Thiago Tavares Says He Wants More Fights in 2013
Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 01.16.2013
At least three or four...
Thiago Tavares recently spoke with MMAjunkie about his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on F/X 7 and more. Check out the highlights:
On his lackluster 2012: "Of course I wish I could have done more fights. I want to do three or four fights a year. But I like to think only about the good things. I prefer not to pay attention to the bad things. If s--- happens, s--- happens. But I prefer to pay attention to preparation and training hard and just focusing on my next fight and where I'm going in my career."
On getting only one fight in 2012 due to injuries: "Of course I would have preferred it if I would have had three or four fights last year, but instead I did just one. I never stopped training. I got more experience because of it. I trained a lot for the fight with Dennis Hallman. I was so ready for it. I made weight and everything. So I think I improved a lot. I'm more confident than ever because I've improved so much my techniques in boxing and wrestling."
On facing Khabib Nurmagomedov: "In the UFC, everybody is really good, but there are some guys that are really tough opponents but don't have a name. But Khabib Nurmagomedov has a decent name. He's famous in Europe. He's a tough Russian who won his last fight against a really tough guy in Gleison Tibau. I wanted this. I want to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. I'm going to win, and then I want another big challenge. This is my career. I've improved myself, and I want to test myself. That's my job."
On fighting in Brazil: "I love fighting in Las Vegas, too, but I really love fighting in Brazil," Tavares said. "The Brazilian people give you so much energy for the fights. I feel really good fighting here, and I could fight here all the time."
On trying to make 2013 a banner year: "I'd love to fight three times this year, and if I can fight in Brazil every time, I'd love to do that. For this fight, if I win by decision or if I submit or knock him out in a few seconds, I just want to win, and I will do everything to win. I will try to finish the fight at all times. Whether it goes 15 minutes or one minute, I'll win this fight, and I will welcome more challenges."
