In 2018, de Lima made his return to the land of heavyweights, defeating Adam Wieczorek at UFC 230. One thing you can say about de Lima is that he is constantly improving. He has his priorities straight and has become a true veteran of the game. He knows exactly what he wants to accomplish in his career.
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“Each day I get more experienced. I’ve been fighting for a long time. It’s been 20 years, so I’m improving every day. I feel like a better athlete every day and that’s it. I’m a hard-working guy and the results are proving that,” said the veteran.
At 36, de Lima is more focused than ever. With his sights set on breaking into the rankings this year, the Brazilian knows that a big win this weekend may earn him a shot at a ranked name.
“My goal this year is to be in the Top 15. And I’ve been working hard for that. I’ve been working harder in the training every day. I’ve been spending more time in the U.S., training at American Top Team. I used to go to Brazil and take some time off. I have to take care of a lot of things in Brazil. My family, my business. So, by spending more time here in the US, it has allowed me to train and focus better, and you can see the results.”
You really can see the results of his hard work and sacrifice. Extremely driven with two straight wins under his belt, de Lima will challenge Blagoy Ivanov this Saturday at UFC 274 in Phoenix, Arizona. He has respect for his opponent, but he knows that right now, momentum is on his side.
“He’s a consistent guy, but he hasn’t been active lately. He hasn’t fought in a long time. So now I’m gaining momentum,” de Lima explained. “I’m faster, stronger and I’ll take advantage of that in the fight… He’s a really tough guy, so you can expect a three-round war.”
Don’t miss any of the action from UFC 274: Oliveira vs Gaethje happening this Saturday on May 7 live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix Arizona. The early prelims will air exclusively on UFC Fight Pass at 2:30pm PDT / 5:30pm ET, followed by prelims which will air on ESPN & ESPN+ at 5:00pm PDT / 8:00pm ET. The main card will air exclusively on ESPN+ at 7:00pm PDT / 10:00pm ET.
