UFC on FX 7's Wagner Prado Focused on Earning Knockout

Wagner Prado reacts after the referee stopped the bout due to an unintentional eye poke during the UFC on FOX at Staples Center on August 4, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The bout was ruled no decision. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, the very city where he will have a chance to prove his worth on Jan. 19 at UFC on FX 7, Wagner “Caldeirão” Prado is taking his impending encounter with Canadian fighter Roger Hollet very seriously.

Caldeirão, who was so dubbed for having appeared on Brazilian Sunday variety show “Caldeirão do Huck,” had a truncated UFC debut, when at UFC on Fox 4 Phil Davis accidentally stuck a finger in his eye early in the opening round and their fight was deemed a no-contest. The Brazilian then went on to face the light heavyweight standout for a second time, at UFC 153 in Rio, and succumbed to an arm-triangle.

When interviewed by GRACIEMAG.com, Prado said he made the loss work in his favor and is now much better prepared for his next outing.

“After losing to Phil Davis, I assimilated how you have to be really focused in training,” Caldeirão said. “I fought three times in 2012 and didn’t get injured once. This will be my third UFC, so I’m calm and happy to be fighting in São Paulo. It will be a good fight.”

Caldeirão also took a look at his upcoming opponent, who is coming off a loss in his UFC debut to Matt Hammil at UFC 152. The Brazilian, who is a blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu, says his next fight will look different from the first one, possibly avoiding ground action altogether.

“Roger Hollet likes to bang, and I’ve been doing a lot of standup in training,” he said. “That’s been my priority in training. I feel the fight will remain on the feet, so I’m focused on my opponent’s game in order to come out victorious, perhaps even with the knockout.”