Exclusive: Luan Miau talks about return and promises to 'crush' opponent in Brave 18

Luan Miau will be in action on November 16th (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook)

Luan “Miau” Santiago did not have the start of 2018 that he expected. Named as one of the main promises in MMA by the English magazine “Fighters Only”, the lightweight was seconds away from winning Brave's interim belt, when he ended up suffering an elbow injury that kept him out for most of the year.

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Recovered from the problem in the duel against his “brother” lucas mineiro, the CM System representative already has a date for his return to the Brave cage and promises to return with a knockout, very much in his style (Luan had two knockouts before the setback to “Mineiro”). He will face Djamil Chan on the preliminary card of Brave 18, which will take place in Bahrain, on November 16, in his first international fight.

“The expectation is to have a resounding, triumphant return. I’m going for the knockout and I’m going to get another victim for my cartel”, she commented, in an exclusive interview with SUPER FIGHTS, about the duel against striker Dutch.

See the full interview:

SUPER FIGHTS: How do you evaluate Djamil Chan's game? What do you expect from the fight?
LUAN MEOW: I will crush him. He has nothing to offer me, he practically only has one strong shot, which is the overhand with the back hand. If that punch doesn't land, he soon becomes frustrated. If one of his blows comes in, ten of my punches have already gone in before. He doesn't have any great opponents on his record and now he's going to face a real fighter.

SL: How big was the frustration of having lost the fight with “Mineiro” in the end? How's the elbow?
LM: At first I was very sad, but that's part of it. From time to time, certain things that are not good for us must happen, to make us stronger. That had to happen there. My arm and elbow are perfect, even stronger and faster than before, as we did specific strengthening work.

SL: What do you have to say about “Mineiro”? Do you think about a rematch?
LM: Ah, man, “Mineiro” is my brother, a person that God put in my life. He is a humble kid, with a huge heart. He deserves everything he is reaping. Our fight was the best of the year, but it is in the past. I will never fight with him again.

SL: What's the next step if you win the fight with Chan?
LM: Case? That word doesn’t exist in my vocabulary (laughs). I'm going to win and, when I win, I'm going to want to beat up all the loudmouths who also want the belt. When it's my turn to compete again, I'll be ready.

SL: How are expectations for your first international fight for Brave? You seem to have a very close relationship with the event and the fans…
LM: Man, Brave is my home. It's a family, I created a very good bond with everyone involved with the event. From the guy who cleans the cage to the president, I talk to everyone and have a great relationship with everyone. I always wanted to fight abroad and now I'm making that dream come true, I'll give back my confidence with another big knockout, you can be sure.

SL: What do you expect from the Brazilians involved in the title fights at Brave 18?
LM: This event is going to be mind-blowing! I think everyone will get along well. I have great friends involved, “Mineiro” and (Marcel) Adur, mainly. Imagine how your heart feels when you see two brothers fighting (laughs). Efrain is also a very good guy and will excel too. Everyone will win!

SL: Specifically talking about the fight between “Mineiro” and Al-Selwady. What do you think the Brave 18 main event will be like?
LM: Al-Selwady is a wrestler and will definitely want to put Lucas down. But I'll tell you one thing, I'm sure “Mineiro” will knock him out. He is very dedicated, trains everything and has a very high level in all areas. Wherever the fight goes, the “Mineiro” wins.

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