A more structured Jordan

During his defeat against Andre Fili on June 13, Charles Jourdain went to school. The Quebecer learned lessons that could benefit him on Saturday night as he crosses swords with Joshua Culibao in a UFC gala that is presented in Abu Dhabi.

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Culibao (8-1, 5 KOs), a 26-year-old Australian, returns from a knockout loss.

“Even if I conceded two defeats in my first three fights, I did well in difficult situations,” said Charles Jourdain during an interview with the Journal of Montreal before leaving for Abu Dhabi.

“I left everything in the ring every time. Against Fili, it was the victory of experience. Against Culibao, I’m going to face a guy with the same type of experience as me.

“I even think I’ll be the favorite for the first time I’m in the UFC. It feels good to be in this role. “

A structured camp

After his loss to Fili, Jourdain did not hesitate to return to the drawing board. He has laid a solid foundation for his training camp in anticipation of his clash with Culibao.

“Over the past few weeks, I have had several good discussions with Yoni Sherbatov on several topics,” said Jourdain. In particular, he referred Jarek Kulesza to me so that he could take care of my physical preparation. It was very positive. Jarek allowed me to push my limits. “

The name of Kulesza is well known in the world of combat sports. He took care of the physical preparation of Eye of the Tiger Management boxers for a few years.

Then, Jourdain decided to bring his former coach Cyril Robert back to his team. Fabio Holanda remains the head coach of the team, however.

“Cyril knows me so well. It’s good to find him and to have someone who knows me since I started. He knows how to use the right buttons at the right times. “

Long trip

Jourdain left Montreal more than ten days before his fight. And the reason is simple.

“During one of their cards at Fight Island, UFC leaders were forced to call off several fights due to COVID,” said the former TKO MMA champion. To avoid this type of situation again, they decided to bring all the fighters together in Las Vegas.

“We are all tested for COVID when we arrive while having the chance to train in the high performance facilities of the UFC.

“Then we took a plane to Abu Dhabi. So we have a full week to get used to the jet lag and finalize my weight cut. For me, it’s a privilege to be on Fight Island. “