Issue 188

February 2020

The Brazilian welterweight reflects on some great KOs, beating undefeated fighters and reclaiming his Bellator title in the most satisfying way possible.

1. Andrey Koreshkov, Bellator 164

Winning the Bellator welterweight belt back from Andrey Koreshkov has to be the number one fight on this list. There was so much going on leading up to that fight. I was coming back from a crazy, crazy injury. Many doctors told me I would never fight again. Not just one, many, many doctors told me that. I was barely able to walk at one point during my recovery. I was on crutches for six weeks. Just coming back from that and getting the title back from the same guy that took it from me, that really means a lot to me. That is the number one fight in my career, just because of the history behind it.

2. Rick Hawn, Bellator 117

That was the first time I won the Bellator welterweight belt. That was the second Bellator tournament that I won. I lost the first time that I fought for the belt when I lost to Ben Askren. I came from MFC in Canada. I was a champion there, but the goal was to win the tournament in Bellator right away. Becoming the champion is always the goal wherever I am. You have to be the target for everybody. I feel comfortable in that role. Being a champion for the first time was good. Everything started changing. People started mentioning my name a lot more. That was a great experience to have.

3. Michael Page, Bellator 221

It was a big win. It was a nice finish. It was against an undefeated guy. It was pretty cool, too. I landed a nice combination and knockout. I think that made it extra special that he was undefeated and had that mystique about him and being the guy that took that, that makes it special. We did it. We did it and it felt good. But for me, it's another fight. The main focus was getting that title back. I have wanted it since I lost it. This led to me getting it back. 

4. Ben Saunders, Bellator 57

I put this one on the list because of the knockout I landed in this fight as well. This was the final of the Bellator Season 5 welterweight tournament. From the body shot to the head kick that ended it, I don't want to blow myself up or anything, but it was one of the best knockouts I have ever seen. The way the combinations landed and the way it worked out, man, that was a big KO and it definitely has to be on the list. 

5. Jesse Juarez, MFC 27

That's when I won the MFC belt in Canada. It was my second fight in MFC. That was huge news at the time. MFC was a big promotion. He (Juarez) was very big at that time. That fight was on national TV. I was losing the fight up until the moment when I submitted him with the triangle in the third round. That was one of my best comebacks and it was definitely a very important win for me in my career.