Tanquinho will have his third fight in the UFC (Photo: Jeff Bottari/UFC)
After achieving his first victory in the Ultimate in January this year, bantamweight Augusto Tanquinho returns to the octagon this Saturday (15) to face aljamain sterling, in a duel on the UFC Kansas preliminary card, in the United States. Despite not being among the 15 best ranked in the category, the Brazilian has bold plans for his future in the organization: fighting for the belt and, as a bonus, getting a rematch against the current champion cody garbrandt, responsible for his first defeat in MMA, precisely on his debut in Ultimate.
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“It all depends on my performances. I believe that by beating Sterling, and then facing a top 5 player, I will be one or two fights away from a title shot. Who knows, a possible rematch against cody garbrandt. To tell the truth, I really want to face him again”, assured the fighter, in an exclusive interview with SUPER FIGHTS.
However, Tanquinho knows that he will not have an easy life in the division. With names like Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw and John Lineker in front of him, the Rio native guarantees that he is ready and motivated to face the best in the world at 61kg.
“The division has a lot of good guys, both Brazilians and foreigners. It's very competitive, and this only makes the fights more lively, something that certainly pleases the public. The tougher you are, the better. I'm of the opinion that there isn't much fun in being champion in a category that doesn't have good opponents, at least in jiu-jitsu it was like that. I've always fought against the best in my weight class, and that's the mentality I have in MMA. I want to test myself against the best, I believe in my potential and I see myself going very far in the category”, declared Tanquinho.
Asked about the strategy to overcome Sterling, the jiu-jitsu world champion made no secret of the fact that the plan is to take the fight to the ground, but assured that he is prepared to fight standing up if he is unable to execute the initial plan.
“I’m a jiu-jitsu guy, right? If there's an opportunity to take the fight to the ground, I'll take it, but that doesn't mean I'll run away from the fight on my feet. Sterling is a good wrestler, it won't be easy to take him to the ground, so I'll have to use some striking. He moves a lot, has an athletic body, is very strong for the category. Despite moving and kicking a lot, he doesn't have a good combination of hands, which is why he won most of his fights using his wrestling, taking him to the ground. I hope he comes to take me down, because then we will fight exactly where I want to be”, said Augusto.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
SUPER FIGHTS: You are going for your third fight in the UFC, all against opponents considered elite (cody garbrandt, Frankie Saenz and now the aljamain sterling). Do you see this as a kind of recognition from the UFC towards you, always testing you against relevant guys?
Augusto Tanquinho: I think so. I always ask for good fights, and I believe the UFC sees my potential. When the fight against Saenz ended, I contacted them and said that I was healthy, so that we could arrange another fight, regardless of the opponent, I made myself available to face anyone. So, I think the UFC believes that I can go far in the division, that's why they've been giving me tough guys.
SL: You and Sterling live in different moments. You are coming off a victory, while he has suffered two recent defeats. Do you think confidence can be a differentiator in your favor in this fight?
AT: I believe so, he may feel this pressure of having two defeats in a row, although both were to elite opponents and in split decisions. However, it can have both sides. He can feel a little bit (the pressure), but he can also use it as an extra motivation to win again. I'm prepared for anything he presents on fight day.
SL: What have you studied about Sterling's game? What will be your strategy?
AT: I'm a jiu-jitsu guy, right? If there's an opportunity to take the fight to the ground, I'll take it, but that doesn't mean I'll run away from the fight on my feet. Sterling is a good wrestler, it won't be easy to take him to the ground, so I'll have to use some striking. From what I studied, he moves a lot, has an athletic body, is very strong for the category. Despite moving and kicking a lot, he doesn't have a good combination of hands, which is why he won most of his fights using his wrestling, taking him to the ground. I hope he comes to take me down, so we can fight exactly where I want to be.
SL: In case of victory, you should enter the bantamweight rankings, as Sterling is 8th on the list. Is there a ranked name you would like to face?
AT: I really enjoyed thinking about it after the fight, because I put a lot of pressure on myself, I like to see how my performance was. But taking an optimistic view, I would like to face an opponent from the top 5. I want to face someone from the top next.
SL: Right after your first victory, in January, you asked to fight at UFC Fortaleza, which took place in March. The opportunity didn't come, but now there's UFC 212, on June 3, in Rio de Janeiro. Do you think there is still time to be cast on the card?
AT: My idea was to fight on this card in Rio de Janeiro, as I'm from Rio, born and raised there, but I didn't want to wait until June. As I fought in January, right after my fight I was already demanding the UFC people for a new fight. The idea was to return in March, in Fortaleza, and then have some time off and return at UFC 212, in Rio. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, and they put me up to fight on April 15th. So I'm going to wait and see how my body will be, if I can combine one camp with another and, of course, see if the UFC will be interested in putting me on the Rio de Janeiro card. I would really like to, but I also need to respect my body. We'll see after the fight.
SL: The rooster category is the one with the most Brazilians ranked (there are six). How do you evaluate the current situation of the division, especially the elite?
AT: The division has a lot of good guys, both Brazilians and foreigners. It's very competitive, and this only makes the fights more lively, something that certainly pleases the public. The tougher you are, the better. I'm of the opinion that there isn't much fun in being champion in a category that doesn't have good opponents, at least in jiu-jitsu it was like that. I've always fought against the best in my weight class, and that's the mentality I have in MMA. I want to test myself against the best, I believe in my potential and I see myself going very far in the category.
SL: What are your short-term goals within the category?
AT: It all depends on my performances. I believe that by beating Sterling, and then facing a top 5 player, I will be one or two fights away from a title shot. Who knows, a possible rematch against cody garbrandt. To tell you the truth, I really want to face him again.
SL: Make an assessment of the next title fight in the category, between the champion cody garbrandt e TJ Dillashaw.
AT: It's difficult to talk about this fight, they were training partners, we don't know what happened on a daily basis, in their training. Garbrandt is a very dangerous guy, he's confident, he has a heavy hand, he's already proven that in his previous fights. But if there's someone who knows your weaknesses, that's someone. TJ Dillashaw, who trained with him daily for many years. I think it will be an interesting fight.
SL: Would you point out any favorites for the duel?
AT: I think Garbrandt will keep the belt. He's in a good moment, he's confident, and in the same way that TJ knows things about Garbrandt, Garbrandt also knows about TJ, so it will be a very studied fight.
SEE PHOTOS OF AUGUSTO TANQUINHO’S CAREER:
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