Filed under: UFC
After beating Bryan Caraway to advance to Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale, Diego Brandao says he’s ready to prove that he’s a rising star in the UFC.
In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Brandao said he’s been training hard for his fight with Dennis Bermudez on Saturday night, and that he views it as a step toward his ultimate goal in the sport, of being a UFC champion some day.
But Brandao’s more immediate goal is to provide for his family in Brazil, and he especially wants to be able to buy his mother a house. Brandao said that if he earns a UFC contract with a victory against Bermudez on Saturday night, that goal is well within his reach.
Our interview is below.
Michael David Smith: In your win over Bryan Caraway, I really thought that as soon as the flying knee landed, it was over. Did you feel like that too?
No, I was ready for war, and I knew Bryan Caraway is very tough, so I knew I wasn’t going to finish him easily.
I was surprised how much punishment Caraway was able to withstand. Were you surprised? Did you think the ref let it go on too long?
I think it did go on pretty long. He could have stopped the fight earlier. But I also tell referees, “Don’t stop my fights until I’m out.” I want to get every chance to win the fight so I know why Bryan Caraway wanted every chance to win the fight.
Now you’ll fight Dennis Bermudez on Saturday night at the Finale. What do you think of him?
I don’t think anything of him. He’s a great fighter but I think the guys I beat in the house are better than him.
What’s your prediction for the bantamweight fight at the Finale, T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Dodson?
T.J. is good but he only has four fights. Dodson has like 20 pro fights. Little John is going to knock him out.
Although viewers at home only saw your fight with Caraway on Wednesday night, it happened months ago and you’ve had the fall to train for the Finale. What has your preparation been like for the fight with Bermudez?
I’ve been training with Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn, I’ve been working on my Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I’ve just been training very hard in New Mexico — 505 in the house. I’m in great shape. My coaches tell me I’m in shape. At Greg Jackson’s gym I have great people here — Jon Jones has been helping me so much. I think Jon Jones is the best there is. He can take anybody down and so he has helped me with my takedowns and takedown defense.
What would it mean to you to become this year’s winner of The Ultimate Fighter?
It would mean I could make my mom’s dream come true, that she could own a house. She works so hard to pay her rent. I’ve been working here for three years for a reason and that’s to try to make money to help my family and people in Brazil. I don’t want to be a superstar — if you want to be a superstar you go to Hollywood — but I do want to make money by fighting. I want to buy a house for my mom. And I also want to be proud of myself, and that will come with winning in the UFC.
Do you view yourself as a future UFC featherweight champion?
I definitely want to have a chance to fight for the belt some day. Jose Aldo is my friend and he’s making my country very proud. He’s the best in my weight class and I would have a lot of business to take care of before I’d be able to fight him. But I want to become a UFC champion.