Brazilian slugger Luis "Banha" Cane is a man of few words. He prefers to let his hands do the talking. And in his main-card opening bout with Steve Cantwell at UFC 97 in Montreal, Cane plans to let his hands ask for a title shot."This fight is an important step," Cane said. "I really want to be among the top of the division, and this fight should pave the way to putting me there."
With eight of his nine wins coming by KO or TKO, Cane has quickly earned a reputation as a fearsome striker. His right hand slap to the face of former UFC fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at UFC 89 – shortly before rocking him with a straight left – preceded his second consecutive TKO win in the UFC.
Cane believes he'll look even better on Saturday night.
"That is a normal move I use," he said. "The last fight I fought with an injury, but now I am 100 percent. I trained very hard for this fight, and fans should see a better Luis Cane."
Cantwell has quickly developed a reputation of his own, closing out his run in the WEC as the organization's final light heavyweight champion. While Cantwell has three career TKO wins of his own, Cane enters the bout unconcerned.
"He is a talented and tough guy, but I am not worried about being hit hard," Cane said. "I will impose my game."
"I am accustomed to being faced with hard hitters, so I won't be intimidated. But who knows? It's MMA, so maybe I'll get the chance to show my ground game."
Cane does own one submission victory in his career. Of course, his opponent tapped out due to a series of brutal soccer kicks from "Banha".
Meanwhile, Cantwell earned a bit of infamy with his wild celebration after injuring Razak Al-Hassan's arm in a gruesome technical submission win. Cane said he's comfortable testing Cantwell's skills on the mat.
"(Cantwell) is a young guy, and he got caught up in the moment," Cane said. "But I think I have developed completely as I fight. Whoever was in doubt before now knows who I am and what I can do."
With his lone career loss coming via disqualification to James Irvin in his UFC debut, a win over Cantwell would be Cane's third-straight in the organization. While the Brazilian stopped short of a firm prediction, Cane believes the bout could be a highlight of the evening.
"I am prepared give my best and that this will be a good fight for the fans," he said. "It won't go to the end."
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