Riding a four fight win streak, Brazilian Featherweight Ediane Gomes returns to the Invicta cage on July 13th when she faces Charmaine Tweet at Invicta FC 6.
A woman of few words, Gomes has faced top flight competition her entire career, and after a injurt forced her off Invicta FC 5, she is intent on a win this July. Training out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, Gomes is looking to become a world champion at 145 lbs, and a win against Tweet is the next step towards that goal.
Corey Smith: You had to pull out of your Invicta FC 5 bout with Cris Cyborg with an unspecified training injury. Can you tell us what that injury was? And have you fully recovered from it?
Ediane Gomes: I had a severe contusion on my ribs. Originally we thought they were broken and it looked like 2 of them were sticking out of my stomach. I wasn’t able to train for several weeks.
EG: I am fully recovered now and was very disappointed I could not fight Cyborg. I really wanted that fight.
CS: What are your goals in Invicta this year after coming back from the injury?
EG: I want to be the Title Champion.
CS: How do ensure that another injury does not occur but also receive the proper amount of training for the fight?
EG: Injuries happen in this sport. I try to be careful but I train very hard. I train with the men. I want to be the best so I always go 100%.
CS: Cyborg went on to fight Fiona Muxlow, and is now scheduled to face Marloes Coenen for the Invicta FC Featherweight title. Is that a fight you still want at some point down the road?
EG: Definitely. That would be a huge fight for me.
CS: Your opponent at Inicta FC 6, Charmaine Tweet, is an accomplished kickboxer. How do you prepare for an opponent such as Tweet? What are you expecting out of the bout?
EG: I have been working a lot on my striking. My striking has gotten so good. I want to knock her out.
CS: On the subject of training camp, what is a typical day during camp for you? How do you maintain your motivation throughout camp?
EG: I train every day in the morning and night. Depending on the day depends on what I train on. In Brazil I came from nothing- very very poor. My motivation is to do better for me and my family.
CS: For an international fight such as this one, what is your travel schedule like coming from Brazil?
EG: I live in Coconut Creek FL so no international travel for me!
CS: Invicta goes to great lengths to make sure their fighters only have to concentrate on their fights, going so far as to bring in someone just to braid athlete’s hair before the fight. What do things like that do for your performance in the cage?
EG:The more my mind can only think of the fight- the better prepared I am.
CS: What is your mindset on fight night? Any routines or superstitions?
EG:I get very aggressive. Ready to knock someone out. I think only of the knockout.
CS: When you are in the cage, what do you expect from your corners? Do you allow all your corners to coach, or do you have a main voice that you look to?
EG: I try and listen to everything they tell me so I will do better in the fight.
CS: Outside of preparation for your fights, how much MMA do you watch purely for enjoyment?
EG: I watch a lot when I can. I love MMA.
CS: Lastly, MMA is as much a team sport as it is an individual one. Who would you like to thank?
EG:My coaches at ATT, Mike Rodriguez, Ricardo Liborio.
EG: My management team at ML Management and Tina Vidal-Smith.
EG: And my sponsors: Bas Rutten, Dogs Forever Forever Dogs, Fight Chix, MMA Owl, MMA Overload, and Faction Mouthguards.