Andre Fialho Dedicating His Career To Joao Carvalho

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Andre Fialho (6-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) spoke about the passing of Joao Carvalho, who died after a TKO loss on April 9 at an MMA event in Dublin. He will fight Rick Reger (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) tonight at Bellator 154. It airs on Spike TV from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

On Carvalho’s passing: “It’s hard for me to believe that he’s no longer with us. I can’t digest the thought. ‘Tweety’ was genuinely a very good person. He only deserved good things. He had the best heart of anyone I’ve met. Despite the distance since I came to the U.S., we always stayed in touch. I always had a very special sentiment for him, for all his kind actions toward me. His happiness was contagious. I would have loved to have had the opportunity to tell him, one last time, how much respect and love I have for him. But sometimes life doesn’t grant explanations. I will see you soon brother, but not yet. Not yet. I will always love you, my brother, and if your family needs anything, I’ll be here. And I am getting that UFC belt for you too.”

On fighting Reger: “I did watch some of his fights. I think his strong points are Greco-Roman wrestling and jiu-jitsu. But like I said before, I’m on a much higher level, and I’ll prove it again on May 14. I don’t dislike grappling, but whenever possible, I’d rather win by knockout.”

On taking bad moments in stride: “I’m the kind of person who reacts to the bad moments in life by mustering more strength and motivation. I think that Joao will be with me on fight night. I can hardly wait.”