A “lighter” Danillo Villefort at WEC 38

By Guilherme Cruz

Photo courtesy IFL

The Brazilian Danillo “Índio” Villefort had no luck when he was set to fight at WEC. Without no losses for more than two years, Villefort was near to debut in WEC’s octagon in two opportunities, but visa problems postponed his participation in the show. With all problems resolved, Danillo finally will make his first appearance in the event in January 25th edition, and he is excited to the fight. “I’m training normally. The expectation is the best possible, and it already was postponed twice because of a bigger power”, reminds the fighter, who has news about the fight.

“They don’t have the middleweight division anymore, then Scott Adams, one of the (WEC) bosses, spoke with me and did a indecent proposal. He asked me if I’d go down to welterweight category. I spoke with my coaches and my manager and we agreed with that. In January 25th we’ll see a thinner Danillo (laughs)”, told the Brazilian, who don’t expect many problems to make weight at the new category. “I don’t weight 170 pounds since I was 17 years old, but I don’t know if you ever heard about a (André) Benkei… It’s him who’s making this magic! He makes miracles”, jokes the fighter, who normally weight 205 pounds.

Still without a defined opponent, the fighter maintains himself focused in make good fights in WEC, but with an eye in a possible chance in UFC. “He (Scott) spoke that I also can make appearances in UFC, but I don’t think in this now, my focus is in the diet and after that in WEC”, told Villefort, who lives a for more than two years in United States and celebrates the good phase in American Top Team. “I don’t see myself training in another place. Today my brothers Douglas and Yuri are with me, they train, teach classes and help me in my academy. I’ve opened a team in Miami with Léo Lerner and the academy is very well, we’re moving now to a bigger area with a very good structure, with a bigger tatame, a 20 feet cage, Muay Thai area and a very nice after school program… 2009 will be a tough year (laughs)”, celebrates Danillo.

And if Danillo could not represent ATT in WEC 36, another talent of the team did a good job in the same night. Challenging Urijah Faber for the featherweight belt, Mike Brown surprised the public knocking the champion out the champion and winning the title for the team. “We had the pleasure to make one more champion. He’s very nice, a little monster”, commented the Brazilian, who had already alerted the opponent’s coach about the knockout power of the team partner. “Fábio Pateta is Urijah Faber’s Jiu-Jitsu coach. We were talking a few days before the fight and he asked me about Mike. I smiled and said: ’He needs to get only one and that guy will fall’. And it happened”, reminds the fighter, who took advantage to congratulates José Aldo by the beautiful victory: “Zé Aldo gave a show! He is very good”.

About the preparation to the next fight, Danillo is switching sparrings at ATT. “Today I`d train with Thiago Silva and Wilson Gouveia, but I’m with the diet and if I don’t watch out in training I can hurt myself, so I’m already with the 170 guys”, said, pointing Thiago Alves, Gesias Cavalcante, Gleison Tibau and Lorenzo Borgomeu as his best sparrings: ”Here we have great 170 guys (laughs), there are only strong guys. Thanks God we have a very nice team that help us in all aspects”, spoke Villefort, who commented the advantage of having a top level group at ATT. “We feel very comfortable in any territory. We’re not a team of strikers or grapplers, we are a MMA team with a Jiu-Jitsu background. And without mentioning the coaches and teachers that we have, like Libório, Parrumpinha and Conan in Jiu-Jitsu, Mohamed Ouali and Cha in Muay Thau and Darrel Gohlar in Wrestling... These guys gives you a great security”.

Allied to the big team in the technical part, Danillo detaches the importance of Benkei’s work in the physical part. “Old Benkei is full of new toys, making his little monsters. Prime Time is like Nasa. There are days that you wanna cry. Train there is very good, but we leave all dead (laughs)”, jokes the fighter, who sens a message to his friends in Brazil: “I wanna leave a big hug to all my friends who I left in Brazil, Judo friends, BTT, Brasilia, and a big kiss to all my family. We, Brazilians here of ATT, are making everything to represent Brazil in America”, finished the fighter.