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.

CR Exclusive Interview with Jim Alers!

Photo by MMAJunkie.com

Jim Alers might not exactly be a name that the average casual MMA fan has heard of, but they will soon enough. While sporting an 8-1ecord, Jim Alers has finished all of his fights and 6 of those by submission. He is known for having a solid BJJ arsenal but he has also finished two fights via TKO/KO.

He will be challenging Cage Warriors’ 145-pound champ, Conor McGregor for the belt, which headlines Cage Warriors Fight Night 7 on September 1^st. He was very gracious in taking the time to do an interview with us at CR.

Championship Rounds: Hey Jim, thanks for agreeing to do this interview and we really look forward to your fight with McGregor. So your next fight is against Conor McGregor for the Cage Warriors 145 pound title. Talk about this fight. How much does a title fight mean to you?

Jim Alers: I'm excited about this fight. McGregor is one of the top fighters out there in the UK. I feel we are both aggressive fighters so there will be a lot of action in this fight. I will be coming forward the whole time and I expect him to also. When I win this title, I expect big things for me in the future. The Cage Warriors Title has excelled many fighters’ careers.

CR: What did you think of McGregor's last performance when he submitted a BJJ specialist when that is his own weakness?

JA: I was surprised that he got that submission but every dog has its day. I'm sure he has been working on his submission game. Nowadays, fighters are getting good at everything so you have to expect the unexpected.

CR: How do you see your fight with Conor playing out?

JA: I see him coming out aggressive trying to bully me like he does to his other opponents. I don't see that working on me because I'm not afraid to be hit. It makes me push forward more. My last four fights my opponents have actually tried to take me down after I have rocked them so I can see that happening in this fight as well.

CR: If you do end up winning the belt, who do you believe will be your first challenger and why?

JA: When I win the title I am not sure who my next challenger will be. Cage Warriors has tons of talent and I'm sure there will be a line around the block of opponents trying to win my title. I'm open to all challenges.

CR: If the opportunity presented itself, would you make a move to the UFC?

JA: It's every fighter’s dream to fight in the UFC. If the opportunity does present itself, I'd have to take it. I will show the world that Cage Warriors has top talent.

Thanks again to Jim Alers! Make sure you follow him on Twitter @fightJim. Goodluck!

Interview with BJJ Champion Fredson Paixão

                                                                                     Photo by MMAjunkie.com

Fredson Paixão is one of the world’s best grapplers. He is a 9 time BJJ Brazilian National Champion and a 4 time BJJ World Jiu-Jitsu Champion!!! He also skipped from purple belt to black belt; which has only happened one other time ever. He is also an amazing MMA fighter. He is a former WEC and UFC fighter. We have been huge fans of his for a long time and were very blessed to be able to have a short interview with the grappling master.

CR: “Thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview for us! We have been huge fans of yours for some time. Your BJJ accomplishments are amazing and we have loved watching you compete.”

CR:  “The rumor is you will be competing at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships again this year. Is that true? “

Fredson: “When I was watching the pans Bjj I was re-motivated to compete. So yes, I am competing in the Worlds Jiu-jitsu Championships this year, and will be looking forward to the tough competition as well as having fun.”

CR: “After the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships are you going to fight MMA again? And if yes, when?”

Fredson: “Right now I am constantly training, working on new things to strengthen my all around fight game. I do plan on fighting after the worlds but, no dates have been established.”

CR: “You have many great accomplishments but which one means the most and why?”

Fredson: “Though I am very proud of all my accomplishments, my greatest one was becoming a new father. It has truly changed my world and outlook on life.”

CR: “What young fighter do you see coming up in MMA that has amazing BJJ skills that everyone should pay attention too?”

Fredson: “MMA requires you to have multiple skill sets in both the stand up as well in the ground game. This is where I made my mistake taking for granted my striking. Now I have learned from my mistake and I am making the necessary changes to grow as a complete MMA fighter.”

CR: “Who is the one guy you would love to compete against in BJJ?”

Fredson: “I don't have any one person I would like to compete against. I just come for War!”

CR: “Thank you so much for your time! And we hope to meet you one day!”

Fredson Paixão was very gracious and we loved communicating with him. His answers were very honest and you can tell he loves his family very much. We wish him the best in all of his future endeavors.Make sure you follow him and show him support throughout his career!!