Image Courtesy: Adrian Gallegos – MMAPrime.tv

Tomorrow Bellator will host its 92nd night of fights in Temecula, CA.  Broadcasting live online for preliminary fights and on Spike TV for the main card, Bellator will feature ten fights on the night.  Leading off the action will be a featherweight match between Alliance MMA fighter, Nick Piedmont, and jiu jitsu legend, Cleber Luciano.

I was able to speak with Cleber in this exclusive interview prior to his weighing in Wednesday to talk about his upcoming fight.

CM: You’ve been pretty busy in 2013, fighting in January, competing in the Abu Dhabi Trials, fighting this month and then you’re off to Abu Dhabi in April… how do you like being so active?

CL: It’s great!  I feel like I’m 20.  I work hard with my conditioning with jiu jitsu and MMA, and this helped keep me focused.  I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life.

CM: Tomorrow is your second fight with Bellator.  How has the experience with this organization been for you?

CL: It’s a great experience, man.  It’s a fantastic event, very professional.  They run very smoothly; everything they say goes as they say it would.  I’m excited, excited to get the opportunity to get into the tournament and hopefully eventually getting the title shot.  That’s my dream, the championship.  All my accomplishments are the past, I’m working very hard for the dream.

CM: Let’s talk about this fight, what do you think about your opponent, Nick Piedmont?

CL: I respect all of my opponents.  I don’t know much about him [Nick], but from what I’ve seen he likes to scrap.  I expect it to be a good, tough fight.  No one comes here to lose, everyone works hard to win and be the best.  My main goal is to work harder than everyone.

CM: Speaking of which, how has your training been leading up to this fight?

CL: After every fight, I sit down with my team and we talk about what I need to work on.  For this fight I worked very hard on all phases of my game, especially stand-up and conditioning, my functional conditioning.  I want to exchange on the feet and control the fight if it goes to the ground.  For this fight, I worked specifically on stand-up.  I’m working on stand-up not just for this fight, though, but for the ultimate goal of getting in the tournament and working to the title shot.

CM: How do you see tomorrow’s fight going?

CL: I don’t see it going past the second round.  That’s my goal.

CM: After you weigh in, and for the day leading up to the fight, do you have any rituals or particular thing you do to get ready for the fight?

CL: I will go back to my protein shake [after weigh-ins].  Tomorrow morning I’ll stretch, eat a little all day, then relax and hang out with friends and family before.

CM: Final question, would you like to thank any sponsors, friends and family?

CL: Thank you to my beautiful wife, Lily.  You’re the aspiration of my life.  For you and my family is why I do this.  Thanks to all my students, all my jiu jitsu family, my fans.  Keep the Facebook posts coming!  I read all of them.  I appreciate everything that you do for me. Thanks to all my black belts, Tom Knox, Fabiano, Jose Diaz, Luis, Gerison at Chute Boxe, Dr. Salvatore Gasparre and [my] boxing coach George Garcia.

I want to thank Assassin Gear, Beef Palace Butcher Shop Huntington Beach, Vulkan Jiu Jitsu, Chute Boxe Vale Tudo Long Beach, Synergy Physical Therapy and Sports Performance Huntington Beach, OC Kickboxing and MMA, Fitness Solution, Elite Team Jiu Jitsu Muay Thai Visalia, Mexican Top Team MMA Gear, FightDr.com, and of course Cleber Jiu Jitsu MMA and all the affiliates worldwide.

On Thursday March 7, you can watch the Bellator 92 Prelims online here at 5pm PST, and watch the main card broadcast on Spike TV at 7pm PST.

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