Drysdale waits for an opponent at the ADCC

By Guilherme Cruz

Photo Marcelo Alonso

Robert Drysdale would do the ADCC 2009 super fight against Roger Gracie, but the eight times Jiu-Jitsu champion suffered a knee injury and won’t be able to fight at Barcelona in September 26^th and 27^th.

In exclusive interview to TATAME.com, Drysdale lamented the Gracie’s injury. “I knew it yesterday… It happens, man. I’m disappointed, but it happens. The athlete trains a lot and the body doesn’t handle it sometimes, it’s normal”, said Robert, who won the absolute class in the 2007 edition of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club via submission against Marcelo Garcia.

Without a official name to replace Roger, Drysdale tries to imagine who’ll be against him in Spain. “I think they’ll think first on Dean Lister, who was supposed to do the super fight at 2007. They were saying that Fedor wanted to fight at ADCC, so maybe he can do it too, I don’t know… I’m curious”, finished Drysdale.

WERDUM WANTS TO REPLACE ROGER

If Fabrício Werdum could choose, the black belt Robert Drysdale would stay without opponent for a long time at the ADCC 2009 super fight. Excited for the championship, the Chute Boxe athlete called TATAME.com and revealed he wants to replace Roger Gracie, cut from the event with a knee injury, and fight Drysdale.

“Spain is my home too, I lived there my whole life. I have a huge fan base there, I’m well known in Spain. I think it’d be a good choice to put me in the super fight with Drysdale”, said the 2007 champion in the +99kg division. Excited, Werdum already comments how the fight would be. “It’d be a ten minutes fight, it wouldn’t last longer than that”, guarantees, training hard for the event.

“I feel really well, I kept my training from my last fight, I’m just emphasizing the wrestling now… Twice a week I go to a city next to San Diego to train with King Mo Lawal, who just beated Mark Kerr… He’s a monster in Wrestling and is giving me a lot of tips. And here in HungtintonBeach, I’m training with the Chute Boxe guys and with Tito Ortiz”, said the Strikeforce fighter.

Ready to go to Spain, Werdum reveals he’ll have a special crown cheering for him at ADCC. “I got a sponsor to pay a bus to take my students from Madri to Barcelona… I made t-shirts and everything (laughs). My athletes from Croatia, Saragossa, Albacete will go toBarcelona too”, finished Werdum.

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