Live Report from UFC 112: FIGHT DAY
"Can Terry Etim beat Rafael Dos Anjos? Yes, of course. A fight is a fight and anything can happen. Etim will always have a striker's chance with a lucky head kick or something. In fact, most experts believe that Terry Etim will beat Rafael Dos Anjos. The oddsmakers have Dos Anjos as the underdog. However, if Dos Anjos and Etim were to fight 10 times, I believe that Dos Anjos would win 9 times. In my opinion, Dos Anjos has the edge in standup, wrestling, and on the ground. In standup, Dos Anjos' Muay Thai is now slightly better than Etim's. He has worked very hard with Kru Toy Sityodtong, Kru Nuengpichit Sityodtong, and myself. In wrestling, he is much better than Etim. On the ground, it is not even a comparison. Dos Anjos is a world-class elite BJJ Black Belt and Etim is a purple belt level grappler. For this fight, Dos Anjos trained with our top BJJ Black Belts every day. After spending many hours reviewing Terry Etim's strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies, we devised the perfect game plan and strategy to win this fight. This fight could end up looking like GSP-Hardy II, but with a KO or a submission ending in favor of Dos Anjos.
One thing is certain. This fight is the biggest fight of their young careers for both Rafael Dos Anjos and Terry Etim. Not only is it the first time that either of them are fighting on the main card of the UFC, but this event is one of the biggest in history. It is being televised to over 450 million people across 100 countries. The winner will move up the ranks (especially if he wins in dramatic fashion with a stoppage or submission) and will be 1-2 fights away from the upper echelons of the toughest division in the UFC, the Lightweight division.
The thing that impresses me most about Rafael Dos Anjos is his humility as a fighter and as a human being. As a fighter, it is critical to be humble. Why? Humility allows you to remain a student of the game. The minute you believe that you are better than everyone else, your downfall will start because you will stop learning at a rapid rate. Dos Anjos listens to all of us and absorbs everything like a sponge in each discipline. In a few years, Dos Anjos is going to be a phenomenal MMA fighter because he is evolving every day in Muay Thai, BJJ, Boxing, and Wrestling. He is the real deal.
Today is fight day. After breakfast, Dos Anjos took some pictures and signed some autographs for some fans waiting in the hotel lobby. Dos Anjos currently weighs 80 kilos or 176 lbs. Right now we are all just hanging out and relaxing. He is visualizing all the different moves that we have gone through. I believe that our game plan and strategy will give us the greatest odds for victory. At 630pm local time, we will head down to the UFC bus that will take us to the stadium. Dos Anjos is expected to fight around 10pm local time in Abu Dhabi.
WAR Dos Anjos!!! WAR Renzo!!! WAR Team Evolve!!!"
