Las Vegas, NV — Rodolfo Vieira likes to watch a fellow Brazilian middleweight grapple.
One might think that being such an elite grappler, it would be all but impossible to impress Vieira. That’s not true, though. In fact, Vieira really enjoys watching current top 15 middleweight Andre Muniz grapple.
“I’m gonna talk about my division. I like to watch ‘Sergipano’ [Andre Muniz]. He has been doing great work,” Vieira said. “He just finished his Jacare [Souza], and oh my god, that was incredible. I didn’t get happy with that, but he deserved that victory. And he’s showing very good Jiu-Jitsu.”
As Vieira keeps climbing the division, a potential fight with Muniz could happen, but the 32-year-old Brazilian Jui-Jitsu champion is more focused on actually getting into the rankings, something that is a big goal of his.
“Maybe, but he’s [ranked higher than me]… I think he’s a top 15 already, and for me, it’s a big path to get there,” Vieira said. “Maybe one day it’s gonna be a pleasure to fight him or to get to the top 15. My goal is to get the top 15 in one day.”
“The Black Belt Hunter” faces Chris Curtis on Saturday at UFC Vegas 57, and he says there is no secret on what to expect. Curtis will try and knock him out, and the Brazilian will try and submit Curtis.
“Everyone knows that. Chris knows that; I know that. He’s going to try to keep the fight standing. And I’m going to try to use my Jiu-Jitsu and my wrestling.”
Watch the rest of Rodolfo Vieira’s UFC Vegas 57 media day interview above. More coverage from the event can be found below. The card takes place this Saturday, June 25, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.