CR Exclusive Interview with Ricardo Tirloni

Ricardo Tirloni (photo by Bellator.com)

Ricardo Tirloni is one of the most underappreciated fighters in the world. He is one of the top lightweights in Bellator, and the world, and yet has gone unknown to casual fans. Holding one of the best ground games at 155 and powerful standup, Tirloni has all the makings to be a champion.

Boasting a 15-2 record, with his only two losses being to two of the best lightweights in the world, Benson Henderson and Rick Hawn, Tirloni is a world class fighter. Being a participant in the tournament in Bellator's most stacked division is certainly no easy task and Tirloni has made it look easy thus far. He blasted through Rene Nazare with a second round brabo choke, which was extremely impressive.

In the semi-finals, he will face off with 17-2 David Jansen, who also looked mighty impressive himself with a third round submission win over Magomed Saadulaev. Ricardo was gracious enough to sit down with us before his fight with Jansen.

Check it out:

Championship Rounds: Hey Ricardo, thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview. We can’t wait until your fight with David Jansen. So, talk about your fight with Jansen. How has training camp been going?

Ricardo Tirloni: Training camp was very good, we have been training for a long time to be ready for the tournament, and I am very ready for this fight.

CR: What are your initial impressions of Jansen?
 

RT: He is a good athlete with good conditioning and wrestling and with a BJJ background. He always comes  in good shape.

CR: How do you predict your fight going?
 

RT: I always come out aggressive and try to finish the fight and with this fight I think will take place on the ground.

CR:  How do you predict the Marcin Held vs. Rich Clementi fight will go?
 

RT: I don’t know. Held is young and hungry and Clementi has all the skills that you need, so let’s see what happens.

CR: What is your message to the champion Michael Chandler?
 

RT: I have no messages for Chandler because I think and want Hawn to become the champ, but first I will win the tournament.

CR: Are there any fighters we should look out for fighting from Ataque Duplo that we might not know of?
 

RT: Yes, we have a lot of fighters there, make sure to watch Santiago Ponzinibio, Ivan Batman and Kevin Souza.

CR: Thanks again Ricardo. Best of luck in your upcoming fight. We’ll be cheering for you!

RT: Thanks guys!

Thanks again to Ricardo Tirloni. Make sure you guys follow him @TirloniMMA and wish him luck this Friday.