Although the great protagonist of UFC 262 has been Charles of the Bronx, another Brazilian caught attention at last weekend's show. Responsible for imposing the first completion in Ronaldo Jacare in MMA, André Sergipano There are plenty of reasons to celebrate. In an exclusive conversation with SUPER LUTAS, the Minas Gerais native spoke about the positive result, admitted nervousness before the confrontation and revealed who he would like to face next.
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André's victory over Jacaré proved that the athlete is a name to be watched closely by Brazilian fans. With the triumph, Sergipano continued with 100% success within the organization.
Nervousness before the duel
In Ultimate since 2019, Sergipano had his biggest challenge in his career, so far, last weekend. The Minas Gerais native, however, did not hide his nervousness before facing his compatriot, who, for years, was a standout at middleweight (up to 83,9kg).
“I'll be quite honest, I was very nervous. The moment you look the other way and see a sports legend, you freeze. There's even a similarity that (Daniel) Cormier himself once said, when he went to fight with Anderson Silva (2016), even though Anderson was older, when he looked from the other side and saw Anderson, he said: 'I'm going to fight with Anderson Silva'. But I was very well trained and I knew how difficult the fight would be,” he commented.
Submission on jiu-jitsu legend
Last Saturday's victory didn't just mark another positive result in André's record. By submitting Jacaré, in the first round, the Brazilian made history by becoming the first to achieve this feat against the Espírito Santo in MMA. Ronaldo is world famous for his excellent jiu-jitsu, so Sergipano does not hide his joy at the achievement.
“I was lucky. I had success and a fighting vision. It's unbelievable. I was the second man to finish the Ronaldo Jacare. In jiu-jitsu, the only one who submitted him was Roger gracie and, in MMA, now, it's me. (…) For me, it is very satisfying. It only adds to my career”, said the Minas Gerais native.
Next appointment
Seeking to reach the top 15 in the category led by Israel adesanya, André still doesn't know when he will return to the octagon. The Brazilian, however, mentioned who would like to exchange forces inside the octagon and set a deadline for returning to action.
“I was looking and, within the organization (category), the only one who doesn’t have a fight scheduled is Kevin holland, which comes from defeat. He also won the Ronaldo Jacare, so, if I have the opportunity for this fight later in the year, I would accept it. It's a fight that puts me in the top 15, if I win. I want an opportunity to show my full potential”, he concluded.
Athlete's history
At 31 years old, Sergipano currently has 25 commitments as a professional in MMA. The fighter has 21 wins and four losses.
The fighter hasn't known what it's like to lose since 2016. So far, André has seven positive results in a row.
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