P. Borrachinha remains unbeaten after 12 fights in his career. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC
It took a while, but it arrived. After scheduling and cancellations, the duel between Yoel romero and the Brazilian Paulo borrachinha It's just a few days away. The fighters will face each other in the third fight on the main card of UFC 241, this Saturday (17th) in a fight valid for a possible chance at a future title fight among middleweights (up to 83,9kg). Paulo has already made his bet on the result: knockout in the first round. In a recent interview with 'BJ.Penn.com', the Minas Gerais native spoke about his expectations for the clash.
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"Yoel romero He's a champion in Wrestling, but that's MMA. We are not going to wrestle. Believe me. I'm going to knock him out and, if he doesn't stay smart, I'm going to take him to the ground and submit him. I will fight like I always fight. In the first second of the fight, I will try to knock him out or even submit him. I will chase him and hunt him in the octagon. I’m going to knock him out and it will be in the first round”, said the Brazilian.
This weekend, Paulo will return to the octagon after more than a year away from fighting due to subsequent injuries. The last time the athlete competed in a professional fight was in July last year, when he beat Urijah Hall by technical knockout in the second round. Asked about the possibility of feeling a lack of rhythm during the match, Borrachinha tried to reassure the fans and affirm that he is well prepared to withstand the intensity of the clash.
“I haven’t fought for a year, but that won’t influence my performance. I train the same way I fight. When I'm in a training session, it's the same thing as a fight. In the last two months, I've basically had 12 fights, as I've had 12 sparring sessions. My sparring partners are tougher than a fight. My performance is great”, said the miner.
Currently in seventh place in the division rankings, Paulo believes that a good victory over the Cuban could put him in excellent condition over a possible challenger for the category title. Today, the champions are Robert whittaker (linear) and Israel adesanya, who will face each other on October 5th to unify the belt. If he beats Romero, who is currently in second place, the Brazilian has a good chance of being selected as the next challenger in the future.
“If I win this fight, I will fight for the belt in the next one. When I beat him (Romero), especially the way I'm going to beat him, the only option will be to put me up for the title. I'm going to win so well that I'm going to fight for the belt later”, concluded the athlete.
At 28 years old, Paulo has never been defeated in a professional fight. Today, the Minas Gerais native has 12 fights on his record, with 12 victories; 11 by knockout. The only time the Brazilian did not knock out his opponent happened in 2016, when the athlete submitted his compatriot, Eduardo Ramon, at the Jungle Fight.
More experienced, Romero, at 42, will make his 17th appearance in MMA. The Cuban, former challenger for the division title, won 13 of the 16 fights contested in his career.
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