Alex says it's hard in Connecticut. He is shirtless and his torso is covered with sweat as he sits on a bench in front of an open window, a nice breeze cooling off the gym. It's very hard. The man is not upset. It is difficult to fully understand his words because he is speaking in Portuguese and his words are translated by his training partner. It's easy to notice the tone of the voice. One of the things that makes it different is it is mixed with a firm purpose. A man preparing for the biggest fight of his life is expected to have a sense of purpose. The main event of UFC 281 will take place on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and will feature a fight between Israel Adesanya and Marcos Ambrose. The blue sky behind him is what his purpose was for that night. The feeling of being content? The community he has found in western Connecticut has made him feel at peace. There is a deep connection among those who train at the gym. The workouts push beyond self-imposed limitations and all who step on the mat are in it together. A family project is what the gym is. In the main event of UFC 281 in New York, Israel Adesanya will defend his title. You can buy UFC 281 on the pay per view. The UFC has a match between Adesanya and Pereira.
Saturday, Nov. 12, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Main card: 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV
• Prelims: 8 p.m. on ESPN News/ESPN+
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The family vibe is embraced by everyone who walks through the door at the facility, which was opened eight years ago. The kinship inside the gym is very similar to that of the native of Brazil. His sister Aline is training to make her pro MMA debut.
"We're a family here and we're very friendly," he says. It is not easy like Alex said. Every day, hard work is required. Alex showed he belonged here the first time he arrived.
The summer of 2020 was when Teixeira brought in Pereira to help with his training. It was a dangerous match up. He was on a four-fight winning streak and was on the verge of a title shot, but he was 40 years old. The heavy hitter known as "Marreta" was the first thing he had to overcome. The power puncher helped Team Teixeira.
Glory, the sport's most prominent fight organization, had a world champion in their ranks. 21 of his 33 victories were knockouts. A left-hook knockout of Adesanya was among them.
He remembers his first sparring session with him. No one has the power that Alex has.
The initial gym session was well remembered by Fernely Feliz. Even though he didn't have the burliness of Teixeira, it was obvious to Feliz that he had the skills and strength to hit that left hook. I told Glover to keep an eye on him when he first saw him train with us. The man is a real fighter.
The admiration was shared. He was at a point in his career where he wanted to fight. He had knocked out his next two opponents after losing his first fight in that sport by submission. He returned to kickboxing, where he was a champion.
The Glory belt was owned by Pereira before the end of the year. He would add an interim belt within two years. He became the first Glory champ to hold both titles at the same time.
Adesanya emerged as one of the sport's biggest stars as the sport's profile grew. The video of "The Last Stylebender" beingKO'd by Pereira at Glory of Heroes 7 in the Brazilian's hometown of Sao Paolo was getting massive attention when the former kickboxer became UFC champ in 2019. It has over 13 million views today.
The Legacy Fighting Alliance is the same organization that recently signed his sister, who also came from Glory kickboxing. Alex'sLFA debut, a first-round knockout win, was his swan song. The man who had defeated the 185-pound champion was brought on by the UFC.
He talked about a third meeting with Adesanya right away. His friend and training partner was on a Brazilian radio show announcing to the champ that he was in the UFC.
He has scored knockouts in his first three UFC appearances. Adesanya is ranked second in the pound-for-pound men's rankings. A fighter has just seven MMA bouts. This setting where he has been preparing for the title fight and his kickboxing success are some of the reasons why he is confident.
He caught his breath after a morning workout. It was hard for me to come here. I told them I had to stay. I really like it. I am capable of fighting anyone in MMA.
UFC 281 can be purchased on the pay per view.
Alex is connected to a higher purpose because of his indigenous roots.
There is a frame on the wall that shows the gloves and shorts that he wore when he became the light-weight champion. The title shot was earned nearly a year prior to that by Teixeira, who submitted Santos. He was deposed by Jiri Prochazka in June.
On this day, the gym is a hive of activity, not only because of Pereira, but also because of the announcement that Prochazka-Teixeira 2 will take place in December. The fact that two of the eight UFC men's titles are within reach of this small gym is an endorsement of what he and his team have done.
We have a champion mentality. There are only the real ones here.
There are several fighters in the gym who compete in the UFC or Bellator, among them is light-weight Dominick Reyes, who faces RyanSpann on Saturday. "I came here to work with the coach, Fernely Feliz, who is trying to get me out of a three-fight losing streak." He wants to help me get back on track.
He stayed at the house for a week after arriving from California. He said they treated him like a family.
The gym is located in a strip mall next to a medical equipment store. Mixed martial artists of all skill levels can be found inside the large cage-in mat, from pros preparing for title fights to raw amateurs drilling basic techniques. Outside the cage, a dog owned by one of the coaches rests on a bench near a window, looking out at the doggy day care next door.
Hip-hop is played during shadow boxing. The music stops as the pros move to the other side of the cage. The training partners keep each other safe. When the session is over, everyone sits on the mat and listens to the coaches talk. There are words of inspiration. There are words of community.
There is a sense of community here. There are other framed symbols of what this place means to the area hanging near the UFC championship win piece. There are two certificates that were signed by different Connecticut senators. The gym has a membership certificate from the chamber of commerce. In recognition of your UFC Championship win and in appreciation of your contributions to the city, the mayor gave the key to the city to you.
After arriving from Brazil in 1999 to find work in the area, he knew there were many of his countrymen who lived there. He met his wife in a gym, and after training in MMA, they moved to California. Problems with his green card forced him to return to Brazil and his wife moved back to Connecticut. It took a long time for his visa status to be resolved. When he was free to return to the US, he joined his wife in Connecticut.
He says he fell in love with the area. The nature and the seasons change. There are leaves in the fall. There are only four seasons in Brazil. It's worth a lot.
During his time in the UFC, he traveled to California or Florida for fight camps. He said he wouldn't do his camp anywhere else after the couple opened a gym. I'm going to get there if I train right here.
After the gym operation was moved into the larger space in nearby Bethel, it remained a vibrant part of the community. He brought Alex into it. The man appreciates what he has.
The gym is located in a town with a lot of Brazilians. I'm happy that I'm here.
He turns towards the window and points outside. It's past peak foliage in this part of New England, but the colorful trees still look pretty.
There is nature here. The person says that. I enjoy barbecuing with friends.
Then he faces his friend after finishing translation. He has a smile on his face as he grabs him. You have to not say anything bad about Connecticut. The man says something.
The gaze is contained within the gym as Teixeira looks around. Fighters are packing up gear after working out. The man is taking a deep breath. He1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 They'll come if you build it.
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