Eduardo Dantas is one of the top-ranked bantamweights in the world. But even the best fighters can be suckered into a war of words with Joe Warren. The talented Brazilian has been sidelined for several months after suffering a head injury in training which not only kept him from defending his Bellator Bantamweight title but also forced an interim championship to be created. Dantas’ pain was Warren’s gain and “The Baddest Man on the Planet” was able to capture the gold against Raphael Silva earlier this year. Now, the score will be settled at Bellator 128; tomorrow night when Dantas returns to unify the titles against Warren in the main event on Spike TV. Dantas spoke to MMAOddsBreaker.com about his recovery, his preparation and his special motivation for beating Warren in this exclusive interview. Check it out: Brian Hemminger: Joe Warren is obviously a great wrestler but you guys have a secret weaopon in your corner with the terrific grappling coach Daniel Alvarez. Can you tell me a little bit about your work with him? Eduardo Dantas: He’s the best coach in Brazil. I work a lot of throws and takedowns and how to defend them. I feel very prepared for what Joe will bring. Brian Hemminger: You went to the Netherlands to wotk your stand-up during your long layoff last year. Did you do any similar travels while waiting for this fight to get sorted out? Eduardo Dantas: I went to Russia to work my wrestling and grappling and I went to Holland to work my Muay Thai. Brian Hemminger: There was the interim title created while you were injured. Now you were blacking out, feinting and having dizzy spells for a while when you tried to get back to training. How scary was that and were you concerned about your fighting future? Eduardo Dantas: I felt okay after I went to the doctor and the doctor told me I just needed rest. I rested about three months and I felt much better and was ready to fight. Brian Hemminger: Something I feel is important to bring up is the fact that you have brought up Joe Warren’s previous failed test for marijuana at the Olympics and have since insinuated that he’s on steroids. Marijuana is more of a recreational drug. What makes you jump from that to steroids? Eduardo Dantas: For sure I understand the differance. What I believe for sure is that he’s taking steroids too. He’s 37 years old and his gas is still the same like he’s 25 with power for all five rounds. That’s not normal for anybody. That’s why I asked about the steroid test. That’s it. Brian Hemminger: I know you said you didn’t mind that they made an interim title but were you surprised? You had already defended your belt once this year and usually a champion has to be out for a longer period of time before an interim belt is created. Eduardo Dantas: For me it does not make a difference whether a guy has a belt. They just created the belt to give a victory to the Bellator show. Brian Hemminger: How do you feel about the difference in skills between yourself and Joe? We all know about Warren’s wrestling but do you feel you have a significant advantage everywhere else? Eduardo Dantas: I feel I have much more skill than him and I’m much more exciting than him. I’m better and can fight him standing, on the ground, on the grappling, on the takedowns or wrestling. Anywhere. I can land a right punch during a takedown and knock him out. Brian Hemminger: What’s it like fighting someone who talks more? You haven’t dealt with that in the past and it can be a different part of the fight game. Does it change anything for you? Eduardo Dantas: There’s no difference for me. To me it doesn’t matter if he talks more than the other guys. I will finish the guy for sure. I don’t have any doubt I am the best guy. I am the champ. If anyone has any doubts, they should see the fight on Friday. Brian Hemminger: When you’re picturing the perfect victory on Friday night. What do you see? Eduardo Dantas: I see myself kicking his head and knocking him out. Eduardobwould like to thank hid team Nova Uniao. You can follow him on Twitter @DuduDantasMMA.
