K-1 vet Ewerton Teixeira ready for biggest challenges

[Edge Guerrero]

in mixed martial arts at Bellator

By Guilherme Cruz  @guicruzzz on Sep 24, 2015, 11:00p

After earning multiple championships in karate and fighting some of the best in kickboxing rings, winning the K-1 World GP in Fukuoka in 2008, Ewerton Teixeira aims for his first title in mixed martial arts.

The decorated striker, who won his first three MMA bouts (a second-round knockout followed by a pair of decisions), makes his Bellator debut on Friday night against fellow Brazilian Vinicius Queiroz at Bellator 143 in Hidalgo, Texas.

Teixeira, who turns 34 years old in February, spent the last couple years working at Corinthians’ gym in Sao Paulo, Brazil, under coach Ramon Lemos, who also coaches UFC star Anderson Silva, and feels he's ready to shine.

"I haven’t fought in a while, but in this time I’ve trained a lot and evolved more," Teixeira told MMAFighting.com. "I’ve learned a lot. I’m training in a team full of motivated fighters. It’s hard to find a team of heavyweights as good as this in Brazil. I’m more than ready for this fight. It’s time to go after this win."

While there’s no question about his striking abilities, Teixeira says he has been working hard on his grappling skills for his first appearance in Bellator.

"I’m always working on my ground game," he said. "Even though it’s not something I’ll focus on doing in the fight, it’s something I’ll be ready to do if we go to the ground. He has more experience than me on the ground, so I think he will trade with me at first, but then go for takedowns. That’s what I believe."

Queiroz is a former UFC heavyweight who holds a 2-1 record in Bellator, capped off by a 23-second knockout win over Lavar Johnson. Teixeira fought some of the most dangerous strikers in the world in the past, including Alistair Overeem, Peter Aerts, Jerome Le Banner and Errol Zimmerman, but that doesn’t mean he’ll underestimate "Spartan’s" skills.

"I have to be careful, of course. He’s tall, big, and experienced. He has a dangerous right hand and I have to pay attention," he said. "I’ve imagined different scenarios for this fight. No matter how it goes, the most important is that I come out victorious. Every time I go to bed I think about this fight. If I’m knocking him out, if I’m submitting him, it doesn’t matter. What I really want is win."

In a division where a couple wins can get you a title fight, Teixeira aims for the belt.

"Now that I’m fighting for a big organization in Bellator, I’ll focus on winning fights and go from there. It’s too early to think about the title, but my goal is to win the Bellator belt," said the Brazilian. "I don’t know how long it would take for me to earn a title shot, but I have to evolve a lot to get there. Despite the age, I’m still learning a lot. I have what it takes to do it."

Source:http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/9/24/9392909/k-1-vet-ewerton-teixeira-ready-for-biggest-challenges-in-mma-at

[Luigi]

I will always remember him as the guy who got destroyed by Overeem.

[Edge Guerrero]

I will always remember him as the guy who got destroyed by Overeem.

- To be fair, you can say that about a lot of people. :mrgreen:

[Luigi]

So very true lol He smashed Fujita so bad that I almost forgot about all the cool stuff Fujita did before that.

[Edge Guerrero]

So very true lol He smashed Fujita so bad that I almost forgot about all the cool stuff Fujita did before that.

- Fujita was out of his physical prime tought.
I think if he trained with top gyms more ofen he would be fared better, was a very tough dude.

Those knees from Mark Kerr were horripilants, i remember reading about the match on a magazine and the writer describng no way a living being would withstand this, and to his surprise Fujita simple stood-up like they were nothing.



Edited to add: I miss this guy, what a machine he was, was like a japanese Jurgernaut, that wound't stop at the sighting of any opponent.

[Luigi]

Good ol' Ironhead.