Brazilian promise in the bantamweight (up to 61,2kg) of Ultimate, Raoni barcelos suffered his first defeat in the organization in the meeting with Timur Valiev, in UFC Las Vegas 30. Days after the negative result, the athlete spoke exclusively to SUPER LUTAS YouTube channel and dealt with the moment with serenity. Even shaken by the setback, the athlete found positive points and suggested a next opponent for his recovery.
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The defeat to Valiev interrupted the Brazilian's nine-game winning streak. The athlete had not lost since April 2014, when he was not yet part of the Ultimate fighter squad.
Post-defeat feeling
Upset with the first negative result with the Ultimate gloves, Raoni did not hide his frustration at not being able to win his commitment on the 26th. The athlete then opened up about what he has been feeling in the last few days.
“It’s been very difficult for me. It's been a long time since I've had that feeling. Is very bad. I think it takes time. I need this week to rest. (…) When I return to active duty, I will analyze what happened carefully”, said Barcelos.
Judges' decision
Although he felt the taste of defeat, some of the fans expressed their opposition to the judges' decision, which gave the majority victory to the Russian. With his feet on the ground, Raoni did not try to find excuses and preferred not to challenge the judging panel.
“We have a completely different view when we are fighting. When the fight ended, the first person I saw was 'Glovão' (Glover Teixeira). He said: 'What I saw from the outside was that you won. That one knockdown, you were close to finishing the fight. (…) I think you took the second round with 10-8'. So, I was calm. (…) They asked me if I agreed with the arbitration, so what am I going to disagree with them? They are there to evaluate me, evaluate the fight. If I had done things differently, ended the fight in the second round, this wouldn't be happening. So, there was something missing on my part to win. (…) There’s no need to argue, fight, say it was theft. Everyone sees it differently and I see it this way. I’m a guy who demands too much from myself”, said Raoni.
What would change in the fight?
Known for his versatility, maintaining a high level in both stand-up and grappling, Barcelos did not achieve a dominant performance as seen in his last duels. The athlete then explained what, at this first moment, he can assess that would change in performance.
“I decided a lot in the third round. There, I ended up getting stuck many times. I knew he wanted to put me down, but it ended up that I didn't release my wrestling, I ended up catching some blows. (…) At the time of the fight, which we go through, there is no explanation. It is complicated. I need to look calmly, analyze”, said the Tupiniquim.
Positive point
Even though he is visibly upset with the defeat, Barcelos admits that he already sees something positive about the duel against Valiev. Honestly, the Brazilian revealed his thoughts.
“A movie plays in your head. Bad things happen so you can get better later on. I need more time for myself, to travel, to look for more training. I'm going to look for that, take advantage of the UFC training center to do tests and training. I think this is super important. I think now is the time. I'm sure Sean Shelby and Dana White didn't regret that fight. They liked. They gave us the 'Best Fight'. (…) I’m sure I’ll get through it all,” he said.
In search of the top 15
When he climbed into the Octagon for UFC Las Vegas 30, Barcelos made no secret of the fact that the clash against Timur would be decisive in facing a top 15 team in the sequence. Even without the victory, the Brazilian gave the organization a great battle. Thus, Raoni continues with the intention of facing a ranked opponent and revealed which name would be interesting for his return.
“I wanted to fight with the cody stmann, which is coming off a defeat as well. We were already going to fight. He's top 15. It would be a good fight for me. It's up to them. If they want it, I’ll be ready,” he signed off.
Athlete's history
At 34 years old, Raoni has 18 appearances as a professional in MMA. The Brazilian, today, has 16 triumphs and two setbacks in the sport.
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