Born in the state of Bahia, the same province that produced the Nogueira brothers, Edilberto "Crocota" de Oliveira is another rising student from the famed Brazilian duo.

After shining in various Brazilian organizations where he maintained an undefeated record, "Crocota" won the biggest prize of his career and he'll debut at UFC 70 this Saturday against Paul Taylor.

With a sharp ground game and hands honed by boxing coach Luiz Dorea, the Brazilian showman promises a great performance in the Octagon.

What are your expectations about UFC 70? And how many fights are you signed with the UFC organization?

My expectations are the best possible. I'm training a lot. I have a three-fight contract and I will make my debut [on April 21].

Do you know your opponent? Do you have any strategy for this fight?

As usual, I don't know anything about my opponent, except for his name. But I'm training along with the better fighters I know, and when it happens, the win is guaranteed. I'm training hard to reach my goals.

You are used to fighting in the 83-kg weight division, but in UFC you'll in the under-77kg weight division. Does this cut of weight change something in your training sessions?

It changed everything. Nowadays I feel stronger and faster. I think the fights can be easier now for me. It's like they say: Hard training, easy fight. So, I'm absolutely sure I will conquer a beautiful win, and everybody will enjoy my fight.

You are training boxing under Luiz Dórea's lessons, the same boxing coach for the Nogueira brothers. Tell us about these sparring sessions.

Thank God, I'm training very well. Coach Dórea is praising me in the training sessions. I'm training with my friend Junior Cigano, who also won his fights at the Minotauro Fights, and I'm sure he will be a world champion in near future. "Minotauro" and "Minotoro" are introducing us to the world, along with coach Dórea and there is a lot of talented fighters to come along with us.

And how is your BJJ training?

I'm training BJJ with my teammates, who are supporting me a lot. The state of Bahia has joined together to help me to win, and when we are together, no one can stop us. I'll be there to win.

You made your MMA debut as a jiu-jitsu fighter, but in all of your last fights, you looked for the knockout. Do you feel more comfortable fighting on your feet or on the ground?

I feel comfortable doing both. Nowadays I train with the best partners. There are teammates who will compete at the Pan-American games in boxing. I'm training well with them, and when you feel confident, you can fight very calm on your feet. Wherever the fight goes, I'll be fine with this.

What is your level in jiu-jitsu? And for how long have you trained in boxing?

I'm a Nogueira brown belt. And I've been training boxing for three years.

Your nickname in Brazil is "Crocotá," a kind of alligator. Why are you called this?

The alligator is a very calm animal, but when he attacks, he's very aggressive. Out of the ring, I'm a very calm person. But when I fight, no one can stop me. I never fight to lose; I always look for the win.

Who are your idols?

The man who I admire the most is Jesus Christ. But in the rings I admire Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures), Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures), Vitor Belfort (Pictures) and Anderson Silva -- who are better than me.

Do you know about other competitors in your weight class, like Matt Hughes (Pictures), Matt Serra (Pictures), etc?

I saw Hughes and Royce Gracie (Pictures). I thought Royce should use more boxing; he wanted to do like old times and fight only jiu-jitsu. The MMA scene is different right now, you have to know how to fight on your feet and on the ground. You have to be ready for everything. Jiu-jitsu is a very good technique, but it's not enough for now.

What do you think about Minotoro's loss in PRIDE to Sokoudjou?

That was a disaster. He took an unexpected punch, and he was knocked out.

Send a message to all who access Sherdog.com

Thanks everyone! I'm Edilberto "Crocotá." I came from Bahia to the world. I'm training with good partners. We don't trust on luck, we only trust on hard training and we always look for the win. I want to thank coach Dórea, who's like a father to me, and I'll be world's champion thanks to him. A big hug to everybody.