A Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and arguably one of the top grapplers on the entire UFC roster regardless of weight class, what had made Carlos Junior such an intriguing figure on the edge of the middleweight title picture prior to his injury last year was that he was finally starting to put everything together and show how truly dangerous he can be inside the cage.
Although he had shown power in his hands during his time on TUF Brazil, where he scored a pair of knockouts before submitting Marcos Rogerio de Lima to advance to the finals, his striking had always been a work in progress. But over his last few fights, the progress was starting to show.
While he’ll always play to his greatest strength and look to strangle the opposition on the canvas, Carlos Junior is committed to continually improving the other facets of his game, using something newly minted welterweight champion Kamaru Usman once said as his inspiration.
“I heard something from Kamaru Usman that I liked. He said, ‘Maybe I’m not the best wrestler or the best striker, but I’m the best at MMA,’” recalled Carlos Junior. “I am the best in jiu-jitsu, but I also want to be the best in MMA.
“I knocked some guys out in the house and that was at heavyweight, so I’ve got some power in my hands and I’ve been working to develop every single aspect of my game. I’ve been working with Anderson Franca, Edson Barboza’s coach. He said, ‘You’ve got a powerful kick; you’ve got to start training that,’ so we started training that and I feel like I’m getting better and better every day.
“Like I said, I want to make the guy think I’m going to take him down and then strike or make him think I’m going to strike and then take him down,” he added. “That’s how I’m going to catch them.”
After a torturous 12 months away from the cage, Carlos Junior is finally on the brink of getting back in the cage and doing what he loves once again.
“I can’t wait. I even miss the feeling of making weight,” he said with a laugh. “I’m happy I’m on my diet because it means that I’m back, so this is just an unbelievable time.
“I love doing this,” he added. “I can’t wait until Saturday.”
