By Marcelo Barone

Photo Esther Lin

Gesias Cavalcante had a seven-win-streak on K-1 Heroes, becoming two-time champion of its GP. The favorable tide made the Brazilian to be considered one of the best lightweight fighters of the world, but things started to change after the athlete injured his knee, and had to go through surgery. Still without being paid for his last fight on the Japanese event, Gesias, who’s not on a good situation with the American event, cheer that things start to work out his way and that hopes he has a new opportunity to try to win again. On an exclusive interview with TATAME, the lightweight talked about his situation in MMA, regretted the ruin of the Japanese MMA market and complimented the current champion of his weight class in Strikeforce, Gilbert Melendez.

How’s the situation with Dream? Did they give you any response to your complaints about not being paid?

Not so far. My manager called them, but nobody respond, nobody answers. It’s disrespectful, the guys disappeared. The situation in Japan’s not good, because of the tsunami, but it’s no excuse, because it’s been a year. They should, at least, answer me, because there’re people saying they plan to produce another event.

Do you intend to start a law sue so you’ll get paid?

I’m considering, I’m looking for a layer, trying to find another agency in Japan, somebody from there, who’s closer to it, so that I can get this cleared up.

What do you think about this MMA market crash in Japan? Does that surprise you?

Over the years, after 2007, I realized it’ll all the same thing. I guess Japan didn’t keep up with MMA’s boom, its professionalization. The guys from Ultimate are much different than the guys in Japan, that schedule you to fight at the last minute, with two or three weeks in advance. It’s hard to promote the event that way… I realized that, if they didn’t change its concept, and started to think world wildly, it’d happen, like it did.

You think they’ll reverse this situation and will try to promote an event for an alternative market?

It depends on how they’ll behave now, if they’ll have sponsors, if somebody will believe it can work. What can happen is that Ultimate can get there and do what it’s done: dominate. If UFC invest on this market now, it’ll be tough for other event to compete with it.

And how are things with Strikeforce now?

Not good at all. They’ve been promising me a fight since December and every month they say the same thing: that I’ll be on their next card, next month… Meanwhile they’ve offered me two bouts with five days in advance and I asked them sometime to think about it. They called me in the morning and I asked them to give an answer in the evening. Then, when I called them, they have found someone already, and they didn’t tell me anything, they didn’t call me… I hope that with Strikeforce’s purchase, its organization will improve, and also its structure.

How Strikeforce’s purchase by UFC changes things?

It’s never good when there’s a monopoly, it’s complicated. For now, it’s good because it’s two different events, with individual contracts. If you have a contract with UFC, you have nothing to do with Strikeforce. It’ll be good for the sport, because in the end of the day, you can have super fights, with people from both events, and you can reach different markets, but I’m waiting for other events too. The world is too big, and I hope that other countries grow and that new shows come up.

Gilbert Melendez, current champion on your weight division, has ran over another guy in Strikeforce. What are your thoughts about that fight?

He did a good fight, imposed his speed right from the start, didn’t let his opponent play his game, or use his strength, and he impressed everyone. He used a good tactic and knew how to take advantage of all opportunities he had.

He’s asking for a bout against UFC’s champion, Frankie Edgar, claiming he’s the best in the world. Do you agree with that?

It’s hard to agree or disagree because they’ve never confronted each other, but I see him as the number one. It’s questionable, but I guess he’s the number one.