Recently, The MMA Corner’s Aline Baktchejian Djehdian spoke with Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira, winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil season one.

The pair discussed the fighter’s lengthy layoff and how he thinks he’ll fair at UFC 163 against Thiago Santos.

Below are versions in both English and Portuguese. Click the tab to switch the language.

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What have you learned during your long layoff (last fight was in June 2012) and will bring to this fight now against Thiago Santos?

Many things. I have a new team, new coaches I’m training with. I took this time I had to recover and training to change my game, correct the flaws and learn new things. Saturday, I have a lot to show.

Your opponent has changed, what changes have you made to your strategy?

I will use the same strategy, which is to get there, make a good fight and win the fight. I do not care that my opponent has changed. In TUF, I was prepared and trained for it, not knowing who I was going to fight. This is nothing new to me or anything, and nothing that I haven’t already faced.

This is a fight of TUF Brazil 1 vs. TUF Brazil 2. Which will prove to be better on Saturday?

TUF 1 [laughs], because it was the first.

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O que esse tempo parado fez você aprender e vai trazer para essa luta agora contra Thiago Marreta?

Muitas coisas, novo time, novos treinadores eparceiros de treino. Aproveitei esse tempo que tive de recuperação e treinamento para mudar meu game, corrigir as falhas e aprender coisas novas. Sábado tenho muito a mostrar.

Seu adversário mudou, o que você está preparando de estratégia para essa mudança?

Usarei a mesma, que é entrar lá, fazer um bom combate e vencer a luta. Eu não ligo que mude o adversário na hora. No TUF 1 fui preparado e treinado para isso não sabia quem eu ia lutar. Nada novopra mim e nem nada nada do que  já vivi.

TUF 1vs TUF2 qual TUF levará a melhor no sábado?

Legal isso né. Mas oTUF 1 (risos)  pois foi o primeiro.

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Photo: Cezar Mutante (Sherdog)

About The Author

Aline Bak
Staff Writer, Brazil

A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Aline began watching MMA with her father during the heyday of Pride in the early 2000's. Her passion for the sport soon turned to the UFC not long after. After attending UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro and UFC 146 in Las Vegas, Aline was asked to recount her experience for Tatame—one of Brazil's biggest media outlets—and thus began her writing career. In addition to her work for The MMA Corner, she maintains her own site about MMA.