Tallison Teixeira appears to be in no hurry to insert himself into the title fight today, May 30, in the UFC heavyweight title fight against Sergei Pavlovich.
He revealed in his last interview his plans to defeat two Russians in a row.
Xicao, in a more recent interview, revealed that he is considering defeating two Russians in a row before becoming a serious contender for the UFC heavyweight championship.
“Now I see it in a more solid way,” Teixeira said in an interview with MMA Fighting.
And he added: “I still see him as a very tough guy. Back then I said that ‘if I’m well prepared’ because I knew he was a very difficult opponent.
“But he hasn’t changed much for me. I still see him as a very dangerous guy, someone I need to be extremely well prepared to fight, but I think he’s lost a little bit of that drive and aggression that he used to have, and I think that can work in my favor.”
“Of course, when it comes time for our fight, he might go crazy like he used to, rush forward recklessly and throw everything into that punch and try to end the fight right away,” he predicted.
Teixeira, while explaining his preparation for the unpredictable matchup, said: “It’s a very unpredictable matchup. I trained for that possibility, but I also trained in case I took a more measured approach, slowed down the fight and tried to win on points. I really think I’m very well prepared.”
“Even if I beat him, I don’t think I would immediately be in the title conversation,” Teixeira insisted.
“Honestly, I don’t even want that yet. I think I still need one or two more fights before I get into that discussion. But that would put me in the top five, maybe top three,” he continued.
Xicao revealed his next big move if he emerges victorious tonight, saying: “Maybe an upcoming fight with Volkov would make sense. Two Russians in a row? That would be fun.”
Knocking out a top contender like Pavlovich would likely put the Brazilian in the top 10 heavyweights.
Teixeira is scheduled for a showdown against Pavlovich in the UFC’s 120kg heavyweight class on Saturday, May 30 in Macau, China.
