Photo via @vitaoresende on Twitter
Vitor Resende on Greg Velasco “I’m going to submit him”
Vitor Resende tests skills with Greg Velasco at PFL Challenger Series 2023 on February 10th.
Resende appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to discuss the history behind this matchup, the elite heavyweight work Resende gets at American Top Team, and more. Excerpts from our chat are below.
Vitor Resende
Training diligently at American Top Team and the localized PFL championship insights he gets there from former PFL heavyweight champ Philipe Lins
“I couldn’t get at a better team, especially as a heavyweight. American Top Team has a wide array of top talent in the weight class. Not to mention the coaches, those guys have infinite knowledge to pass down to us. We’re lucky to be sponges to absorb it…It’s an honor to be a part of this team and I’ve got a lot to learn from these guys here at the gym.”
“Philipe (Lins) is one of those guys that aside from being a training partner, he is a close and personal friend of mine. So we’ve had these conversations. He’s a great source of motivation and knowledge for me. He’s told me this is my time. Just like when he made his PFL debut, just like me, he had gone a long period of time without fighting. Once this opportunity came about, he just embraced it and there it is. We’ve been talking a lot about this moment. He’s been giving me all the confidence in the world. To know that I’m ready, willing, and able to seize this opportunity.”
PFL Challenger Series
Thoughts on his opponent’s stylistic attributes, Velasco reportedly turning down a CFFC fight with Resende, and if that gives Resende a mental edge heading into this fight
“I’m excited to fight him. We’ve quite honestly been slated to fight before. I’ve been offered a fight against him at the show he was a champion at. From my understanding, he declined that fight. So this time around, there’s no moving around it. I’m excited we actually get to fight each other…So this was around September-October. It was before he won the belt. So they offered him a fight against me. From my understanding, he declined it. Then took a fight against someone else and became a champion. So it was shortly before.”
“I’m not a big trash talker. I just like to go in there and get my work done. I’m excited to do that. I think this was a strategy of his to go out there and win the belt. It worked out but I’m just happy we get to fight this time around… I know I can expect him to try to take me down. He’s going to use his strong wrestling base and I’m going to use my strong jiu-jitsu base. So this fight is going to end up on the mat and I’m going to submit him.”
