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One of the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelts to ever step foot in the Octagon may be even sharper on the ground ahead of his match at UFC Vegas 72. Paired up against Cody Brundage, four-time World Champion, seven-time Abu Dhabi champ and considered by many as the best heavyweight grappler of his generation, Rodolfo Vieira is not done improving his grappling skills just yet.
Rodolfo Vieira never had a BJJ coach
In an interview with Ag Fight, Vieira was excited to share that he had hired a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor to help improve his technique ahead of his match this Saturday. Though Rodolfo is one of the most accomplished blackbelts of all time, the 33-year-old claims he never had a personal coach up until this point.
Although Vieira has already been able to showcase some of his grappling prowess in the Octagon, Rodolfo says that the help of fellow professional blackbelt Salenco Coutinho has made a massive difference in his preparation for the match against Brundage.
“I’ve added some things. I have started training much more seriously, much more everything. I hired a jiu-jitsu coach for me, Salenco Coutinho, who has been helping me a lot. It’s something I didn’t have before. I trained jiu-jitsu by rolling at the gym and I thought that was good enough.”
“I was victorious at jiu-jitsu, but now I’m doing MMA.” Vieira said. “It’s another sport. Jiu-jitsu is much more different than what we do in a competition. He has been helping me with my game. On top, half-guard control, taking the back. I’ve been feeling the difference a lot. My submissions are better, my control. Everything is just tighter. Things I could not even imagine that could improve my jiu-jitsu.”
Rodolfo Vieira lost two of his last three
In his last outing, Rodolfo Vieira (8-2) dropped a unanimous decision to Chris Curtis, in June 2022, back at UFC Vegas 57. Before that, the 33-year-old scored another signature win when he tapped out Dustin Stoltzfus via guillotine choke, in July 2021.
The Brazilian’s first professional loss took place one fight prior, in one of the biggest upsets of that year, when Anthony Hernandez submitted Rodolfo with a guillotine choke in the third round of their match at UFC 258, in February 2021.
It is also worth noting that in early 2022, Vieira had to withdraw from a bout against Wellington Turman due to a brain condition which required Rodolfo to receive a cerebral angiography, a procedure that produces imaging of blood vessels in the brain that detect abnormalities such as aneurysms, tumors or blood clots.
Meanwhile, Brundage (8-3) will look to bounce back from a knockout defeat to Michal Oleksiejczuk, in December 2022. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for the 28-year-old. who defeated Dalcha Lungiambula Tresean Gore, respectively in March and July 2022.
Rodolfo Vieira had a health scare in 2022
Following the health scare, Rodolfo was cleared to fight again in the middle of the year. On his official Instagram profile at the time, the Brazilian wrote how thankful and relieved he was for being able to keep on doing what he loved.
“After months of waiting, I just did the cerebral angiography I needed and everything went fine,” wrote Vieira. “I’m just waiting in my room for the doctor to come tell me what I really have and if I’ll be able to continue fighting MMA. This is without a doubt the toughest day of my life. Whatever it is, I trust God and I know He will do what’s best for my life, as He’s always done.”
Now, Rodolfo Vieira is expected to take on Cody Brundage at UFC Vegas 72, on April 29, at the UFC Apex. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight bout between contenders Ricky Simon and Song Yadong
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