Cesar Almeida was pushed by a former champion ahead of UFC on ESPN 73.
Almeida (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will look to make it three straight wins when he takes on Cezary Oleksiejczuk (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on Dec. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Almeida has spent his time training in Vegas with an array of notable names in the UFC middleweight division in preparation for his fight.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I train with Michel Pereira, Sean Strickland, Chris Curtis – he's moving to Thailand, but we trained together a lot of times. He's been in the last camps," Almeida told MMA Junkie Radio. "I came here just because of this. I have a lot of guys in my division – good, tough guys and good competition, guys who are still in the top 15, top 10. When you train with the guys, you understand the game plan because the guys are tough."
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has served as a mentor for those training at Xtreme Couture, and Almeida appreciates his guidance.
"I like training with him because the guy is crazy," Almeida said of Strickland. "He's so crazy but good energy, good heart, and puts all the team up to keep going, keep strong, keep training everyday. The guy is a former champion because he never stops and puts this energy in the gym. Your arm hurts, your leg hurts, but you need to keep training non-stop."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC on ESPN 73: Cesar Almeida on training with 'crazy' Sean Strickland
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