Four-fight Bellator veteran Vinicius De Jesus makes the transition to CES MMA tonight in Connecticut, and he goes right into a main event title fight.
De Jesus (7-2), who is coming off a 3-1 run for Bellator, including a win for the promotion in February at Bellator 216, takes on welterweight champion Jeremiah Wells (6-1-1) in the CES MMA 55 welterweight main event. Wells has won three straight.
CES MMA 55 takes place at Connecticut Convention Center in the state capital of Hartford. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass. It will be the first sanctioned MMA event in Connecticut history. Prior events in the state either have been unsanctioned or have taken place on tribal grounds. (Bellator, for example, frequently has events at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., but those events aren’t overseen by the state.)
Ahead of tonight’s card, catch up with de Jesus before his title fight with Wells.
Last time we saw you, you had just won another bout at Bellator and had plans to ask for a main-card slot. Now you’re headlining a CES card, fighting for a belt on UFC Fight Pass.
I couldn’t be happier. I want to stay very active in 2019. I want to make a lot of things happen this year so I can make to the top. I want to be on main cards in major organizations.
Right after my last Bellator fight, I met with my team and we decided we couldn’t let this opportunity with CES slip away. I want to be challenged. Thankfully, I have no injuries from my last fight. I feel very honored to be fighting for the CES welterweight belt against a tough fighter – Jeremiah Wells.
I’m very happy. I am highly focused on this challenge. We’re focused on Jeremiah’s strong points and training really hard. We’re looking to exploit his weak points. I’m very thankful to CES for this opportunity. We’re the main event on the main card. I’m looking forward to putting on a great show and my best performance ever.
What does the champ, Jeremiah Wells, bring to the table?
Jeremiah Wells is a dangerous opponent with heavy hands and an aggressive style. But he also leaves a lot of openings. I’ll be able to exploit deficiencies in his striking. And there’s also the ground game, where I have many weapons.
If he gives me an opening on the feet, I’ll land some hard counters. And once I get him down, I’ll apply my weight and give him no space. I envision a submission. But if we don’t go to the mat right away, I can also see a knockdown by a single well-placed punch, or a sequence of strikes, so I can stop his momentum and submit him.
Tell us about your training camp and preparation for the fight.
I had a quick one-week break after the last fight. Of course, even when taking time off training, I was still managing my academy and taking care of my children. I’ve been in camp ever since we closed the deal with CES. I’ve been training in New York with all those beasts at Renzo Gracie’s. Everyone is scheduled to fight soon, so they’re all very focused. It’s the type of environment we need. We motivate each other.
I’ve been working with Joao Zeferino, Neiman Gracie, David Branch, not to mention a lot of jiu-jitsu aces. And I’m always working at my own academy in Stamford, Conn., with Marcus Surin, who fights in Bellator. I also in contact with Caio Magalhaes from Glover Teixeira’s gym – he’s on the same card. We keep expanding our network. The more high-level fighters we work with, the better we get. My preparation and strategy are on point. Any opening my opponent gives me will be my path to getting a finish.
What are your plans for the future? Did you give up on challenging Dillon Danis?
Our plan is to reach the top. Once we do that, we won’t have to worry about not finding opponents, or having opponents drop out. There, at the top, we can take our own measure against other top-level athletes. There won’t be the possibility of choosing opponents.
Our focus is to receive more attention so we get into major organizations, whether it’s Bellator or the UFC. And Dillon Danis is in the past now. I don’t have the motivation to keep calling him out. I’m focusing on my own career. I want to have an impeccable performance at CES. I know people from major organizations will be watching.
For more on CES MMA 55, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
