D. D'Silva in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook douglasdsilva
With 12 fights confirmed to date, the UFC Sao Paulo promises a lot of excitement for the Brazilian public this Saturday (16). In particular, a fight must electrify and divide the crowd on the preliminary card. The former bantamweight champion (up to 61,2kg.), Renan Barao will try to recover his career against his compatriot Douglas D'Silva. Knowing his opponent's bad form, Douglas maintains respect for his opponent and believes in a tough fight this weekend, in the featherweight division (up to 65,7kg). The statement was made in an interview with 'Combate'.
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“He’s a guy I really admire, he’s a champion and I really liked following him because he’s in our category. I always made a point of watching his fights. I'm very happy and it's a great pleasure to fight with him, regardless of whether he's in a good moment”, said the athlete.
Aware of the moment his compatriot is experiencing, who hasn't won a fight in over three years, D'Silva does not minimize the danger he will encounter when exchanging forces with the native of Rio Grande do Norte.
“He left a legacy, a great champion and made a name for himself. I'm happy to fight him. He has an arsenal in stand-up fighting, grappling, and ground fighting. Wherever I hear my corners talking, let's work on it. With faith in God, I hope to emerge with my hand raised,” he stated.
Against Barão, Douglas will have his seventh fight since signing his first professional contract with Ultimate, in 2014. In São Paulo, the fighter will make his debut in the featherweight division, leaving, at least provisionally, the bantamweight division. Among the heaviest, the man from Pará, who is coming off a defeat in the company, hopes to notice the evolution of his skills, as he won't feel the weight cut as much.
“I was talking to the coaches and we decided to move up a category, because I took off a lot of weight. It took a lot of dehydration to be able to reach the lower category. I had some good achievements, yes, but it was very tough to make that weight. That's why we chose to go up. In the past I cut 15, 16 kg. Sometimes 19 kg. Now, I started cutting weight, five to six kilos. I'm 73, 74 kg. I believe I will have a better performance because of this”, said the combatant.
Since he lost his belt to TJ Dillashaw, in 2014, Barão had to face the worst moment of his career. In his last 10 appearances, the Potiguar had his hand raised at the end of the match on just three occasions.
Renan, who was once considered the best pound-for-pound in the company by president Dana White, will have, this Saturday, the chance to rediscover his winning path after the stormy period.
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