Marajó faces Sanders at UFC 209. (Photo: Getty Images)
Coming from a devastating victory over Brad pickett, in October last year, the bantamweight Iuri Marajó returns to the octagon this Saturday (04) against the undefeated Luke sanders, in a duel that will take place on the preliminary card of UFC 209, in Las Vegas (USA). To maintain the good phase, the Brazilian will break his rival's unbeaten record and, subsequently, begin planning his next challenge. According to him, he already has an opponent defined in his mind, but he cannot yet be revealed.
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“I know that a victory over him won't take me to the top of the division rankings, but it's good to give me more morale. By winning, I'm going for the second victory in a row and, therefore, I hope they give me a top guy in the category for the card on June 3rd. I miss fighting in Brazil, feeling that adrenaline and having the crowd cheering us on. I can fight an American, but I'll ask for a Brazilian too. The fans are a little divided, but as he is above me in the rankings, we have to fight with the guys who are above me. I still want to keep it a secret, but I think it will be a good fight, a show for Brazilian fans and fans from around the world”, declared Marajó, in an interview with the website Combate.com.
Asked about Sanders, Marajó highlighted that his opponent's style of play is precisely what complicated him the most during his career. However, he highlighted that the preparation at Jackson's MMA, one of the main gyms today, makes him confident to overcome any obstacle.
“Luke is left-handed, he likes grappling and plays that boring game. All the fights I lost were against guys like that, who like this grappling game. But I trained well, my team put together a good strategy to fight him and I will try to keep him away. I'm going to keep the fight standing and knock him out. This is the third time I've trained at Jackson's MMA and the preparation was very good, with the best coaches. I'm very focused. I left Belém-PA to come here, train every day and do my best. That’s all I think about”, concluded the Brazilian
Marajó comes from a submission victory over Brad pickett, at UFC 204, in October 2016. Previously, he had been surpassed by Jimmie rivera in the unanimous decision of the judges, in January of last year. At 36 years old, Iuri has eight wins, four losses and one unsuccessful fight in Ultimate. In total, there are 41 professional fights, with 34 triumphs, seven setbacks and one No Contest.
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