Alexandre Ferreira has issued a challenge to every light heavyweight in MMA
Last updated on July 31st, 2010
Alexandre Ferreira was slated to bang against Jamal Patterson at Shine Fights: World Collide until Don King walked into a courtroom with two duffel bags filled with one-million dollars just to prevent Ricardo Mayorga from fighting Din Thomas in the card's headline event. It would have marked the first time in 2010 Ferreira would compete but instead, we were all just left with these really useless Shine Fights: Worlds Collide posters.
As of today, Alexandre Ferreira is the greatest light heavyweight fighter that is not signed with a major promotion and you probably never heard of him. The guy is riding a seven-fight win streak with all victories coming in the first round via submission. If you were to combine the total time of his last six fights, it would only amount to four minutes and ten seconds. In fact, in his 18-6-0 career, all of Alexandre Ferreira wins have been achieved in the first round. Dude rocks a 95% submission ratio, has never been knocked out and according to Ferreira, everyone is ducking him.
"Lately, I have no idea how many times I had to answer the following questions: 'Why aren't you fighting for a big event and what famous names in the game do you think you would beat?,'
The answer to the first question is hard, because it doesn't depend only on me. I believe that I have what it takes to be in any show in the world. The answer to the second question is not that difficult: after seeing some light-heavy-weights that are in the best shows, I can say, with no doubts in my mind that I would do well against most of them. I have a unique way of fighting, I can go toe-to-toe with anybody and, as soon as I lay my hands on them, they know they will get submitted."
Since Lyoto [Machida] refused to face me in the UFC, people love when I tell them the names of fighters I´d submit. So, for starters, Gegard Mousasi would be a good name. I was offered to fight him last event [at DREAM], but it seems like he preferred to have an easier opponent, somebody who couldn't even make weight. From the UFC Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Stephan Bonnar, and all those fighters that come from The Ultimate Fighter reality show; Jon Jones, King Mo, Jeff Monson, Dan Henderson, well, there are so many names out there that it's too hard to mention, and I'm just listing fighters at 205, because light heavyweight is the division I want to focus on right now."
Remember how everyone says that King Mo doesn't have any competition in the light heavyweight division of Strikeforce? Yeah, I remember that too…