The Rise of a Warrior - 8

Courtesy of riseofawarrior.com

Frederico Moncaio (7-0) from Team Popovitch advanced to the finals and will fight Wesley Barnes (12-1) from Champions Training Center for the IFG Welterweight Tournament Championship and a $5,000 sponsorship and a chance to make their professional debut for the XFC. Moncaio has been training extra hard for Barnes, because he understands the skill level that his opponent brings. Both fighters will agree that this is the most anticipated fight of their careers.

KT: What level of excitement do you have to fight in the IFG Welterweight Tournament finals?

FM: It's very exciting, I started training jiu jitsu when I was 16 and all my life I watched the WWE and I always wanted to fight. I would always fight with my brother and he would always beat me. I started fighting kick boxing and I was always losing and then I started doing MMA and now I'm in the finals going against a tough guy.

KT: How long you think this journey has been?

FM: It's just started, this is the beginning. God willing, I'll remain healthy and my training will be good. I'm going to make the UFC and this is my goal; this is just the beginning.

KT: You're going against Wesley Barnes; do you believe this will be your toughest fight?

FM: Yes, because Wesley comes from a great camp. Georgia has a lot of top fighters and they do ground and pound and I know Wesley has some striking skills as well. He has a lot of experience with his hands and he's a tough guy. I'm training hard for him and I want this victory.

KT: Barnes is a good ground fighter as well, have you fought anyone that's as good as him on the ground?

FM: Honestly, I'm not worried about going to the ground; my only concern is getting tired. I've been working on my cardio and if he takes me down I'm going to do my thing.

KT: Now, you competed in a kick boxing tournament recently and you came in second place and got a TKO, is this something we should expect from you in this fight?

FM: I was really excited, I decided to join the tournament and I won my first two fights one by unanimous decision and my second fight by TKO, It was a great experience and I learned a lot from this tournament. If I need to use my kick boxing skills, I won't hold back.

KT: One thing that's very interesting about you is your beliefs in God, how did this come about?

FM: I've always been close with God, but not like I am now. You start hanging around the wrong people and you do stupid things and when you get broken, that's when you look for God. I always try and put him first, but I'm a human and I make mistakes. I go to church and I follow God everyday and I love him.

Moncaio is very excited to be able to receive a chance to fight for the XFC and finally be able to fight professionally. He's prepared for anything when he goes inside the cage against Barnes, but he's looking forward to keeping this match on the ground.