Kings MMA coach Rafael
Cordeiro is expecting a busy campaign in 2023.
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In addition to his duties as a renowned MMA coach, Cordeiro is now
overseeing multiple affiliate gyms in Brazil.
“I always dreamed about the expansion of Kings MMA in Brazil, and
this year I was able to open four branches in Sao Paulo (Campinas,
Alphaville and Cotia) and one in Brasilia,” Cordeiro told
Sherdog.com.
In a wide-ranging interview, Cordeiro touched on a variety of
subjects involving numerous fighters — both past and present. The
trainer was disappointed to learn of Kelvin
Gastelum’s last-minute withdrawal from Saturday’s UFC Fight
Night 217 headliner against Nassourdine
Imavov. Though Gastelum no longer trains at Kings MMA, he
maintains a good relationship with Cordeiro.
“Oh my God. My conclusion is that this fight shouldn’t happen,
since this is the second time Gastelum withdrew on fight week.
First time was his knee, now his mouth. I’m really upset with that
news,” Cordeiro said. “Kevin is living in Arizona and training [at
Fight Ready with Henry
Cejudo] now, but we are always in contact. I love him. He is an
amazing kid and such a great talent and I’ll keep trying to
convince him to go down to the welterweight division.”
According to Cordeiro, Giga
Chikadze, who fought just once in 2022 due to injuries, is
expected to return to action against Sodiq
Yusuff in April. Chikadze was originally slated to face Yusuff
on Sept. 17.
“He had four surgeries in eight months (hand, face, elbow and
nose),” Cordeiro said. “But now he is 100% and ready to start the
camp.”
Another Kings MMA fighter currently in camp is Neiman
Gracie, who is hoping to rebound from a two-fight skid when he
meets Michael
Lombardo at Bellator 290 on Feb. 4. Cordeiro believes the
former welterweight title challenger is still improving as a
fighter.
“When you are at the top of the mountain, losses and
wins are part of the evolving process. The most important
thing is that he is a hard worker, and every time he is more
complete,” Cordeiro said. “Against Lombardo you can expect a much
more well-rounded Neiman.”
When it comes to the UFC lightweight division, Cordeiro isn’t
opposed to having Beneil
Dariush square off against ex-champ Charles
Oliveira this year. However, the preferred next step for
Dariush would be a 155-pound title shot.
“[Beneil] is coming off eight straight wins. It
would make complete sense to have him against Charles. But our main
goal is the title shot,” Cordeiro said.
Cordeiro will be watching the lightweight title bout between
Islam
Makhachev and Alexander
Volkanovski carefully, as it could affect the strategy for
Dariush down the road.
“Certainly Volkanovski will bring different questions to Islam, and
that will be important for us in order to work on a game plan for
Beni, who has a diferent style than Charles,” he said.
Cordeiro also addressed the future of Mike Tyson. The Kings MMA
trainer previously worked with the boxing legend for his exhibition
bout against Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020.
“For now he is just training for fun and taking care of his brand,
Tyson 2.0,” Cordeiro said. “But proposals never stop coming for
him. We can never forget that Tyson spent 15 years without putting
a boxing glove. One day he decided to hit mitts and it inspired him
to return to the ring.”
While Tyson doesn’t have any plans to fight soon, Cordeiro revealed
that Fabricio
Werdum’s combat sports career has not reached its end.
“I’m not authorized to give details, but he is very close to accept
a superfight proposal,” Cordeiro said of Werdum.
As the first master of Mauricio
Rua, Cordeiro regrets that he won’t be able to be in Shogun’s
corner for his farewell fight at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro on Jan.
21.
“He is doing his last camp in Curitiba … Unfortunately I have many
fighters busy in January and won’t be in his corner, but my soul
will be there with him,” Cordeiro said. “I´m so proud to follow
‘Shogun’ from white belt until Pride and UFC belts. I have no doubt
he is one of the best in MMA history … Definitely ‘Shogun’s’ name
will be remembered as one of the best in our sport.”