UFC Fight Night 36's Cristiano Marcello fighting to further coaching career

Cristiano Marcello is in a position in his career that most people dream of.

Right now, he’s doing what he wants to do because he loves it. His job could go away, and it wouldn’t keep him from earning a living. For Marcello, fighting in the UFC is essentially a hobby that he’s using to help keep his coaching career growing.

Marcello (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) on Saturday takes on Joe Proctor (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 36, which takes place at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Marcello’s fight with Proctor closes out the preliminary card on UFC Fight Pass.

Marcello is one of the most prominent coaches in Brazilian MMA history and now has his own school after heading up the Chute Boxe Academy. Now he takes price in showing his current students at his CM System school that he’s still got what it takes.

“I’ve done a lot for the sport, and I’ve got other things in my life I can make money from,” Marcello told MMAjunkie Radio. “I do this because I love to fight. I love to show the boys from my gym I can still do it.”

And for that, he said there’s really no pressure to win, and no pressure when he loses. Of course, he’d love to get his arm raised on Saturday night.

But more than anything, he wants to put on an exciting fight. He’s been through it all in his career, and continuing to pursue goals while fighting will pay dividends while teaching.

“I love fighting,” he said. “I’m close to 20 fights in my MMA career. I fought no gloves, I fought no rules, I fought in PRIDE, I fought in the ‘TUF’ house. So all these things, I think I can bring to the gym and make it better. I’m a very astute guy. If I keep fighting, I will be a better coach. To have the most experience you can have, you can talk to your (students) because you did it.”

Against Proctor, he’ll be in a unique situation. The two trained in the same house on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Marcello already has one fight on his resume against a “TUF 15? housemate. He was knocked out by Sam Sicilia in his official UFC debut at the TUF 15 Finale.

But he believes if Proctor is basing any kind of expectations purely on what he saw of him on “TUF 15,” he may be in for a surprise.

“I prepared a lot for this fight in my striking, my wrestling and my jiujitsu,” Marcello said. “I trained with him inside the house. I know his game. He knows my game. But I’m training a lot of new things for this fight.

“Joe is a nice guy, and a good friend of mine. But me and him have to do the business. It’s going to be a war.”

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 36, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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