Is it finally happening? Rodolfo Vieira celebrates training with legendary Lyoto Machida and promises a submission victory at UFC Vegas 116.

Rodolfo promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

Jiu-jitsu legend Rodolfo Vieira received a significant boost in his camp to perform at UFC Vegas 116. This Saturday (25), the Brazilian faces Eric McConico in the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg) and seeks to recover from the brutal knockout suffered against Bo Nickal . Therefore, to get back to winning ways, the athlete simply had the help of Lyoto Machida.

As expected, Rodolfo, in an interview with 'UFC Brasil' , celebrated the partnership with the legendary former light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg) of the company and showed excitement to put all the teachings into practice against the American. As 'The Dragon' is a respected karateka, the expectation is that the athlete will show improvements in his striking. In any case, the jiu-jitsu icon says he will not deny his strength and predicts a victory by submission, something that last happened in 2024.

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“It was the best camp to date. It was very good, I felt great, I was able to train very hard, I didn't have any injuries, and I had Lyoto helping me every week, two or three times. I consider myself a very blessed guy, very lucky to have a guy like him, who was a champion, training with me, helping me, being my coach and training partner. Who has that chance?”, said the jiu-jitsu legend.

“It will be a good fight. I am very prepared. I had a wonderful camp, I trained very well, a lot of my jiu-jitsu, to take the fight to the ground, and I am very confident that I will be able to get the submission, especially since it's been a while since I've been able to submit anyone. That's it, regardless of the result, you will always see a Rodolfo fighting forward, fighting to, preferably, always finish every fight,” he concluded.

Rodolfo's MMA fighters

Rodolfo Vieira , 36, made his mark in Jiu-Jitsu and is considered by many to be one of the best fighters in history, but he has yet to convince in MMA. The Brazilian began his career in the sport in 2017 and debuted in the UFC in 2019. In MMA, he has a record of 11 wins, ten by stoppage (nine by submission and one by knockout), and four losses.

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