J. Jones (left) and T. Marreta (right) hug after the end of the fight in UFC 239. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @tmarretamma
Thiago Marreta was the toughest opponent of his career Jon Jones and, for many people, including one of the combat judges, he won the main fight of the UFC 239, held last Saturday (6) and valid for the Ultimate light heavyweight belt (up to 93kg.). However, when the fight was ended, the Brazilian stated that he did not expect to win when Bruce Buffer began to announce the official result. The statement was made to the program 'Esporte Espetacular'. On that occasion, Thiago was defeated by a split decision from the judges.
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“I was surprised, yes, because, although I think I touched him more, it was a very even fight and it's difficult to beat the champion when you have a very close fight. You have to do twice as much, or more. So, I wasn’t hopeful of winning, no”, said the carioca.
The Brazilian, however, said he even imagined the possibility of victory when he heard Buffer announce that he had received a decision for victory. For Marreta, that sounded like a ray of hope that he could be just a few seconds away from being the new champion of the category and dethroning the, until then, unquestionable Jon Jones.
“When one of the judges gave me the win, I thought, 'Is this really going to happen?' But I wasn't very hopeful that I would win, no. I was satisfied that I had lost, because the fight didn't go the way I wanted. The injury really set me back and set me back a lot. The way the first round went, my idea was to do the other four, you know? And then I would be convinced of victory”, declared Thiago.
Marreta's performance was directly compromised after suffering an injury to his left knee in the first round, which made it impossible for him to perform some movements that were trained in order to undermine the North American's body. After the fight ended and tests were carried out to check the severity of the injury, the total tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee was confirmed, which will require surgery to be corrected (held next Wednesday (17). The knee Thiago's right, in turn, suffered a partial rupture of the ligaments and, in this case, will be treated with physiotherapy.
Despite having plenty of reasons to be happy, due to his excellent performance when facing on equal terms with what, for many, is the best MMA athlete in history, the absence due to surgery can be a discouraging factor for the Brazilian. Recovery time for such a particular procedure can be 10 to 12 months. Thiago also commented on the period in which he will be away from fights.
“Very bad news, I’ve never been stopped for so long. People who know me know that I like to fight straight, five, six times a year. It will be the first time that I have stayed still for so long. But I have a good head. It’s about focusing on recovery now, and we’ll work whatever we can. There's not much you can do, is there? Try to do it in the best way possible and try to speed up this recovery”, said Marreta.
The athlete's surgery will be carried out within the UFC Performance Institute (UFC PI). According to Thiago, the choice of location was made, in addition to the fighter's trust in Ultimate professionals, due to his inability to travel, as, according to the former title challenger, he still cannot stand up.
Even with the period of inactivity that the athlete will be subjected to, Marreta confirms that he already has the dream of having a rematch against 'Bones'.
“A rematch with him is certainly a dream. I want to recover from my knee and I definitely want to fight with it 100%, so we can see what it will be like when I'm 100%”, declared the fighter.
The duel against Jones represented only the fourth fight since the athlete from Cidade de Deus (RJ) joined the group of light heavyweight fighters. Previously, the Brazilian played in the middleweight division (up to 83,9kg), in which he was unable to gain much prominence. Heavier and stronger, Thiago only needed three fights to show the UFC board that he could face Jones.
At 35 years old, Marreta has 27 fights in his professional record, with 21 wins and six losses.
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