Bellator 121's Carlos Eduardo, early opponent of Jon Jones, gunning for title of own

An early fight against current pound-for-pound kingpin Jon Jones may be Carlos Eduardo‘s most famous moment up to now.

The Brazilian light heavyweight fought Jones in 2008 and suffered a third-round knockout loss. It was Jones’ second fight, and less than a year later he was tearing up the UFC on his way to the 205-pound title.

Tonight, Eduardo (11-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) would love to start turning that distinction around when he meets Egidijus Valavicius (26-10 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at Bellator 121, looking to start a new winning streak after having a nine-fight run snapped in April.

Bellator 121 takes place tonight at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

“It was a great experience for me. All credit goes to Jon Jones,” Eduardo told MMAjunkie. “Right after I faced him, I knew he’d be champion. I could see his talent. That’s exactly what happened. He’s the champ now.”

Eduardo would like to have a similar end result, even if the paths are different. With a spot in the opening round of Bellator’s 2014 “Summer Series” light heavyweight tournament, he could be on a quick path to a shot at gold.

And that, he said, is just what he’s here for.

“I came to Bellator to achieve my dreams and to become great,” he said. “I want to be remembered as one of the best in this sport, and in order to do that, I must become a world champion. That is why I signed with Bellator, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

“This tournament is a huge opportunity for me because it allows me to move that much closer to the belt. After I win this tournament, I will earn my title shot and I will be that much closer to realizing my dream of becoming a world champion.”

Eduardo got his start in the sport sort of by accident, he said. Thanks to a family member practicing jiu-jitsu, he was introduced to the ground game.

But it took a little bit of getting over himself to realize MMA, and specifically the grappling portion of the sport, was something he wanted to be a part of.

“I had a cousin who was already in jiu-jitsu,” Eduardo said. “I would accompany him to his training. I didn’t like it at first – It was machismo on my part. I didn’t want to be grabbing on other men. But after that, I started watching Royce Gracie on the first UFC videos. It captured my attention how he managed beat much larger guys. He represented jiu-jitsu. I was hooked. And since there was a new academy in Fortaleza (Brazil), I bought a gi, signed up, and haven’t stopped since.”

Tonight, he faces the heavy-handed Valavicius, and no doubt will be looking to submit him. The Lithuanian has 15 of his 26 wins by knockout. But what Eduardo may be looking at is that five of Valavicius’ 10 losses are by submission.

Eduardo said he works on all aspects of the sport. But he knows what his bread and butter is.

“I do come from jiu-jitsu, but today everyone trains everything, so we must be complete athletes,” he said. “Most opponents are well prepared on the ground and they may have good wrestling or striking, so we train everything.”

But if the fight hits the ground like Eduardo wants it to, he’s not keeping his game plan hidden.

“I know I’ll have an advantage over him when the fight goes to the ground,” he said. “I’m coming out there to submit him. It’s no secret.”

For more on Bellator 121, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.