Viscardi Andrade is not a bad guy, but he doesn’t care if you think he is.
Andrade (17-5) competed in TUF Brazil’s second season in 2013, and became one of the stars of the show, because of a heated relationship with rival coach Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. Andrade, who defeated Nogueira’s protégé Thiago Goncalves twice during the reality show welcomes the criticism, and feels that it has helped him get more attention from the fans and media.
“That’s a TV show, pure entertainment, so they needed the good guys and the bad guys,” Andrade told MMAFighting.com. “I was the bad guy because I had that situation with ‘Minotauro’, but that was good. I have nothing against him, he’s a legend. It was the heat of the moment, but we were good after that. And it helped me because everybody knew who I was.”
Andrade went 3-1 during the reality show, losing to William Macario in the semifinal, but earned a shot inside the Octagon. He needed 96 seconds to finish Bristol Marunde at UFC 163 in Rio de Janeiro, and returns to the cage on Saturday night against Nicholas Musoke, at Jaragua do Sul’s UFC Fight Night 36.
“I’m super excited and confident,” he said. “I like the opponent. He’s a tough guy and is coming off a big win. I wanted to face someone exactly like him. A good win over him puts me well placed in the division.
“We both did great in our UFC debuts, so the UFC has high expectations for us. And we’re fighting on the main card. Step by step, I’m sure I’ll do great in the UFC.”
Musoke (11-2, 1 no-contest) made quick work of UFC veteran Alessio Sakara in his first appearance inside the Octagon, finishing the fight with a first-round armbar, but the Brazilian is confident his ground game is enough to beat the Swede.
“He moves forward all the time, going for the finish,” Andrade said. “I’ll throw some hands, feel the fight, and take him down if I have the opportunity to. He has a good guard, some guillotines. He attacks all the time, so he opens some spaces as well. I’ll dominate and submit him.”
Andrade, who fought four times in 2013 between TUF match-ups and his UFC debut, expects a busy year in 2014.
“I fought five fights in 2013 with four wins. And I won two fights on TUF with a broken hand,” he said. “I liked my performance in 2013, but I can do better than that. I’m still getting better every day. Now that I’m in the UFC, I have better opportunities in my life. I always taught jiu-jitsu classes and trained, but now I can focus only on my camp.
“I think I can fight three more times in 2014,” he continued. “I want to move up the UFC rankings as fast as possible. I’m training for that for a long time. I’m new in the UFC, but I’ve been fighting MMA for a long time. I have fought the best welterweights in Brazil, so I’m ready.”