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Dias at UFC 137 Press Conference (L-R) Mirko Cro Cop, Cheick Kongo, BJ Penn, UFC President Dana White, Nick Diaz, Matt Mitrione and Roy Nelson

Rafael Dias

When and why did you start training for fighting? It was a natural progression from my jiu-jitsu training.

What ranks and titles have you held? BJJ Black Belt

Do you have any heroes? Jesus

What is your favorite technique? Chokes

What does it mean for you to fight in the WEC? It’s a great opportunity for me to show my skills against all these high level fighters.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? Yes, bachelor degree in law

What was your job before you started fighting? Internship for law.

Most memorable professional fight? I think it was last year (in IFL) against Santino Defranco, who is a tough dude with good jiu-jitsu. I completely dominated the fight, tapping him out in 2 min in the first round.

What was your most challenging professional fight? I think it was my first fight in WEC, but not because of who I was fighting but because I wasn`t training for a fight and 5 days before the fight, I got a call from my manager asking if I`d like to fight. Of course I accepted.

Did you compete in any other sport at college or professional level? When I was teenager I used to compete at bodyboard in Brazil. Then at 16 years old I starting training Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I loved the sport, so I started training a lot, competing at all tournaments, and I got some good results like: State champion, World Championship runner-up, Brazilian Championship runner-up.

Who were your training partners for this fight? I’ve been training with my brothers from ATT. Mostly Fabio Melo, JZ Calvancante, Rafael Rebello, Jonatas Gurgel and WEC Champ Mike Thomas Brown.

Did you put more emphasis towards a fighting style or adjust your training to prepare for your opponent? I try to adjust my training for each opponent. I’ve been working a lot on my Muay Thai with Katel, wrestling with Kami and jiu-jitsu with Parrumpa. We have a pretty good game plan for this fight.

What, other than WINNING, are you using for motivation for the fight? I have a lot of respect for my opponent and the fact that he is undefeated has motivated me to train hard. I like tough fights and challenging myself and I look forward to challenging myself against Diego at WEC 42

What is your favorite thing about this sport? This sport is my life. That`s what I love to do, and that`s how I pay my bills. So every time you do what you like, you do well!

How long do you see yourself staying in this sport? As long as I am healthy, I will be fighting.