Andre Pederneiras believes Rafael dos
Anjos has what it takes to ascend to the top of the lightweight
division once again.
The Nova Uniao trainer will be in dos Anjos’ corner when the ex-155
pound champ squares off against rising contender Rafael
Fiziev in the
UFC Fight Night 201 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on
Feb. 19.
“RDA is the dream of every trainer,” Pederneiras told Sherdog.com.
“If you tell him to climb a high mountain and jump from the top, he
does, without asking. When you work with a guy like him, you easily
understand why he won a title in the lightweight division and
challenged for [the interim belt] at welterweight. That´s why I
believe not only will he win on Feb. 19, but I truly believe he
will get a title shot again.”
Pederneiras is confident a five-round fight will favor his athlete,
who has gone the distance in numerous championship and headlining
affairs over the course of his UFC career.
“One of the strongest points of RDA is his cardio,” Pederneiras
said. “No doubt Fiziev is a great striker, but he will have his
first five-round fight against someone who [has plenty of
five-round experience]. For sure Fiziev is dangerous, but it is
also a fact that he has never faced anyone in his six UFC fights
who can knock him out, take him down or submit him. RDA will
provide his first test in all aspects of MMA.”
Meanwhile, Pederneiras had been optimistic that former Bellator
champion Eduardo
Dantas had a great chance to be signed by the UFC with a finish
of Jose
Alday at Fighting Alliance Championship 12 on Feb. 6 —
especially with Dana White in attendance. Pederneiras was
disappointed that White ultimately chose two other fighters who
competed at the event , even after a knockout win by Dantas.
“I never complained about pay or UFC decisions,” he said. “As a
promoter and head coach, my focus has also been on trying to
understand the guidelines of the show and then asking my fighters
to do what has to be done. Since Dantas, a former two-time Bellator
champion, got a spectacular head-kick knockout against a tough kid
like Alday and didn’t get hired, I need to understand what has
changed regarding UFC goals and guidelines to tell my fighters what
they have to change to get a chance.”
Pederneiras said he plans to speak to White or matchmaker Sean
Shelby when he arrives in Las Vegas to corner dos Anjos.
“If they tell me that my athletes needs to make capoeira jumps,
I’ll get a capoeira coach at Nova União. If they need more
jiu-jitsu, we will start to focus on that … I´m not here to
complain or create problems,” Pederneiras said. “I just need to
understand what the new guidelines are and, if possible, follow
them in order to help my fighters accomplish their dreams.”