“My goal is to be the best Light Heavyweight MMA fighter in the World.”

He could be one of the most underrated mixed martial artists in the world. Although this European veteran is undefeated in MMA thus far with most of his battles in the unlimited weight division, he has had an extremely difficult path in this modern day multi faceted fight sport.

With his last great streak of fights being in Japans MARS middleweight tournament, Tabera’s problem has been finding a stage on which to let his talents shine through. When I first saw Tabera fight it was in Atlantic City in EUPHORIA as he took on UFC veteran Ron Faircloth and applied the unusual techniques of the open handed striking game avoiding the ground game, which the much puffier American was trying to impose. Tabera won a unanimous victory with a broken hand.

Tabera at this point was already a veteran of Russia’s M-1 having received a draw against Gilbert Yvel, a fight in which the referee showed mercy on the much larger Yvel by extending his recovery time after his jaw was seriously damaged by the Spanish Legionnaire.

After the Euphoria (later MFC) show in which I saw Daniel fight, he had a period of a year and a half unable to get a fight, but he would eventually become a champion in Japan. Returning as a completely different fighter applying the submission game and fighting in a weight class, which was “logical” for him to participate in, conquering here was not enough. Daniel, like many fighters wanted to step up to Pride but that stage also disappeared before he even got an in.

After a stellar 2006, 2007 became one disappointment after another following a serious injury from the tournament and then three fights fell through for reasons beyond the fighter’s control. He passed up a fight with Alexander Emilianenko because he had a previous engagement with BodogFight to take on Kayce Uscola in Vancouver, Canada. Then inexplicably, without rhyme or reason the fight was cancelled along with nineteen other bouts. As a possible fight in Pancrase then fell through, 2007 would become another year of inactivity in the fight ring for a very talented fighter.

Desperate to get back in the ring after so much intense preparation Daniel finally told his trainer Alejandro Iglesias that he desperately needed to fight and to please get him anything.

Daniel easily triumphed against Vitalius Shemetov in Shooto Belgium in his first fight in over a year and at least his frustration had been partially brushed aside for a moment. Three months later to the day, he submitted Ken Sparks in Cage Wars via Mata Leon once again.

I remember Daniel’s trainer Alejandro telling me that he wanted Daniel to fight Fedor, to which I could only look back in amazement. I suppose I thought this was insanity, but now I realize these legionnaires do not kid around. Their philosophy is that to be the best you have to fight the best.

Now after warming up on a couple fights, Tabera is returning to the wildest place in the world to go fight Russian Bears, St Petersburg, and he is taking on a Roman Zentzov who is about fifty pounds heavier in his own homeland. Needless to say, the odds are against Tabera, but somehow, I want to say that he will overcome the larger obstacle by implementing an intelligent game plan, which his trainer Alejandro Iglesias is a specialist. Roman Zentzov is a very heavy and dangerous striker who took out Pedro Rizzo in his Pride debut. If Daniel Tabera can submit Zentzov, I think this man can say that he conquered the world.