Rodrigo Sezinando: Hard 'TUF 33' experience got appetite sharpened up for UFC 319
Sezinando (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets Daniil Donchenko (11-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in the Season 33 welterweight final of "The Ultimate Fighter." Their fight takes place on the preliminary card at United Center in Chicago. At media day, Sezinando took questions from media members before his "TUF" finale fight.
Sezinando said taping the show earlier this year made it hard for him to keep things secret that he had reached the finals of the tournament ahead of the show's broadcast. But he said the experience on the show hardened him up for his upcoming experience in the UFC.
"I definitely loved spending the whole month there. It's definitely tough. I did something for the first time in my life – two fights in 13 days, two weight cuts. It was savage for me and really new. I changed a lot about myself and learned a lot about myself.
"From Day 1 that I stepped into the house, I knew it was going to be a hard time. But I also knew I'd make new friends, have a good time here and be the last man standing."
Sezinando said Donchenko being one of his teammates under coach Daniel Cormier on the show is of no consequence to him. Now that his UFC career is about to start, it's all about business for the Vancouver-based Brazilian.
"He's like everyone else in my mind. He's just one more guy in my way, and he's going to be losing at the end of the fight. I'm really secure right now, I'm healthy and I'm ready to be 'The Ultimate Fighter.'"
Check out Sezinando's full media day interview in the video above.
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