Billarinho (left) is helping E.Alvarez (right) in the camp for UFC 205. (Photo: Disclosure / Personal Archive)
Brazilian fighter Jonas Bilharinho, a standout on the national MMA scene, is being one of the main people responsible for helping Eddie Alvarez during his preparation for the fight against Conor McGregor, at UFC 205, November 12, in New York. With physical characteristics that resemble the Irish, Bilharinho had already participated in the José Aldo, who faced McGregor last December, at UFC 194, when he was knocked out in just 13 seconds.
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In an interview with the “PVT” website, Jonas commented on the similarities between the two preparations in which he participated and assured that Alvarez has more weapons than Aldo to defeat Conor at the time of the fight.
“Aldo, by definition, is a striker. From then on, Eddie Alvarez has a better chance than him. Eddie Alvarez is also a striker, but he has a base in ground fighting, in absurd grappling, and this puts another striker, which in this case is McGregor, in doubt. For me that was how the Tyron woodley became welterweight champion. He has a heavy hand, he's a polished striker, but his main power is doubt. Nobody knows if he's coming to take him down and hit, which he does very well, or if he's coming to exchange directly and try to knock him out, which he also does very well. So I think Eddie Alvarez is a much better weapon to beat McGregor than Aldo, and for me the main difference is in the mental part. It's not that Aldo is weak-minded, because he isn't and he's already proven that by going 10 years undefeated. But somehow McGregor managed to penetrate his mind and that's not happening with Eddie Alvarez. During training, when provoked, Aldo's performance dropped, and Eddie Alvarez's performance improved. For me, this is the main difference, the mental part”, explained Bilharinho.
Asked about how he imagines the duel will unfold, Bilharinho says he doesn't believe the fight will last 25 minutes. For him, the aggressive style of both athletes will culminate in a quick fight.
“I don't think this fight will last much longer as there are two aggressive fighters who are going for the finish. McGregor also knows that he won't be able to hold Eddie Alvarez for five rounds, so I believe he should press early and this should make the result of the fight appear quickly. If this fight goes ahead and reaches at least the third round, I have no doubt that it will be Eddie Alvarez's. O Conor McGregor he is not prepared enough to stop Eddie Alvarez”, said Bilharinho. “He (Alvarez) is ready for any occasion. Eddie Alvarez is very well polished both in the air, in grappling and on the ground. It's very complicated, I don't think I've ever felt as much discomfort in sparring as I did against Eddie Alvarez. I believe he will come out with the victory anyway, be it by knocking out or submitting, and if this fight went to a decision, I think it is impossible for McGregor to win”, concluded the Brazilian.
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