for this fight?
I’ve learned a lot from my last fight, I’ll never let it go to the judges ever again. It took me a long time to start fighting, but I’ve learned what I had to learn, I’ve seen it all. Now I only have to trust my talent and on my team and go for it. I’ll try to knock him out or submit all opponents from now on. I’ll be aggressive again.
You don’t knockout since your bout against Matt Hughes. Why can’t you do it anymore?
I used to fight with nothing to lose. I had no worries whatsoever, I just fought to have fun, but when you reach a certain level you have to worry more, you start focusing on your future and forget about the present. But it’s all learning. I have really high expectations, I want to be one of the biggest champions and I have to go through all of this to learn and mature. I have no excuses, no I have to work hard and go for it.
How do you see your weight class currently in UFC?
It’s busy, it’s the most competitive division in UFC, and there’re new guys coming all the time, it ain’t easy. I love this. It’s a hard competition, and that motivates me more to work harder. There are many new guys, but I can defeat anybody.
Georges St. Pierre will defend his belt against Nick Diaz. What do you expect of this fight?
It’ll be a great fight, but St. Pierre can block Nick Diaz’s game and impose his game.
How do you think it’ll end like?
It’ll be decided by points, I guess… I guess St. Pierre won’t knockout or submit Nick Diaz.
