Brazil is a place of great fighters, and one of the most recently discovered is Diego Brandao from Ceara, TUF's last edition winner. The featherweight fighter, representing the Britain's Michael Bisping team, became TUF's champion submitting Dennis Bermudez in the grand final. Last week, Diego was in Rio de Janeiro to help promote UFC 142, as well as his idol, Wanderlei Silva.
"The guy who really inspires me is Wanderlei Silva, brother. When I got there in TUF's house I saw his picture all day there, big photo, looked at and think, 'I'll be like that guy right there. On training day I smashed everyone, and training is training, there we see who are the real pit bulls", said the fighter.
Previously unknown in the country, Diego Brandao now found himself in the star role, and then hit the mat mounted on Barra da Tijuca to the fighters open training in the UFC 142 to talk to the public. Additionally, appeared in photos, signed autographs and gave plenty of interviews, but said that none of this will change him. "That was what I was most anxious to see. I went up there, so I looked around and asked me: 'Is it really you?" Sometimes we don't get it, brother. But this is it, I'm here as part of the show, talking to the public, giving interviews, it's an honor for me. That's why I thank God for being Brazilian. Brazil is awesome. "
In relation to do not let success get in the way of his career, Diego has a great inspiration to keep his head focused. "Life after the title goes well, I'm focusing on, much things coming the same time, but I'm Mike Tyson, Brother. I watch Mike Tyson every day and he says that to be a champion you have to separate these things out there, and that's it, I am preparing for success and to fight for war. "
The athlete also revealed that there are no fight scheduled, but who come, he'll be ready, because the goal is the same. "In my mind I'm with my eye on the belt, but I have to go slow, I'm a newcomer in UFC, my job now is to train like a madman, get ready to face anyone on my weight division".
He also told about the difficult it has been confined in TUF's house because he suffered prejudice by being the only Brazilian in the place. "The gringos are fools sometimes, have no sense of danger. The guys sometimes do a trash talk because he wants to say something to take off your concentration. They vomited near my bed, came to wake me up two hours of the morning drinking. They did it to get angry, but I saved it all. I was like, 'I'll take him in the fight, I'll kill him'. Guys make me mad, they do not understand, I become Hulk and what makes Hulk when angered? He grows, get stronger. The same thing happen to me in the fight. I just keep quiet, I look at them and do not forget anymore. When I sleep I think about it, and come fight time I enter that way to kill", let off steam the athlete, who also said:" This is a little difficult to control, but the guys there are good people, after the show everything ends and thank God I came out as champion. "
A fighter who helped him a lot when he came to the United States was the Cowboy Donald Cerrone, who was recently defeated by Nate Diaz in a fight in which many expected more action from him, but were frustrated by the passivity that he showed during the fight. "I do not understand what happened, man.I thought Cerrone would kill that guy, because the man is a machine. But sometimes you're not in a cool place, right. I was not there at the gym, do not know what happened. Then I made a call to him and said, 'The Cowboy was training?' "But that's it, fighting is fighting, and I hope he comes back stronger", said Diego Brandao.
