Brazilian sensation, who's undefeated under the BRAVE CF banner, has also said he has more heart than his opponent.
After an unforgettable 2023, Luiz Cado is planning to kickstart the new year on a strong note and for that, he needs to overcome the challenge posed by Ismail Naurdiev at BRAVE CF 81 on 20 April.
Cado and Naurdiev are scheduled to lock horns in a high-stakes Super Welterweight bout which will serve as the co-main event of the BRAVE Combat Federation’s return to Slovenia. The fight between Cado and Naurdiev has title shot implications as well since it could possibly push the winner towards the current Super Welterweight champion Kamal Magomedov.
Ahead of the fight, Cado seems to have figured out his opponent’s game and did not mince words while revealing his plans for the fight.
“[Ismail Naurdiev] has really good takedown defense and has good takedowns as well. But I don’t think he’s that versatile when it comes to jiu-jitsu, when it comes to the ground game. He doesn’t have that many submissions up his sleeve. He has a more conservative style in this aspect. I think this fight will be a stand-up battle basically. For sure, I won’t be the one trying to stall the fight. And because of his fighting style, I don’t think he’ll be stalling either. He’s very technical, with a very good stand-up game,” he said.
The Brazilian is currently riding a three-fight winning streak and is yet to suffer a defeat under the BRAVE CF banner. He had a strong 2023 as well which saw him secure two submission wins. Cado submitted Willker Lemos at BRAVE CF 73 in August and then followed this up with a submission win over Vernon Ramos in the main event of BRAVE CF 78 in December.
The performances earned him nominations for two fan-voted end-of-year awards: Submission of The Year and Fighter of The Year.
While the last two wins came through his prowess in grappling, Cado feels that his fight against Naurdiev could be a stand-up battle and he is confident that he will force Naurdiev to quit.
“The biggest differential between us will be the heart. Both of us have a very high striking level. But he doesn’t have the same level of heart that I have. When push comes to shove, brother, my heart beats stronger. And I feel capable of getting out from any problem, any adversity inside the cage. He’s a guy, that when he starts getting beat up, He doesn’t have the heart, doesn’t have the defense. He doesn’t have that basic instinct, that savage instinct that I have. So this is definitely the biggest difference for us inside the cage. When we’re inside, and he starts having trouble, with the strikes I’ll be connecting, we’s going to quit on me and won’t want to fight anymore,” the Brazilian concluded.