E. Capoeira poses for a photo before the UFC 267 Photo: Instagram
On the eve of returning to the octagon after more than a year away, Elizeu Capoeira ensure you are prepared for the UFC 267 this Saturday (30). In an interview with SUPER FIGHTS, the Brazilian fighter stated that he is 100% recovered from the injury suffered in his knee, rejected the chances of feeling the long inactivity and spoke about his opponent, the Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis.
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“I'm not just 100%, I'm 1000%. You get worried because you think you won't be able to return and thank God I was blessed with a good recovery and I'm able to go back to doing what I like, competing at a high level, in the biggest event in the world. So, man, I’m really happy and very prepared.”
Can long inactivity get in the way?
“I don’t think so, I come from a school that has different styles, right? I am a capoeirista, I have this versatility, I stayed active, my training colleagues, my companions demand that I have this versatility. I'm aggressive and that's something that's mine, it's something that's here and that I'm charged with. So, I think it’s impossible for me to get there and not have that with me.”
What to do to resume the winning streak?
“I think I have to improve and perfect what I already have, so I have to be reinventing myself and evolving, and I think I'm doing that. Even though I lost some fights, I saw a big improvement in terms of reinventing myself. If you look at my fights, you'll see that each one is different from the other, it's difficult to study me because every time I'm doing something new, or different. What does the Elizeu Capoeira being different, that’s exactly what it is, getting there and not being monotonous, getting there and not seeing the same thing over and over again.”
Does it bother you to face a newcomer?
“It doesn’t bother me at all. Even due to the fact that when I was in tenth place (in the rankings), nobody wanted to fight me. I accepted a fight against a guy who was back there (muslim salikhov) and unfortunately I didn't come away with the victory, do you think I'm going to care what others are going to say? Man, I'm a fighter, I need to fight. Now because I have a good position, I have a good time for the event, am I going to wait? I need to fight, I depend on it, it's what I do. Regardless of who it is. An athlete’s life is very short.”
What do you know about your opponent?
“We studied him a lot, we already have something formalized, we always study our opponent so we don't run the risk of being surprised. He (Benoit Saint-Denis) is a good athlete, very strong in grappling, But man, I come from a school that is complete too, where we work a lot, both on the feet and on the floor. Nothing that comes from him can surprise me, anything he has for me, I will be well prepared to be able to turn around and find the path to victory.”
Do you dream of returning to the rankings if you achieve a victory?
“Of course our goal is to rank and then get to the belt but it’s one step at a time. Now, my next goal is on the 30th, then we will study and see the best way to reach the highest level.”
About Elizeu Capoeira
Coming from an irregular sequence in his last fights, Elizeu Capoeira seeks a new streak of victories to return to the welterweight rankings (up to 77,1kg). His most prominent moment in the organization occurred between 2016 and 2019, when he won eight consecutive victories. The fighter has a record of 22 positive results and seven negative results in his professional MMA career.
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