The former Bellator MMA champion wants to make a statement against the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s up-and-coming star.
Former two-time Bellator bantamweight champion and current combat commentator Eduardo Dantas will soon be transitioning into the grappling realm. The 35-year-old will face Umar Nurmagomedov in a no-gi featherweight grappling contest at ADXC 7 on October 25th at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. According to an interview with Sherdog, he was considering continuing his MMA career, but received an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“While I was preparing for an MMA fight in December, the ADXC promoter approached me with an offer to fight Nurmagomedov, so I had to stop my boxing and Muay Thai preparations to focus on Jiu-Jitsu training. ” Dantas revealed.
According to representatives of Nova Unian, the chance to compete against a top Dagestan wrestler like Umar, a black belt in classical Brazilian jiu-jitsu, was the main motivation for accepting the invitation.
“Ever since I started practicing Jiu-Jitsu, I have heard the history of masters Helio, Karlsson, and later Rickson demonstrating the efficiency of Jiu-Jitsu against all other styles in each generation.” said Dantas. “When it comes to grappling today, there is no doubt that jiu-jitsu and wrestling are the most dominant styles, so it is an honor to represent my art against representatives of the esteemed Dagestani wrestling school. But it’s almost a controversy. It’s a UFC title.”
The event will be held the day before UFC 308, which will also take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, and will be headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Ilya Topria and Max Holloway. Dantas made it clear that he’s not done fighting MMA just yet as he still has a lot of years left in him, but if he can defeat the fighter who looks to be the UFC’s next title challenger, Or better yet, don’t expect to get a contract with the UFC if you give in.
“I’m a big fan of the UFC, but I’m not doing this fight to earn a spot there,” “Dudu” admitted. “I accept this challenge because I consider Umar a great fighter. It would be a great grappling match. The reason I didn’t go to the UFC is because my manager Sean Shelby Because I told Ali, one of the guys, that I’ve already covered a lot of distance. For Dana, I was already there, so thanks to my friend Jose Aldo for talking to him. But I don’t expect to fight there, even though I’m a guy who picks fighters based on his preferences, not numbers or titles.
When asked to commentate on his MMA bout with Nurmagomedov, the Brazilian was confident in his skill set.
“Umar has evolved greatly. [in] Despite his stand-up skills, I believe he will feel the pressure of my boxing and kicking and go for his basic style of wrestling. And I wouldn’t run off the ground to fight him, I would probably submit him with a heel hook or a kneebar. That’s how I predict a mixed martial arts fight with Umar,” analyzed the 35-year-old.
The former Bellator champion doesn’t expect to make the UFC roster, but believes he has the potential to go far and rise up the rankings in a short amount of time.
“Once you’re in there, it’s for sure.” [the] “UFC, I’ll be in the top 10 within a year and reach a title shot within 24 months,” Dantas boasted.
Dantas, who grew up in Rio de Janeiro’s Santo Amaro favela, was discovered by Andre Pederneiras, founder of Nova União, along with Hacran Díaz and Marlon Moraes. After winning the Bellator title and being hailed as one of the best bantamweights in the world, ‘Dudu’ launched his own social project to give back to the community that made him the person he is today. I did.
“Martial arts saved my life,” exclaims Dantas. “My main goal in life today is to give poor children in favelas throughout Brazil the same opportunities that I had.”
While this Brazilian had an unquenchable thirst for struggle, he found a second purpose in various social projects to improve his community. Dantas has been involved in more than 85 social projects throughout Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state, including running children’s programs, training students, and rebuilding communities.
“My main job today is to build bridges between those who need help and those who want to help,” concluded the former two-time Bellator champion and highly regarded Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in the UFC main event on ABC 7. The undefeated 28-year-old has emerged as a title contender and is expected to face newly crowned bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in his first title defense. Dantas, who has seven wins by submission, last competed in MMA in May 2023, when he lost a decision to Denis Lavrentev at RCC 15.
