Bellator 112's Cristiano Souza fighting for tourney glory – and capoeira

Cristiano Souza believes you may be looking at him as an underdog. But the oddsmakers disagree.

Souza (7-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) meets Sam Oropeza (10-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in the opening round of Bellator’s Season 10 welterweight tournament on Friday at Bellator 112. Souza, from Brazil, is a 2-to-1 favorite over Oropeza.

Bellator 112 takes place at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

“People think I’m going to be the underdog, and that’s good, because I don’t want to have the pressure on me,” Souza told MMAjunkie. “I want to win this whole tournament. It’s why I’ve been working so hard and training, and why I moved away from Brazil. This is the opportunity for me, the biggest. That’s why I took it.”

But there’s even more at stake, as far as Souza is concerned. He’s not just fighting to win the tournament. He’s also fighting for his capoeira style of fighting.

He’s already a rare breed in that capoeira is his primary style. But a tournament win could help put capoeira on the map.

“Capoeira has done everything for me,” Souza said. “I came to America because of capoeira to do shows and demonstrations. Capoeira has given me everything I have today. Capoeira also saved me from the bad part of life – from the bad people, the drugs and the violence in Brazil. It helped me to stay away from all the bad stuff. Capoeira saved me from the bad parts of life, and gave me all the good things.”

Souza now wants those good things to continue in Bellator’s 170-pound tournament. With former champ Ben Askren vacating the title with his move to ONE FC, there is a wide-open field with Souza right in the mix.

Souza said he was impressed with Oropeza’s 37-second knockout of Chip Moraza-Pollard at Bellator 108. But beyond that, he’s just glad to be in the eight-man field, no matter who’s across from him.

“I don’t know very much about Sam Oropeza,” he said. “I saw his last Bellator fight and he knocked the guy out very fast. I wish I had the exact story or information about him, but it’s still OK. When my manager called me about fighting (in the tournament), I said, ‘OK. That’s why I’ve been waiting. Put me in. I don’t care against who.’”

For the latest on Bellator 112, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.