M. Pezão is looking for his second victory in the heavyweight division. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @pezao011
Marcos 'Pezão' will star in the story of David and Goliath inside the UFC Prague octagon. The 1,88m 'short' will face the 2.13m giant, Stefan struve in the co-main event this Saturday (23). In order to train for this great battle, the São Paulo native innovated and used a lot of creativity. In addition to having the help of Luís 'Avatar' who measures 2,07m, Lima had the help of his sparring partners who stood on a jumping platform to reach the Dutchman's 2,13m.
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“It’s difficult to find a sparring partner the size of Struve. When I was in São Paulo I had help from Luís 'Avatar'. He is a 2,07m athlete, world jiu-jitsu champion, MMA fighter and heavyweight. So he helped me a lot, but it's difficult to find a guy that tall for us to train with. We end up adapting! In the American Top Team with masters Katel and Macarrão we placed him on top of a jumping platform and hit the gauntlet up there. Just to simulate Struve's height”, revealed 'Pezão' in exclusive interview with Super Lutas.
After a long season at light heavyweight, Pezão will have his second fight at heavyweight. The Brazilian said that the change of category was made because he no longer felt healthy. Now in the top division, he hopes to be able to fight more and establish himself in the UFC.
“In the light heavyweight category I wasn’t performing much anymore. I was very worried about my weight and I didn't feel healthy. In the heavyweight category I feel much healthier, stronger and more resilient. That's why I decided to return to the heavyweights and it was in this category that I established myself and had the best phase of my kickboxing career. So it will be like that in MMA too”, said Marcos.
The Brazilian is looking for his second consecutive victory in the heavyweight division. In his last fight, he beat Adam Wieczorek via unanimous decision at UFC 230 in November last year. The São Paulo native has 22 fights in his career, with 16 victories, five setbacks and one draw.
See the full interview with Marcos 'Pezão'
SL: You face the biggest UFC fighter (Struve has) today. What is it like training to face such a big rival? Is it easy to find sparring for guys like him?
Marcos 'Pezão': It's difficult to find a sparring partner the size of Struve. When I was in São Paulo I had help from Luís Avatar. He is a 2,07m athlete, world jiu-jitsu champion, MMA fighter and heavyweight. So he helped me a lot, but it's difficult to find a guy that tall for us to train with. We end up adapting! In the American Top Team (ATT) with masters Katel and Macarrão we placed him on top of a jumping platform and hit the handles there. Just to simulate Struve's height.
SL: What is your strategy for winning the fight with Struve?
MP: I'm an MMA athlete who came from kickboxing, but today I have a very complete game. I train a lot of jiu-jitsu, I'm a Ciro Costa black belt and I train with master Thiago Barros. I'm always training and improving my jiu-jitsu and I train a lot in wrestling [...]. So I'm going to do well for this fight.
SL: After your TUF experience, you moved down to light heavyweight and in your last fight you returned to the heavyweight category. Do you feel better in this division despite facing bigger and heavier opponents?
MP: I actually worry a lot about myself. In the light heavyweight category I was no longer performing much. I was very worried about my weight and I didn't feel healthy. In the heavyweight category I feel much healthier, stronger and more resilient. That's why I decided to return to the heavyweights and it was in this category that I established myself and had the best phase of my kickboxing career. So it will be like that in MMA too.
SL: You went through a difficult situation with contaminated supplements in Brazil. After your acquittal, upon your return to the UFC, the New York Athletic Commission even requested extra tests for you. How was the treatment for this fight against Struve? Everything within normal range?
MP: Everything was normal, thank God. I had this bad experience that served as a learning experience. This time I did everything differently. So I'm ready to fight and let it come Saturday.
SL: Still on the contamination case, Carlos Diego, who also fights at UFC Prague, experienced a similar problem and sued the pharmacy that supplied the contaminated supplement. Did you consider this possibility?
MP: I contacted the pharmacy and we talked. I tried not to sue them, but we will reach an agreement. I was greatly harmed, but it was a great learning experience for me. I had a lot of growth with all of this and I knew how to use this bad moment that I went through to my advantage. In the end, it's good to thank them for everything that happened. But we will reach an agreement that will certainly be good for both parties.
SL: Struve is currently ranked 15th in the heavyweight rankings. Do you believe that victory qualifies you to enter the rankings?
MP: A lot of people worry a lot about the ranking, but I don't worry that much. This is how I support my family and I really enjoy fighting. My concern is fighting and winning fights. The ranking position doesn't matter to me because I know very well that if I have a good sequence of victories I will be on the list. With another good sequence of victories I qualify for the title. I only care about giving good performances and showing the athlete I am to the UFC.
SL: How does Marcos Pezão expect his 2019 to be in the UFC?
MP: I hope I have a lot of fights, great fights and good performances. I'm a guy who has always loved fighting. In this heavyweight category I can do this more often. So I hope to do a lot of fights and achieve my goals.
SL: What is it like for you to be in the co-main event of the first Ultimate event in the Czech Republic?
MP: It is the result of recognition. There are great athletes on this card, but the UFC certainly saw potential in this fight. Struve and I will arrive on Saturday and we will show why they put us in the co-main event.
UFC Prague card
Main Card
Light Heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz x Thiago Marreta
Heavyweight: Stefan struve x Marcos Foot
Light Heavyweight: Gian Villante x Michal Oleksiejczuk
Flyweight: Liz Carmouche x Lucie Pudilova
Bantamweight: John Dodson x Petr yan
Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalayev x Klidson Abreu
Preliminary Card
Fly weight: Veronica macedo x Gillian robertson
Welterweight: Carlo Pedersoli x Dwight Grant
Lightweight: Damir Hadzović x Marco Polo Reyes
Welterweight Weight: Michel Tractor x Ismail Naurdiev
Featherweight: Daniel Teymur x Chris Fishgold
Lightweight: Rustam Khabilov x Carlos Diego Ferreira
Lightweight: Damir Ismagulov x Joel alvarez
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