With Rafael WerneckThe ADCC’s current super fight champion, Ricardo Arona will be at ‘The Pyramid’ in Long Beach, California, on May 28th and 29th to defend his title against the challenger Dean Lister of the United States. However, before that, both fighters dream about Pride’s Middleweight Grand Prix belt. Lister is already confirmed to be fighting at Bushido 6. He will compete in a four-man tournament against Akira Shoji, Amar Suloev and Arona?s Brazilian Top Team partner Paulo Filho. Unlike the American Ricardo Arona is still negotiating his participation in the GP, something that BTT leader Ze Mario Sperry hopes to achieve within the next few days. ‘There is interest from the Japanese organization. Even being out of the four-man tournament, Arona may be one of our representatives at the GP’ says Sperry. Training in Rio de Janeiro at the BTT headquarters, Arona guarantees he is able to fight in both events, Pride GP and ADCC 2005. ‘I don?t want to miss any of them. I have to train a lot and be ready to avoid any kind of injury because I will give my best the whole time’ says Arona. About the ADCC super fight, Arona respects Dean Lister and expects a bout different than the one against Mark Kerr in 2003. ‘I never think it is going to be easy. He trains Jiu-Jitsu and the fight should be more dynamic than the last one against Kerr. He is young and I will train very hard to be ready for him’ finishes Arona.
