M. Pereira (left) and S. Ponzinibbio (right) were highlighted in the UFC Las Vegas 55. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
The important victory of Michael Pereira about Santiago Ponzinibbio No. UFC Las Vegas 55 was even more valued by the Brazilian fighter, due to hitherto undisclosed behind-the-scenes problems. In an exclusive interview with SUPER FIGHTS, the 'Paraense Voador' said that he actually won the fight and revealed that he had serious difficulties during his training camp and that this prevented him from fully preparing for last Saturday's clash (21).
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“In my opinion, I think I won the fight, right? So, I put a lot more hard blows on him, I hit him 'on his forehead and came back', especially because the animal is 'blurry', right? I think I threw much harder blows than he did and the tough blows he gave me, I took them but went for it. It seemed like I was more willing than he was. So, I think I really won the fight, but if it were for him, I would be happy too because it was a very tough fight.”
The 'Paraense Voador' revealed that he did not have adequate preparation for the duel and that he practically only trained striking during the camp.
“I wasn't even 50% done with my training... with the camp there in Brazil, I didn't train a lot of things, because I didn't have a teacher and I didn't have people to train with me on these things. So there (in the fight against Santiago Ponzinibbio), I was only 50%. The other 50% was missing and even more, if you're stupid. I had a lot of 'B.O' (slang for problems) in my camp, so I had to stick to boxing and muay-thai and I did crossfit training there, which is what helped me”, said Michel
Michel stated that he was unable to prepare for the grappling fight and said that this affected his strategy for the confrontation against Ponzinibbio.
“I didn't train ground, I didn't do weight training, I didn't do jiu-jitsu or wrestling. And I knew that if I did anything outside of plan, I would be charged. There was a time when I grabbed his back, I let go and said 'Hey boy, go away, I don't even want to hold you or force you, because if I do it here, it's over. Michael Pereira”. I was good at running and (fighting) boxing, and some kicks, which I train a lot in muay-thai too, but doing strength, isometrics, ground, jiu-jitsu, wrestling... what? The deal was bad”, said the Brazilian.
The new welterweight ranking also spoke about the difficulty in losing weight and staying within the division's permitted limit.
“I arrived here (in Las Vegas) weighing 13kg (over the limit). I was very heavy, looking like an ox. And I still arrived and beat the category weight, 77kg, I beat Ponzinibbio even more. You have to respect 'Michelzinho Pereira', the kid is really different. There was a day when I lost 3,6kg. I went into the sauna, did training, did the gauntlet. But my weight was still too high, we were worried. But then, on Wednesday, I managed to 'enter the game' again. Then I was able to calm down”, revealed 'Paraense Voador'.
With five consecutive victories, Michel finally entered the welterweight rankings (up to 77,1kg) and now the Brazilian is fourteenth in the rankings. The 'Paraense Voador' has a record of 28 triumphs and 11 setbacks in professional MMA.
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