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Sunday, Feb 09, 2014

UFC FN 36: Cristiano Marcello Recalls Chute Boxe Days: “We Had Probably Five or Six Real Fights Every Day”

Marcello (photo via Alchemist MMA.com)

By FCF Staff

When Cristiano Marcello takes on Joe Proctor at UFC Fight Night 36 this Saturday, the lightweight will be competing in the 19th pro bout of a career which dates back to 1997. In other words, Marcello recalls fighting and training when the sport was quite different from what it is today.

The 36 year-old veteran was a member of the famed / feared Chute Boxe team when it featured legendary fighters like Wanderlei Silva, “Shogun” Rua, “Ninja” Rua and Anderson Silva, among many others. In a recent interview with UFC.com, the Brazilian had this to say about the brutal sparring the storied gym produced:

“Let me put it this way,” Marcello said, “with no exaggeration, we had probably five or six real fights every day in training back in those days.  The sessions were very intense because each fighter wanted to show their potential to fight and participate in the big shows.  But there were not that many big shows at the time, only UFC and PRIDE, so you really had to show your potential, if you know what I mean.”

“I come from the old school where we would only fought our rivals and enemies,” Marcello added later in the interview, while referring to his TUF 15 teammate Proctor. “But the times are changing and the athletes need to change with the times…This will be different than the fight that I had with Reza Madadi (at UFC 153), where we had a bitter rivalry.  By the way, he and I respected each other a lot after the fight and we needed a proper battle to become friends.  Proctor is a good friend, we will make an exciting fight, and we will give it everything we got.  Afterwards it will make our friendship stronger.”

Marcello (13-5) will be looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss he suffered versus Kazuki Tokudome last March, when he fights in Jaragua do Sul this weekend. Marcello has gone 1-2 in the UFC to date.

 

posted by FCF Staff @ 12:11 pm
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