Patolino returned to his good form after being fired from the UFC (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC)
Young, aggressive inside the octagon, charismatic in front of the camera, dyed blonde hair, TUF Brasil 2 finalist and status as a future Brazilian sports star. These were some of the labels that the welterweight William Patolino received when he arrived at the UFC in 2013, at just 22 years old and with an impeccable record in six professional fights. Performance in the largest MMA organization in the world, however, was well below expectations.
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In four fights in Ultimate, he won just one, being submitted in his debut and knocked out in two others. The bad outlook culminated in an early dismissal, placing several question marks over the career of the athlete from Rio de Janeiro. But the game turned for Patolino. Two years after leaving the UFC, the now fighter for Fight 2 Night, a company chaired by global actor and businessman Bruno Gagliasso, found his good form again and once again had reasons to smile inside the cage, racking up two consecutive victories.
"I recovered my high performance by doing what I always do: I remained dedicated 100% to my team and my fights. Thank God I had two big victories. There's no secret to fighting well again, but if there is, the name is 'hard work' (laughs). So that's what I did, I went back to training well, dedicating myself to (at the time of the fight) being the Daffy Duck that I always was. Without injury, there's nothing stopping me from getting there and performing brilliantly. I fought against Bojan Kosednar and won by knockout. I fought against Handersson Ferreira, who was the number 1 welterweight on the national scene, and I taught an MMA class. So if there's a secret, it's to work hard. Hard work makes us achieve victories”, declared the fighter in an exclusive telephone interview with SUPER FIGHTS.
Before resuming his career, Patolino spent 21 months without taking action. The return, in fact, was close to happening in an international organization, to which the athlete did not want to reveal his name. However, the friendship with Bruno Gagliasso combined with the innovative project of the recently created Fight 2 Night caught the attention of William, who soon joined his 'new team'.
"I had a series of proposals to fight again, including a duel in the United States, it was already scheduled, but Bruno Gagliasso (global actor and president of Fight 2 Night) called me and asked me to fight at his event. I explained my condition, I said I had an offer, but we talked a lot, and the conversation was so cool that I gave up the offers I had abroad to be able to fight at Fight 2 Night. In other words, I'm a Fight 2 Night athlete, I wear the shirt. If something bigger comes up, for example, some really cool event that pays me very well, I'll negotiate to see what we can do. But I'm loyal to Fight 2 Night, it's an event that welcomed me, marked my return... I feel good here, I feel at home”, revealed the carioca.
Despite having regained his good form and relevance on the national MMA scene, Patolino guarantees: returning to the UFC is not an obsession. Happy with his new bosses, the welterweight states that his main short-term objective is to win the franchise's 77kg belt and, subsequently, make new plans for the future.
“I have no anxiety whatsoever, no rush to return to the UFC. I used to have it, to tell you the truth, but today I no longer have it. The only thing I think about is to keep working and fighting well. I'm loyal to Fight 2 Night and the company is loyal to me. (…) I don’t criticize anyone for what happened to me (the UFC dismissal). I look at myself and think, 'Could I have done anything differently? Could I have changed that?' But unfortunately that's what happened, I had a series of bad things that culminated in bad results. I see all of this as a great experience, it was incredible for me. To tell you the truth, I thank God that all this happened to me, because I started to see many things, even in my personal life. It was very good for me, it helped me mature and gain experience. Anyway, I intend to win the Fight 2 Night belt and only then think about what we can achieve in the future”, added Patolino.
Read the full interview with William Patolino:
SUPER FIGHTS: You left TUF Brasil 2 with a lot of expectations surrounding your name, being considered one of the main Brazilian promises in the UFC. Do you think this label hindered you in any way? Did you feel any pressure?
WILLIAM DAFFY: I don't think it (disturbed). The focus on TUF was on me, people were expecting something from me, and I was able to provide that in some fights, but not in others. Unfortunately I had ups and downs, some serious problems that hindered me in my last fights in the UFC, such as injuries… I even fought with a broken hand. (…) I don't want to take away from my opponents, but I had several problems that made it impossible for me to fight well. The UFC itself knew this, as it was communicated. Even so, I went there and fought, but I ended up losing.
SL: Your dismissal from the UFC was a bit sudden. He was scheduled to fight at UFC 193, in November 2015, but left due to injury and was cut. Did it surprise you at the time?
WP: I was surprised to be cut like that. It was a good fight, I was expecting a lot, but the even bigger surprise was because I left the fight due to injury and ended up being fired, and the UFC knew the reason why I left, they had all the medical exams. So I felt very surprised, I didn't expect that.
SL: Were you upset at the time about the dismissal?
WP: At the time I was very, very upset. I was injured, with a broken foot, and I had to undergo surgery, a whole recovery process, and they still fired me. I didn't feel supported at all, so this made me very sad.
SL: You were away for a long time (February 2015 until November 2016), but you came back and scored two good victories. What do you consider to have been essential to make this turnaround?
WP: I recovered my high performance by doing what I always do: I remained dedicated 100% to my team and my fights. Thank God I had two big victories. There's no secret to fighting well again, but if there is, the name is 'hard work' (laughs). So that's what I did, I went back to training well, dedicating myself to (at the time of the fight) being the Daffy Duck that I always was. Without injury, there's nothing stopping me from getting there and performing brilliantly. I fought against Bojan Kosednar and won by knockout. I fought against Handersson Ferreira, who was the number 1 welterweight on the national scene, and I taught an MMA class. So if there's a secret, it's to work hard. Hard work brings victories.
SL: Why the preference to restart your career fighting for Fight 2 Night?
WP: I had a series of proposals to fight again, including a duel in the United States, it was already scheduled, but Bruno Gagliasso (global actor and president of Fight 2 Night) called me and asked me to fight at his event. I explained my condition, I said I had an offer, but we talked a lot, and the conversation was so cool that I gave up the offers I had abroad to be able to fight at Fight 2 Night. In other words, I'm a Fight 2 Night athlete, I wear the shirt.
Patolino won two fights at Fight 2 Night (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook WilliamPatolino)
SL: Would you accept to fight in another organization other than Fight 2 Night?
WP: If something bigger comes up, for example, some really cool event that pays me very well, I'll negotiate to see what we can do. But I'm loyal to Fight 2 Night, it's an event that welcomed me, marked my return... I feel good here, I feel at home. It's an event that was part of my fresh start, as well as these guys who work very well, like Bruno, who is my friend. This was all a combination of factors that excited me to return, gave me that injection of self-esteem. Could it happen that I fight in another event? You can, if the negotiation was very good. Otherwise, Fight 2 Night is my team. Just as I have a favorite team in football, in fighting that team is Fight 2 Night.
SL: You said that you were approached by other organizations. Can you reveal what they were?
WP: I prefer not to mention names, so as not to involve other companies that have already contacted me, you know? I would have calmly fought for these companies, but it didn't end up happening, so I keep working, I prefer to just talk about Fight 2 Night.
SL: What are your short-term career plans?
WP: My goal is to work and have good fights at Fight 2 Night, win the organization's belt. I don't know when the next GP fights will be, but I'm going to fight for that belt. By winning the title, I will become the first Fight 2 Night champion, I will make history once again. Being the organization's first champion, I have plans in mind. My managers, Ed Soares and Jorge Guimarães, Joinha, they have plans for me, we always talk. We have plans for the future, but now is the time to focus and make it happen.
SL: Are you anxious about returning to the UFC?
WP: I don't have any kind of anxiety, none about returning to the UFC. I used to have it, to tell you the truth, but today I no longer have it. The only thing I think about is to keep working and fighting well. I'm loyal to Fight 2 Night and the company is loyal to me. Generally we are good for the company while we are performing, then we are no longer good. That's how it happened in the UFC. The UFC fired me for one reason only: a sign that, at the moment, I wasn't being good to them. But I completely understand, business is business. If the employee is not being good to the company, I will fire him and hire someone else. I don't criticize anyone for what happened to me. I look at myself and think, 'Could I have done anything differently? Could I have changed that?' But unfortunately that's what happened, I had a series of bad things that culminated in bad results. I see all of this as a great experience, it was incredible for me. To tell you the truth, I thank God that all this happened to me, because I started to see many things, even in my personal life. It was very good for me, it helped me mature and gain experience. Anyway, I intend to win the Fight 2 Night belt and only then think about what we can achieve in the future.
Patolino guarantees that he has no anxiety about returning to the UFC (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook WilliamPatolino)
SL: Currently, trash talk is on the rise among fighters. How do you see the need for provocation in pre-fight promotion?
WP: I think all athletes have the right to promote and say whatever they want, but I think we can't lose the essence of the sport, we can't leave respect aside. Some athletes have lost their way with the provocations, this is going too far, they are leaving the sporting spirit aside. I like to provoke my opponent during the fight, try to destabilize him excitingly, play with him, but all within respect. I don't mind coming in and cursing the guy, hurting his honor as a man, just as he can't do that to me. I think there has to be a limit, due respect, and people are crossing that limit. They are not just going on the side of provocation, but rather on the side of disrespect, which is very bad for the image of the sport. The people at home like a provocation, they like a good fight, but disrespect is not cool, it leaves a dark legacy, I can't convey that image to the public that is watching me. There was an athlete who came to fight in Brazil, I forgot his name (he was referring to the welterweight Colby covington), and offended an entire nation. He said he hates our country, that we are a shitty country. I didn't see the need for him to say that. The guy fought a good fight, won, and wants to disrespect our country in our home? So it was a very bad thing for him and for the sport. Some people look and say: 'Wow, how can an MMA athlete say something like that?'. (…) They are imitating several other athletes promoting themselves, like Chael Sonnen, McGregor, because they see that it's a cool thing, it makes money for athletes, but people can't escape their origins. Sport means respect, so we always have to respect each other.
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