Rodolfo Vieira was working with MMA veteran and coach Diego Braga for the primary time forward of UFC Vegas 86, coaching alongside head coach Davi Ramos, when tragedy struck.
Braga was killed by members of legal group Comando Vermelho in January.
Now, Vieira is concentrated on honoring Braga with a masterful efficiency on Saturday.
“He was a particular man, very nice man,” Vieira informed MMA Combating. “I keep in mind when Davi texted me [with the news], and I used to be studying it, ‘No, it’s not doable.’ I stored staring on the telephone and considering, ‘Did Davi ship the flawed identify? Was it one other individual?’ Nevertheless it was him.
“We have been very, very unhappy, man. I by no means thought that might occur, and for the time being we have been the closest.”
Vieira, who meets Armen Petrosyan on the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, determined to maneuver his camp from Orlando to Rio de Janeiro after his 2023 combat with Petrosyan was pulled from UFC Sao Paulo on the eleventh hour. He then enlisted UFC veteran Ramos as his head coach.
He didn’t suppose twice when Ramos steered calling Braga to assist together with his preparation as soon as the match was rebooked. Braga had coached a few of Brazil’s greatest fighters, together with Anderson Silva, and was centered on main his son Gabriel Braga within the PFL.
“Davi and I spoke, and we thought it will be higher if we known as him as a result of Davi all the time had an important relationship with him,” Vieira stated. “We weren’t that shut, however we have been all the time cool, I all the time preferred him, he’s all the time handled me very well, so we known as him [to be part of the camp]. We have been coaching for 3 weeks already, if I’m not mistaken. I used to be going to Davi’s gymnasium each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to assist, and sadly that tragedy occurred.”
Vieira deliberate on having Braga in his nook at UFC Vegas 86. After tragedy struck, he as an alternative known as Mano Santana, Vieira’s head coach in Orlando, to be with him throughout combat week. Making ready to face Petrosyan twice hasn’t been straightforward, Vieira stated, however he’s simply glad that the 2 are lastly assembly contained in the octagon after back-to-back camps.
“We tried to do the identical factor in Rio, to maintain the sport plan we have been engaged on, specializing in takedowns and jiu-jitsu,” Vieira stated. “I used to be capable of work that in Rio, much more so than in Orlando, so the change was good in that sense although I’m already used to the coaching routine in Orlando.”
Petrosyan is 8-2 as an expert MMA fighter with a number of knockouts early in his profession, however he has notched all choices in his 3-1 stint beneath the UFC banner.
Vieira, a jiu-jitsu legend, scored all his 4 UFC victories by submission.
“I see myself submitting him, in fact. Will probably be laborious to beat him on the ft,” Vieira stated with fun. “He’s actually good on the ft, so it’s going to be a combat, him attempting to maintain it on the ft and me attempting to take him down.”
“I believe he’ll do every part he can to get again to his ft after I speak him down,” he continued. “We’ve watched his fights, and he all the time provides his again when he’s attempting to get again up. It’s laborious for somebody who isn’t a grappler after they get taken down, they often give their backs, as a result of they don’t have the method to get again up utilizing the half guard or a single leg, so I’ll do every part I can to maintain him down. That’s what we’ve labored on.”
