MMASWISSNEWS.COM: “Anderson is extremely better than Belfort”

By Eduardo Ferreira

Photo Eduardo Ferreira

Beginning of year is not resting time to Rafael “Feijão”. On the break of the trainings on X-Gym, Cavalcante gave an exclusive interview TATAME TV looking to his bigger goal: to win on Strikeforce. “There’s so many people in this weight, each time I check on the website there’s someone new, so I have to train and keep training, and that’s what I’m doing”, Feijão said, revealing his wish to face Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi his year. Check below the exclusive chat, when Feijão talked about the year of the gym and the expectation to the next fight of Rodrigo “Minotauro” and Anderson Silva on UFC, criticizing the fact that Vitor Belfort accepted to face his ex training partner, and risked his guess to the fight: “Anderson is so much better than Vitor... He will knock out”.

Are you preparing, is there any fight scheduled?

Probably in the end of February we’ll be fighting again, it seems that Anderson will fight in April too, so everyone is training together. Paulo Thiago is training with us, (André) Galvão...

And who will you face?

I have no idea, there’s so many people on this category. Everytime I look there on the card there’s one more, so my part is to train and keep trained, and that’s what I’m doing.

How was the end of the year? Junior “Cigano” dos Santos won again... Did you train with him?

I trained. We represent Team Nogueira, everyone here, me, Anderson, everyone here who’s from the team and is here training. It’s Team Nogueira on the heads. I’ve trained with Rogério, with Cigano and I think that we‘ve closed with golden key, our team had only victories. Rogério showed what he came for, he showed that he’s one the best boxers on MMA, why everyone thinks that and now why everyone knows that. Cigano has a house on his hands, he hits and the guy falls down, I finished the year with a victory, Anderson... Everyone were perfect. We have to thank God and our families everyday, because they support us to be where we are.

Now that Minotauro will face Cain Velasquez, what do you think about this fight, what he needs to focus on that combat?

Rodrigo is back to his old shape. I’ve been training with him to another fight since Couture’s fight. When you’re winning, everyone supports you, but when you lose, everyone say bad things. I think Minotauro is an example to everyone. To be good on the good is easy, the man to take a knock down, to come back and to this stuff that he does, that’s hard, so I think this fight with Cain Velasquez is though, he’s a very tough guy, he’s young, but I think that with Minotauro’s experience, his technique... I think he’s much better standing up and on the ground. On the ground, Couture is pretty good, he fought with Jacaré. Our champion, that’s starting now, the difference is minimal.

Is almost decided that Anderson will face Vitor. You trained with Vitor, but you’re Anderson’s friend and train with him for a long time. How do you think this fight’s gonna be? Do you think it’s gonna be Anderson’s biggest challenge or Anderson will beat Vitor easily?

Fights are never easy. It’s going to be a tough fight, Vitor is a tough fighter, he’s a great fighter, experient, good on boxing, on the ground, a complete guy. And about trainings, I believe in choose only one side, you can’t play on both sides, I don’t accept that, my team and I, we don’t believe on training globalization and we’re very closed. So, never in my life I’ll fight against a partner, a friend from my gym, I don’t like that. About the fight now, I think Anderson extremely better than Vitor, standing up and on the ground, and Anderson will win this fight without any doubts. The way he’s training, the will that he’s coming, he’ll knock out.

Do you think that Vitor made a bad choice accepting this fight, even being a professional?

I think that he was wrong on considering the fight. Its the same as if a guy offered me to fight with Rogério (Nogueira) or Minotauro. I think that fame goes away someday, but who’s centered only one thing will last: family and your truly friends. Fame, everyone hugging you, pictures, magazines, it goes away... nothing will go when you die. In my opinion, just to consider this fight, I don’t admit this kind of attitude.

And on 2010, do you want to try the Strikeforce’s belt?

A lot, I want it a lot.

Is that your goal?

That’s my goal, my aim this year is that. A lot of people will think “how arrogant” but we live of dreams, and that’s mine, to get there and have the belt, I want this belt to me, to my family, I’ve trained hard for it, I train Jiu-Jitsu since I was ten. I was graduated in Veterinary and I drop it to follow my dream, that’s my dream and if it’s God’s willing I’ll win the belt. There are only tough guys, better than me on some stuff, but I’ll push hard to bring this belt to Brazil.

It would be a dream to face Dan Henderson then Mousasi for the belt?

A lot, I’d like it a lot.

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TATAME TV: Feijão de olho em Mousasisábado, 09 de janeiro de 2010 - 12:39:01

Foto Eduardo Ferreira

Começo de ano não é tempo de descanso para Rafael “Feijão”. No intervalo dos treinos na academia X-Gym, o casca-grossa concedeu uma entrevista exclusiva à TATAME TV de olho no seu maior objetivo: vencer no Strikeforce. “Tem tanta gente nesse peso que cada vez que eu olho no site do evento tem mais um, então a minha parte é treinar e ficar treinado, é isso que estou fazendo”, conta Feijão, revelando o desejo de enfrentar Dan Henderson e Gegard Mousasi neste ano. Confira abaixo o bate-papo exclusivo, no qual Feijão ainda comentou o ano da academia e a expectativa para a próxima luta de Rodrigo “Minotauro” e Anderson Silva no UFC, criticando o fato de Vitor Belfort ter aceitado enfrentar seu ex-companheiro de treino, e arriscou seu palpite para a luta: “o Anderson é extremamente melhor que o Vitor... Ele vai nocautear”.