Back in Brazil to recover from surgery and to launch his line of supplements, Rodrigo Minotauro talked about his return to training. He also discussed the participation of Junior Dos Santos in the reality "The Ultimate Fighter" and also said what he hopes of the tournament of heavyweights of Strikeforce.
How is your recovery?
I’m improving, I’ll be more two weeks in Brazil doing physiotherapy, and I’ll be back to America for treatment on my left leg and by the middle or end of March I should go back to training. I will prepare myself to fight in late August.
Dos Santos can not fight for the belt now, due to contusion of Cain Velasquez, but will have two major challenges: to be a coach of TUF and face Brock Lesnar. How important is the TUF for his career and what changes in the preparation for Brock and the preparation for Cain?
The TUF will be important to spread the Brazilian MMA in the U.S., show how we train together. I showed this when I was coach of TUF and Dos Santos will show the same thing. We’ll go there to visit him, I, Anderson, but Dos Santos is a guy who already knows how to teach, he just teaches … He’ll know how to do, will show his refined technique and show why he is one of the best in the world. As for Lesnar, he does not kick. So Dos Santos don’t need to train defensive Muay Thai a lot, as he was training for Cain, he can train a more offensive Muay Thai. It is a fight to seek the knockout, train a lot of wrestling, and train the guard, because he can fall down. Although the Lesnar’s ground and pound is not as good as that of Cain. But he is in the path for the knockout in this fight.
About the heavyweight GP of Strikeforce: what are your impressions, your favorite, etc.?
I think Pezão, Fedor and Barnett are the favorites. This fight of Pezão against Fedor may be the anticipated final. He has a very good wrestling, he is tough, and he is the hardest opponent for Fedor in that GP.
It has been said that the best heavyweights are in Strikeforce, and that the GP proves that. What do you think?
I disagree, I think the best are in the UFC. There are tough guys in Strikeforce, will have great fights in this GP, but the UFC is even more complicated.
