I’m a worthy champion, insists Musardo
Oct 5, 2011 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- NEWLY-crowned CWFC lightweight champion Ivan
‘The Terrible’ Musardo says he’s prepared to defend his title
against whoever is put in front of him.
Musardo has also insisted that his victory over Joseph Duffy at Cage Warriors 44 on Saturday wasn’t simply due to a mistake by the Irishman. Duffy lost his footing after attempting a kick in Round 4, allowing Musardo to pounce and apply a guillotine choke.
The victory gave the 31-year-old Italian the vacant CWFC belt and
took his professional record to 18-6-1. He said: “I’ve been
training in MMA now for ten years.
“For ten years I’ve been dreaming of a winning a big title in Britain, which is one of the strongest countries for MMA in the world, in my opinion.
“Many fighters that everybody around the world knows have come from Cage Warriors, like Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy and Pascal Krauss. I want to thank Ian Dean for the opportunity to fight for the belt.
“Cage Warriors is definitely one of the best events I've fought on. The people are very professional, they have a very good spirit and enjoy the sport a lot.
“The crowd was awesome and understands a lot of the sport. But of course, when Duffy tapped out, it became very quiet for a second.
“Cage Warriors also made a very good impression with the live stream on the internet. All my friends and family were able to watch the fight in high quality from their homes, as not everybody can afford a flight to Britain on short notice.
“After I won, I went back to the dressing room and took a look at my mobile phone. I had something like 20 text messages and my Facebook profile also got stormed. Thanks to Cage Warriors for making it all happen.”
Fighting in Round 4 on Saturday was a new experience for Musardo. In fact, it was only the fourth time in his 25 professional bouts that he’d gone beyond the 2nd.
“The fight was very tough, one of the toughest I’ve ever fought,” admitted the Zurich-based fighter. “Round 4 was especially hard. But we come from Team Nogueira and one thing you learn from a great master like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is never to give up.”
When asked about what the future now holds and the possibility of a Duffy re-match, Musardo responded: “I don't back up from any competitor but I have to say, I won by submission, which means that Duffy tapped out.
“Is there any clearer way to win than by your opponent giving up? Also, I didn’t just win by Duffy making one mistake. In a sport where seconds can decide the complete outcome of a fight, making two mistakes can make you lose instantly and you have to concentrate for all five rounds.
“His first mistake was to slip, the second was to go into the turtle position against a ground-fighter like me. Of course I will take advantage of mistakes like that. But he was a very tough competitor and fought very smart. I give all my respect to him.”
Musardo added: “I am looking forward to fighting on Cage Warriors again to defend my title. I will defend it against anyone they offer me.”
Musardo has also insisted that his victory over Joseph Duffy at Cage Warriors 44 on Saturday wasn’t simply due to a mistake by the Irishman. Duffy lost his footing after attempting a kick in Round 4, allowing Musardo to pounce and apply a guillotine choke.
Advertisement
“For ten years I’ve been dreaming of a winning a big title in Britain, which is one of the strongest countries for MMA in the world, in my opinion.
“The British fighters are so tough and it makes me very happy to
prove my skills against the best in the world. This title means a
lot to me.
“Many fighters that everybody around the world knows have come from Cage Warriors, like Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy and Pascal Krauss. I want to thank Ian Dean for the opportunity to fight for the belt.
“Cage Warriors is definitely one of the best events I've fought on. The people are very professional, they have a very good spirit and enjoy the sport a lot.
“The crowd was awesome and understands a lot of the sport. But of course, when Duffy tapped out, it became very quiet for a second.
“Cage Warriors also made a very good impression with the live stream on the internet. All my friends and family were able to watch the fight in high quality from their homes, as not everybody can afford a flight to Britain on short notice.
“After I won, I went back to the dressing room and took a look at my mobile phone. I had something like 20 text messages and my Facebook profile also got stormed. Thanks to Cage Warriors for making it all happen.”
Fighting in Round 4 on Saturday was a new experience for Musardo. In fact, it was only the fourth time in his 25 professional bouts that he’d gone beyond the 2nd.
“The fight was very tough, one of the toughest I’ve ever fought,” admitted the Zurich-based fighter. “Round 4 was especially hard. But we come from Team Nogueira and one thing you learn from a great master like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is never to give up.”
When asked about what the future now holds and the possibility of a Duffy re-match, Musardo responded: “I don't back up from any competitor but I have to say, I won by submission, which means that Duffy tapped out.
“Is there any clearer way to win than by your opponent giving up? Also, I didn’t just win by Duffy making one mistake. In a sport where seconds can decide the complete outcome of a fight, making two mistakes can make you lose instantly and you have to concentrate for all five rounds.
“His first mistake was to slip, the second was to go into the turtle position against a ground-fighter like me. Of course I will take advantage of mistakes like that. But he was a very tough competitor and fought very smart. I give all my respect to him.”
Musardo added: “I am looking forward to fighting on Cage Warriors again to defend my title. I will defend it against anyone they offer me.”
