Mutante faces Theodorou this Sunday (19). (Photo: Getty Images)
Coming from three consecutive victories and experiencing the best phase of his career, Cezar Mutant has his eye on the top 15 middleweights (up to 84kg). To achieve his goal, he will have to overcome Elias Theodorou in the third fight on the UFC Halifax main card, which takes place this Sunday (19), in Canada. Interestingly, the duel pits two champions from different editions of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter face to face: Mutante won TUF Brasil 1, in 2012, while the Canadian won TUF Nations, in 2014.
For the Brazilian, a victory this Sunday could represent a kind of unification of the titles won between them. Confident, he believes the triumph will end before regulation time.
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“I believe that Elias Theodorou is a good fighter with good skills. We both have the same titles, 'The Ultimate Fighter' champion. I see this fight as 'TUF' champion against 'TUF' champion, Brazil versus Canada. We are two good fighters who are coming from victory. It's like we're putting our titles on the line. I'm ready to win anyway. (…) His game is predictable and I hope to knock him out in two rounds. I'm confident that I can break him in every aspect: emotionally, technically and physically”, guaranteed the Brazilian, in an interview with the website 'MMA Fighting' (USA).
Before achieving three victories in a row, Mutante experienced ups and downs in the organization, even being at risk of dismissal after being knocked out on three occasions, all in the first round. According to the Brazilian, the constant injuries affected his performance, preventing him from obtaining better results. However, his willpower made the bad phase a thing of the past.
“It’s impossible for anyone to perform well in that situation. While many would lie in bed and complain about bad luck or divine punishment, I kept moving forward. I never wanted to use injuries as an excuse. I'm very happy to have continued fighting. I won some, lost others, but I'm happy to have persevered and pursued my goals. It's like Rocky Balboa said in the movie: 'The world is not just sunshine and rainbows. It's a bad, dirty place, and I don't care how tough you are. He'll bring you to your knees and leave you there if you let him,'” recalled the fighter.
At 32 years old, Mutante has seven wins and three losses in Ultimate. After overcoming Serginho Moraes in the final of TUF 1, in 2012, he beat names like Thiago Marreta, Daniel sarafian and more recently Jack hermansson, in a duel held at UFC Sao Paulo, in November 2016. In total, his professional record has 11 triumphs and five setbacks.
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