I am here with Eduardo “DUDU” Ramos, BJJ high level fighter, soon to be making his American MMA debut.. Lets get started.

sPidA: First off, what is your current MMA record?

DUDU: 2-0. 1 in New Zealand and 1 in Brazil and they are both wins.

sPidA: You are a BJJ Blackbelt are you active in BJJ tournaments?

DUDU: Oh yea, I prove my game, I like a lot of submissions… I am a BJJ high level and I have trained that way my whole life.

sPidA: As a member of ATT are you a black belt under Ricardo Liborio?

DUDU: No I received my black belt under my instructor in my City of Vitoria in Brazil.

sPidA: How did you start training with Liborio and the ATT?

DUDU: Ricardo Liborio invited me about 7 yrs ago and I’ve always trained hard with all the guys there, Mike Brown, Thiago Silva. I’m very proud about that. I’m ready to start fighting again in the U.S.

sPidA: You are scheduled to fight in Austin, TX on April 30th under the Wolfe Pack Promotions, do you know who your opponent will be?

DUDU: I haven’t heard about this guy but every professional that fights will have good skills. I trained hard for this fight so it doesn’t matter who I fight nor do I care. I just plan to go to the fight and put on a good show for the fans. I’m ready to prove my game.

sPidA: Another day at the office as they say.

DUDU: (laughs) Oh yeah that’s my work in the ring.

sPidA: So obviously you are a high level Black belt, what else have you trained in for your upcoming fight?

DUDU: I’ve been training in Muay Thai with Lumakang and Jiu-Jitsu/Wrestling with Salazar. He’s a really really good friend of mine. I train hard and have been here 2 months.

sPidA: What do you plan on doing after your fight and win on April 30th?

DUDU: I will be moving to Oklahoma and open up an American Top Team school there.

sPidA: And this will be your school? What classes can people reading this expect to find there?

DUDU:I’m the head coach at ATT for Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

sPidA: I heard that you went to compete in the Pan Ams this past weekend, how did that go?

DUDU: I lost my second fight against Calvante. I train hard for that fight and he’s my friend but a fights a fight.

sPidA: Once again its business and you guys can remain friends after the match.

DUDU: Yeah, we stay friends but I lost to him. Won my first match 8-0 but everybody there is high level. My second opponent we were 0-0. I did the mistake and he submit me with a foot lock.

sPidA: Back to your April 30th fight, you will be fighting @ 205lbs, are you planning to stay at this weight class?

DUDU: For right now but I plan to fight at 185lbs.

sPidA: I see, that’s a great weight class to be in a lot of high level competition. You have a fellow Country man Anderson Silva dominating at that weight class. Did you watch his fight against Maia and what did you think about the outcome?

DUDU: I did.. when fighting you have  a lot of adrenaline, I wasn’t to happy with the outcome but a fights a fight. He thought about what happened after it happened. There both Brazilian, there both Professional. I trained with Maia in Brazil, we were friends and trained together in Brazil. This is when we were both Blue Belts.

sPidA: Obviously you are planning to fight at that level competition.

DUDU: Of course Of course.. I’m American Top Team, I train with a lot of tough fighters.

sPidA: Some which have been Champions in other MMA events, correct?

DUDU: Yes, American Top Team has a lot of good guys like Thiago Silva. They have a good camp and lots of great people to train with. The facility in Florida is very equipped and you have Liborio who is there to support. I am very proud of that. I cant wait to get back in the Cage.

sPidA: After April 30th, you are also scheduled to fight here in San Antonio for ABG Promotions on July 17th. After your victory celebration will you start training for that as  well?

DUDU: (starts laughing) Not thinking about that one yet. April 30th I’m taking serious. Then I’ll come back and start training again.

sPidA: So we know that Ju-Jitsu is your life, what else do you do when your not training for a fight?

DUDU: I love to surf, hang out with friends and not talk about class or training (laughs) Relax and let my body rest. Too much training and your body will always be stiff. Just relax.

sPidA: This is San Antonio so surfing is out of the question.We do have a River running through Downtown, have you been out enjoying the City.

DUDU: Marcello, plans on taking me there. Right now he’s still waiting to come back from his trip. You know, these flight delays, you never know how those will go.

sPidA: Back to your gym in Oklahoma, what other instructors will be helping you and will there be any other classes than BJJ/MMA?

DUDU: I have a lot of ties in Jiu-jitsu.We have a Champion Brown belt that will be coming to Florida ATT and then come to Oklahoma to help teach. He will be teaching kids and others that will be helping as well. They are all ready for Oklahoma.

sPidA:You are here visiting with Marcello Salazar, are you guys old friends? How did you end up here in San Antonio?

DUDU: I met Marcello Salazar like 15 yrs ago. He has opened the doors for me here and I am very grateful. He’s a good guy and a great friend. I am thankful to him.

sPidA: That’s great that he has remained a true friend and is willing to help out. We definitely need more people like that in the World of BJJ/MMA. Any last words to everybody supporting you in pursuing your Dreams?

DUDU: Yes, I would like to thank SPRAWL, Est: Dos Diez clothing, Marcello Salazar and the Brazilian Top Team. I’m American Top Team but Marcello is a good friend of mine, so thank him, Ricardo Liborio, my manager and everybody for helping me train and of course you guys at TexasFighting.com for this interview. Thank you and lets get ready for this fight.

WEC 44 promises to be a thriller with another possible fight of the year candidate. WEC fights are among the most exciting with quick action and endless energy and Mike Brown and Jose Aldo promise to keep the WEC’s string of great fights intact. Jose Aldo (15-1, 5 consecutive knockouts) is one of MMA’s most exciting, young prospects that will face his toughest test in his short career. Aldo is coming off an exciting, eight-second KO win of Cub Swanson with a flying double knee that left the Sacramento crowd buzzing and earned him the coveted Knockout of the Night bonus. Mike Brown (22-4, 10 straight wins) conquered the WEC most recognizable face, Urijah Faber, twice. Brown will want use his strong wrestling background to close the gap and neutralize Aldo’s heavy hands. Jose Aldo will surely want to keep the fight standing to add another knockout to his resume but is also a black belt jiu-jitsu artist. However, Brown was not afraid to trade punches with the heavy-handed Leonard Garcia, instead he stunned Garcia with a flurry of punches and earned a win via an arm-triangle choke showing he can also do it all in the cage. This promises to be another WEC instant classic full of fireworks.

In the co-main event, Leonard Garcia will take on Manny Gamuryan. The two former UFC competitors will face off to determine who will earn the next title shot against the Brown-Aldo winner. Garcia is one of my favorite fighters because he seems to enjoy fighting, smiling through most of his fights. His heavy hands will be occupied trying to keep himself upright if the judo expert, Manny Gamburyan. In what should be another exciting fight, I expect Leonard Garcia’s power as the difference in the fight. Gamburyan was the victim of one of the quickest knockouts in UFC history when Rob Emerson knocked him out in 12 seconds. Garcia hits much harder and will certainly test the chin of the Armenian.

In a busy MMA month that features 4 major events, including 3 Zuffa events in two weeks, WEC promises to be the belle of the ball. If have yet to enjoy a WEC event, do yourself a favor and tune into Versus tonight at 8:00 pm/central.

images via sherdog.com