After two of his elite fighters defended their UFC titles this past weekend, esteemed Nova Uniao coach Andre Pederneiras spoke to MMAjunkie about their fights as well as what’s coming up for his team.
Check out the Q&A with “Dede” below, who talks about Jose Aldo‘s defense of the UFC featherweight title against Ricardo Lamas and Renan Barao‘s defense of the bantamweight belt against Urijah Faber.
What would you like to share about Jose Aldo and Renan Barao’s fights (on Saturday)?
We prepared for two difficult fights, as always. I think what happened is what we expected. Lamas was able to take a lot of punishment. “Junior” tried to knock him out a few times, but couldn’t manage to do it. And regarding Faber and Barao, Barao was able to land a good punch and follow up to finish the fight. So, for us it was excellent.
Faber has always had bad luck against Nova Uniao. Why is that? Did you analyze him well?
I think Faber is a great fighter. Maybe his game doesn’t match up well against our athletes. But, without a doubt, after Barao, who is the champion, I don’t see anyone better in the weight class.
You gave B.J. Penn his black belt. For his recent visit to your academy in Rio de Janeiro, how long did he stay and what did he bring to the table?
He stayed with us around 20 days. He arrived around Jan. 6 or 7, and left on Jan. 27. We have a great exchange of information. B.J., being such an experienced fighter, is able to point out things to us that we may miss amongst ourselves. And we also showed him some things he had not seen before.
Was that also the case with Gray Maynard?
No doubt. Gray Maynard is a great friend of ours. Whenever he visits Brazil, it’s really good, since we learn a lot from him.
Barao was the interim champion for a long time while Cruz kept promising to return, which hasn’t happened yet. After Barao received the regular belt, some fans still need to see him defend that to solidify him as the true champion. And even though he beat Faber, it wasn’t without controversy since Faber claimed he was OK after the stoppage. Is the stigma behind Barao now?
I think that’s more of a question for Faber. Barao took advantage of the moment and hit Faber as much as possible until the referee stopped it. And even if it didn’t happen at that moment, it was coming very soon. From the first significant strike, Barao had the upper hand and the means to get the stoppage. And that’s what happened.
Claudia Gadelha recently moved to San Jose and said she might train with AKA before going on “The Ultimate Fighter.” Any thoughts?
Claudia has an American boyfriend. So she came to California to spend a month and a half getting to know his family and also learning English. (Editor’s note: Pederneiras said his fighters tend to avoid English classes even when he pays for them.)
Jussier Formiga is 1-2 in the UFC. But he remains well-ranked. Is this because the UFC believes in his potential or because he only lost to top talent?
Right. He only lost to top opponents. Both guys who beat him also fought for the belt. So, without a doubt, he’s there because the UFC believes he deserves to be in the top 10.
What do you think of Thales Leites‘ comeback after being out of the UFC for so long, now that his knee is healed?
He came back in great shape. He’s actively training to be ready for the next opportunity, and to keep himself in the UFC.
Will he fight for the belt again?
For sure, but it won’t be so soon. There are several other Brazilians ranked above him now.
Eduardo Dantas has voiced unhappiness over idle time from Bellator MMA and lack of sponsorship. Your thoughts?
These things happen. “Dudu” is expected to fight at least three times this year.
Anything else you’d like to share?
As seen this past weekend, anyone who is booked against a Nova Uniao fighter should expect to face a very well-prepared opponent.
For complete coverage of UFC 169, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.
Filed under: Bellator, News, UFC