Patricky fights at Rizin. Photo: Disclosure / Rizin
Patricky Pitbull He has been fighting MMA since 2005 and has been in almost every possible situation in the sport. But, incredible as it may seem, in his 14-year career, the native of Rio de Janeiro never had two fights on the same night. As with everything in life there is a first time, Patricky hopes that this will happen on December 31st, when he takes action in the semi-final of the Rizin FF lightweight GP. Before thinking about a possible final, Patricky knows he needs to get past his compatriot Luiz Gustavo. If he wins the fight, he will advance to the final, which will be held on the same night.
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Patricky said that he made special preparation to face two fights on the same day, and revealed that he was looking forward to fighting at the sumptuous Saitama Super Arena, the stage for events that made MMA history.
“It's still a dream to fight in Japan. Saitama is the temple of Japanese MMA, where it all began. I'm really looking forward to that moment. I've been ready for a long time. Since my last fight I've been feeling ready to fight. I had to control myself, because the desire to train and fight is enormous. Facing two fights on the same night will be a new experience for me. It's something I've never done in my life. But I train for this. My sparring partners were geared towards this. I would do one sparring session, take a two-hour break, and then do the second sparring session. It's a little exhausting, you also have to be lucky not to get injured. But I'm ready. I think it's more psychological work than physical work. The mental side counts a lot”, said Patricky.
In the final stretch of his fight preparation camp, the native of Rio Grande do Norte received support from UFC stars Henry Cejudo, two-division champion, and former UFC middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. Patricky, who already has the help of his brother Patrick Pitbull, double Bellator champion, and coach Eric Albarracin, said that the presence of the Americans strengthened his game even further.
“It’s always good to welcome guys with names like that. There is already my brother here who is a two-category champion in Bellator, now we receive the Henry Cejudo, who is a two-division UFC champion. O Kelvin Gastelum I've known him for a long time, since 2011, when he was watching a Patrício fight as a fan. He was still at the beginning of his career. At the time he was training with Efrain Escudeiro, who was also a UFC fighter. They are very good people, and great MMA talents. Cejudo is always improving our Wrestling together with Eric Albarracin. Taking classes with the Olympic champion is inexplicable! He knows too much, goes through several details that make a big difference. So, their arrival only improved my game and made me even more prepared for this fight in Rizin”, praised the tough guy.
The Brazilian lightweight studied his semifinal opponent's game well and is confident that he will emerge victorious from the duel. Obviously Patricky is also keeping an eye on what could happen in the other semi-final, which will be played between Johnny Case and Russian Tofiq Musayev. If he advances to the tournament's final, he will have just two hours to recover and return to the cage. Therefore, he prepared in advance for a possible final.
“My opponent has a good record, but he doesn't impress me. I've been in this business for a long time. He's a young guy, with a lot of desire, he has a very aggressive and dangerous game. He has a good right hand, it's his strongest point. I'm ready for it, I know very well what I have to do and I'm going there to do my best to reach the GP final. On the other side there are two very strong athletes. I still have doubts about who passes, but I think it's most likely Tofiq Musayev. We studied both, as well as my opponent in the semi-final, and we are ready for whoever comes,” he concluded.
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