Author: By E. Spencer Kyte

The life of a fighter is extremely unpredictable. You never know when you’re going to fight next or if something will happen between signing your contract and the night of the fight that keeps you out of the cage. Everything else in life is at the mercy of your schedule, intricately fit into a small window of opportunity somewhere between a morning workout and that evening’s strength and conditioning session.

That includes getting married.

With just a couple of weeks remaining before he was set to step into the cage with Ian McCall for a second time, UFC flyweight contender Demetrious Johnson hopped on a plane for Hawaii. Surrounded by friends and family on Angels Bay Beach in Oahu, “Mighty Mouse” and his “Mighty Bride” said their “I dos.”

Despite the scenic locale and major life event, this wasn’t a mid-camp holiday for the 25-year-old title hopeful.

“I was training twice a day in Hawaii,” offered Johnson, dismissing the thought that his Hawaiian Island nuptials might have made for a more abbreviated training camp than normal. “We have (Hawaii Martial Arts) there, and Haru (Shimanishi) was there, and it all just flowed.

“It was almost like I didn’t leave training because HMC is our sister school, and Haru was one of the trainers that trained Matt Hume, so they’re all kind of on the same page. They welcomed me with open arms, and I was training for about four hours a day while I was there.”

Just as getting married in the middle of training camp wasn’t part of the original plan for “Team Mighty,” neither was preparing to face McCall for a second time.

The two flyweight title hopefuls initially met in one half of the four-man tournament established to crown the first 125-pound champion in UFC history. Meeting head-on in the center of the Octagon in the organization’s first ever flyweight contest, Johnson controlled the opening two rounds by keeping “Uncle Creepy” off-balance, blending his striking and wrestling well, and maintaining the speed that had made him a bantamweight title contender in the past.

McCall came on strong in the third, finishing the round in back mount, raining down strikes as he played to the crowd at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. When the scores were read, Johnson was declared the winner, taking a majority decision, causing McCall to storm out of the cage dejected.

Later that night, however, it was announced that an error was made in tabulating the scorecards, and the bout should have moved to a “sudden victory” round, as it was actually scored a draw by the judges. With the event already in the books, there was no other choice but to do it again.

“I don’t look at it as I have more to lose,” offered Johnson. “Yes, I could look at it that way, and be bitter about it, but I’m seeing this as a way for me to go back out there, and do it all over again.

“I told my coaches the other day that I’m glad I get to rematch him because I feel sharper. I feel like I’ve gained a lot more this time around in training camp. My body is not banged up, and I just feel better.”

An elite bantamweight contender before making the drop down in weight, the 14-2-1 Kentucky-born resident of Kirkland, Washington had no problems making the 125-pound weight limit the first time around, which he determined after the contest wasn’t a good thing.

“Getting down for the first weight cut was way too easy, and that means I starved myself, and didn’t diet correctly,” admitted the charismatic and personable Johnson with a laugh. “When I was doing my weight cut, it was just way too easy. I felt good the first round, but as the fight progressed, I started to feel my body slowing down, being sluggish, not having enough string on my punches. You could see it – this was the first time in my UFC career that I’ve slowed down in a fight, and that’s because of my diet, and my own being hard-headed, and not listening to my coaches.”

A frenetic blur of constant activity and pressure in the cage, Johnson sees Friday’s second bout with McCall as a do-over; a chance to correct the mistakes he made last time around, and earn the right to face Joseph Benavidez in a fight to become the inaugural UFC flyweight champion.

“I thought the performance was good,” he said of the initial meeting with McCall in early March. “It always can be better, and I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get the nod, but it’s okay. I’m happy that I can do it all again. I feel a lot sharper this time, and I’m in a better place in my training camp, and I can’t wait to get out there, and do work.

“I feel like if I had gotten the nod, and went on to fight Joseph, I would have been like `Oh, my weight cut was good because I beat Ian McCall. I don’t need to work on very much; just stay on the same steady track.’ But at some point, I took a lot of steps backward to fix my game, and my mindset, and now I feel good.”

Part of what has him feeling even better heading into the sequel is the fact that he’s now training with Hume at AMC Pankration full-time. Following his decision loss to Cruz in October, Johnson committed himself to making fighting his one and only job, and went from making three or four trips per week to work with the man known as “The Wizard” to spending six days a week taking instructions from his highly respected and accomplished coach.

“I think the sky’s the limit when I’m training up here with Matt Hume full-time now. Before, I was only up here four days a week – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday – but now I’m up here six days a week, the sky’s the limit, and (I’ve already seen) huge improvements (in my skills since making the change). My body feels nice and relaxed. I feel calm, I feel sharp, and I feel good.”

This second meeting between the two flyweight title hopefuls serves as the headliner for the UFC’s third event on the FX network. While the lighter weight classes don’t often get the chance to close out a show, Johnson relishes the opportunity, and believes it’s something that should happen more often moving forward, especially given the impressive track record of the smaller fighters so far this year.

“No pressure at all,” Johnson answered when asked if having his name atop the marquee ups the ante heading into this weekend’s event. “It’s my job, and I would love to be the face of this division. In order for me to do that, I’ve just got to go out there and perform. I’m trying to make history, and that’s all the motivation I need.

“I do think it’s important for the lighter weight classes to get that spotlight though,” he added. “If you look at the last few fight cards, Louis (Gaudinot) and John Lineker got Fight of the Night when they fought. “Korean Zombie” and Dustin Poirier – they got Fight of the Night. We’re not going to knock people out like the heavyweights do because they’re bigger dudes — they hit harder than us – but at the same time, we’re more technical, we’re in better shape. I think if all the lighter guys keep doing what they’re doing, I think you might see a pay-per-view card where it’s all flyweights, bantamweights, and featherweights.”

While a lineup featuring a collection of fighters competing south of 155-pounds could be intriguing, there’s only one thing on Johnson’s mind right now, and it’s not playing fantasy matchmaker.

After momentarily believing he’d taken the first step towards claiming the flyweight title back in March, the diminutive dynamo is ready to square off with “Uncle Creepy” for a second time, and promises to deliver the type of performance fans have come to expect from him in Friday night’s main event.

“Typical “Mighty Mouse” approach — relentless pace, moving, head movement, making my opponent miss me a lot, and just tagging him whenever I can. All you’ve got to do is tune in to FX.”

Erick Silva’s official record shows that he lost to Carlo Prater at UFC 142 earlier this year, and while that’s factually correct, it still doesn’t feel quite right. It feels like it’s missing an asterisk, an explanation.

It feels like Jon Jones’ loss to Matt Hamill.

Like the UFC light heavyweight champion’s bout with the now retired former Ultimate Fighter standout, Silva’s bout with Prater was technically a loss, but most people view it as a dominant performance marred by a controversial decision.

The pair of Brazilian welterweights squared off in January before another raucous crowd at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Prater making his UFC debut as a late replacement for an injured Siyar Bahadurzada, while Silva was returned for his sophomore outing in the Octagon after needing just 40 seconds to stop fellow first-timer Luis Ramos five months earlier at UFC 134.

As he did in his first outing, Silva wasted little time, taking the center of the cage, and dropping Prater with a hard knee to the midsection, following his crumpled opponent to the canvas, unleashing a flurry of strikes on the way down.

Prater squirmed, trying to avoid Silva’s blows. A shot landed on the nape of his neck, drawing a warning from referee Mario Yamasaki. Silva continued to pour it on, looking for the finish. Punches continued to land, some tiptoeing the border between being legal and illegal as Silva rained down strikes, and Prater continued to try an evade his opponent’s barrage.

Just 29 seconds into the contest, Yamasaki stepped in, and waved off the fight. Prater lay battered on the canvas while Silva celebrated what he thought was his second impressive win in the UFC, but it was not meant to be. He was disqualified due to illegal strikes to the back of the head, a decision few in attendance agreed with, including UFC President Dana White, who said the organization would treat the performance as a victory for the talented 27-year-old, and book his next fight accordingly.

“(I was) very disappointed,” Silva said of the outcome of his January encounter with Prater. “But even (though) I disagree with the decision, I understood that Yamasaki’s decision — he really thought that was the right decision. I don’t think about that anymore (though); just my next fight.”

The controversial decision in his last contest has done nothing to lessen the buzz that follows the Brazilian prospect, who returns to action Friday night in a bout that could go a long way to showing just how high up the welterweight rankings Silva will be able to climb in the future.

Silva meets Charlie Brenneman in the co-main event of UFC on FX 3, an event headlined by the flyweight tournament semifinal rematch between Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and “Uncle Creepy” Ian McCall. While Brenneman isn’t the biggest name in the welterweight division, the former NCAA Division I wrestler is a sizable step up in competition for Silva, and has all the tools to bring his rapid climb up the rankings to a halt Friday night in Sunrise, Florida.

Wrestling has often been a weaker point for Brazilian fighters, with analysts pointing to Brenneman’s proficiency on the ground as a possible stumbling block for Silva, but “Indio” doesn’t seem all that concerned.

“I (have had a) lot of training, and confidence in my coaches and my teammates,” said the soft-spoken Silva through an interpreter. “I have training partners that always went good against wrestlers, like Rafael Feijao, Anderson Silva and Ronaldo “Jacare” (Souza). I have listened a lot (to) their advice.

“Professionally, I’m more focused in my training than before,” continued Silva, who carries a 13-2 record with one No Contest into Friday’s meeting with the 15-3 Brenneman.

Considering he’s needed less than 70 seconds to leave a pair of opponents laying on the canvas, looking up at the lights thus far, the prospects of a more focused, more prepared Silva should be something that makes the rest of the welterweight division a little nervous.

Excited to compete outside of his native Brazil for the first time in his career, Silva has a chance to further justify the heady praise and lofty expectations that have followed him from his days as a dominant force and welterweight champion in the Jungle Fight organization through to the Octagon. It’s also a chance to put the lingering controversy from his last fight behind him.

A man of few words, Silva says that while some may still want to discuss the results of his fight with Prater, his sole focus is Friday’s matchup with Brenneman, and preparing as if his entire career rests on this contest.

“I don’t listen (to) what other people say; I only think (about) my next fight as if it were my last fight.”

Win or lose, Erick Silva isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

There is something magnetic about the heavyweight division.

No matter how much talent resides in the lighter weight classes or how frequently the mighty mites of the sport put on incredible displays of technique and conditioning bouncing around the cage and punching each other in the face non-stop for 15 minutes, there is still something uniquely enticing about seeing a pair of heavyweights staring each other down across the cage.

While the various other divisions within the UFC have consistently boasted deep, talented ranks, the heavyweight division has experienced good times and bad. Even now, with the division deeper than perhaps it’s ever been, the need for identifying prospects and putting them through the paces to see if they have what it takes to contend with the best heavyweights in the business is both daunting, and crucial.

Finding solid additions to the roster is challenging enough, yet alone coming across a six-foot-four-inch, 240-pound collegiate wrestler with Golden Gloves credentials who is athletic enough that he got a look from Major League Baseball once upon a time. That’s why people have been paying close attention to Stipe Miocic’s arrival and advancement in the UFC heavyweight division.

The 29-year-old Strong Style Fight Team member entered the UFC having generated a great deal of buzz in earning six consecutive stoppage victories on the regional circuit. None of his foes lasted to the third round; three didn’t make it out of the first.

His potential was put to the test in his opening appearance in the Octagon in a matchup against durable veteran Joey Beltran at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas. He went to the cards for the first time in his career, but as he had in his previous six bouts, Miocic came away with the victory.

Four months later, the Croatian-born Cleveland native showed the power that made him such an intriguing prospect on the regional circuit when he needed just 43 seconds to dispatch fellow unbeaten up-and-comer Phil De Fries in a Knockout of the Night-winning performance in February.

“It’s awesome. I really can’t say much,” Miocic offers, truly at a loss for words when asked to explain how his two-fight tenure in the UFC has been. A staccato burst of expression is all he can muster. “It’s fantastic. I’m excited. It’s been great, and keeps getting better. Keep winning, that’s the name of the game.”

The chain reaction of changes to the UFC 146 fight card resulted in Miocic being presented with a third opportunity to step into the Octagon by filling the opening opponent slot opposite fellow undefeated prospect Shane del Rosario in the former Strikeforce standout’s UFC debut.

Getting the call on short notice doesn’t give Miocic any reason for concern, and he’s well aware that del Rosario is going to be looking to make a strong first impression when they collide Saturday night in Las Vegas.

“I’ve been training, so I’m in shape. He’s a gamer; he’s a tough dude, and I’m sure he’s going to come to fight. My coaches have been breaking videos down, but it’s hard to say (what’s going to happen) because he’s been out of the cage for a year-and-a-half after a terrible accident.”

After pushing his record to a perfect 12-0 with a first-round submission win over Lavar Johnson in February 2011, del Rosario’s car was struck by a drunk driver, forcing him to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Daniel Cormier, and press pause on his promising career until now.

Each win thus far has increased the attention on Miocic, and should he emerge from his meeting with del Rosario with a zero still holding down residency in his career loss column, the spotlight is sure to get even brighter. That kind of scrutiny can be unnerving for some, regardless of age and experience, but the former Division I All-American from Cleveland State University isn’t worried about succumbing to the pressures or buying into his own hype.

“(The key is) just having the right people behind you — coaches, family, and friends — and not worry about the hype,” says Miocic. “Just keep doing what you’ve been doing; the reason you got there.

“I just take it in stride, (and try to) keep getting better each fight. I have my coaches on me, telling me stuff to keep working on. I have no say in who I fight — they give me the call, and I’m fortunate and thankful that they’ve given me this fight at UFC 146. (It’s a great opportunity), but you’ve got to keep getting better, and keep winning. That’s what people want to see.”

Miocic gives a great deal of credit to the team of coaches and fighters he trains alongside as a part of the Strong Style Fight Team, a group that includes former UFC competitor Forrest Petz, and Bellator veterans Chris Lozano and Brian Rogers.

“We’re hard workers, and we’re a close, tight group with great coaching. (Head coach) Marcus Marinelli is phenomenal. He helps us get better at our games, and uses things that are going to help us, not just give us stuff that we should try. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, and he’ll think of something that would work in our arsenal.”

The 8-0 heavyweight prospect already possesses a solid arsenal, with his weapon of choice being the big right hand he used to halt De Fries’ unbeaten streak in Omaha, Nebraska earlier this year. After getting tagged with a couple early shots, Miocic seemingly decided, “Enough is enough” and went on the offensive, an explanation he agrees to with a laugh before elaborating.

“I just started off slowly, and I can’t do that. I thought he was going to take me down; I didn’t think about his hands too much. He hit me, but (it wasn’t anything) I wasn’t prepared for; I think I can take a punch. And then I hit him with the right hand.”

Simple as that — “and then I hit him with the right hand.”

That’s why heavyweights draw casual and hardcore audiences alike, and why the upcoming battle of the unbeaten prospect between Miocic and del Rosario might be the most intriguing fight on the all-heavyweight main card at UFC 146.

Miocic is eager to get back into the cage and test himself against his toughest opponent to date. But where some fighters are worried about living up to the hype, the talented heavyweight prospect is focused on one thing and one thing only.

“It’s going to be a war; I’m looking for a three-round war, and I’m expecting him to be tough as nails, but I’m going to get that W no matter how it ends. Decision, submission, knockout, I don’t care — just get that W.”

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Looking over Josh Barnett’s resume, the list of men he’s faced in his career is a mix of heavyweight royalty and tough, talented fighters a notch below the elite. After accumulating 31 wins over a 15-year career, you might be tempted to think that getting motivated is a challenge or that the end of the road is within sight for the 34-year-old catch wrestler.

Think again.

“I really like the sport, and I like training,” explains the articulate, well-spoken heavyweight. “When I’m not training for fights, I’ll often play with other martial arts like Silat or Panantukan, whatever I can get my hands on. I enjoy the movement, and the challenge of learning something new, and adding to the skills that I already possess.

“When it comes to the fighting, the prime motivation is that I want to be the best in the world. I’ve still got years left to do this, and I’m not gonna stop until I can’t do this anymore. When that athletic window is over, I’ll know it, and I’ll at least be able to say that I have no regrets.

“And (it’s also) because I really enjoy fighting,” adds Barnett with a slight laugh, echoing the sentiments shared in the “I Am A Fighter” video he recently filmed for Showtime. “I enjoy the violence, the combat. I like being in there having this guy trying to hurt me, and having the free rein to do whatever it takes to put this guy into the floor.”

Saturday night in San Jose, the guy he will be trying to put through the floor is undefeated former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier, as the pair square off in the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Having already dispatched both Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov in dominant fashion, Barnett is one more win away from being the last man standing in the Strikeforce heavyweight ranks.

Achieving that feat will be no easy task.

Brought into the tournament as a replacement for Alistair Overeem in the semifinals, Cormier earned his place opposite Barnett with an impressive first round knockout victory over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Many viewed the Brazilian heavyweight as the favorite following his opening round dismantling of Fedor Emelianenko and Overeem’s removal from the competition, but Cormier used his superior movement and improved striking to rock the former Elite XC champion before earning the stoppage just ahead of the four-minute mark of the opening round.

It was the type of performance that elevates a fighter from prospect to contender, and while Barnett is acutely aware of the dangers Cormier presents, defeat is not an option when your mission is to establish yourself as the best heavyweight in the sport today.

“I’ve gotta win this tournament, and I’ve gotta beat Daniel, but it’s not just Daniel — I’ve gotta beat everybody that I get into the ring with. I can’t really allow for…”

Barnett’s voice trails off as he stops to put his thoughts on losing together.

“Not that I ever allow for losses to have any precedent or any sort of space in my life — I know that that is something that you have to accept — but I really try my utmost to keep that so far from even acceptance because I don’t want to allow the concept of losing, anything other than complete and utter victory to be foremost in my mind at all times.”

Save for Barnett and Cormier, the Strikeforce heavyweight division has been boarded up, though the Grand Prix champion will remain in the organization for at least one more fight after Saturday night.

For the most part, the best of the best in the big boy ranks reside in the UFC. It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of seeing Barnett return to the Octagon seemed impossible, but UFC President Dana White has said that he’d be ready to have Barnett join the rest of the former Strikeforce fighters on the UFC roster at the conclusion of the Heavyweight Grand Prix, win or lose.

Barnett last fought in the UFC more than a decade ago, departing after being stripped of the heavyweight title he won from Randy Couture following a positive post-fight drug test at UFC 36.

While most would assume returning to the UFC would be one of the chief goals of a fighter determined to establish himself as the best in his weight class, Barnett says not so fast.

Though he allows the current MMA landscape makes it very difficult for a fighter to considered the best in their respective weight class while competing outside the UFC — “Yes, to a degree, this is true.” — Barnett’s focus is on who he beats, not where he beats them.

“To beat all those guys is very important, and this may seem contradictory, but it’s not important to get back to the UFC. It’s important to be the best fighter I can be, and be as confident and devastating in the ring as possible, and the rest will work itself out.”

Comments like that are part of why Barnett remains an intriguing figure in the heavyweight ranks 15 years into his career. Not only does he deliver entertaining fights and pile up victories, the part-time pro wrestler also isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind, before he’s stepped in the cage or after he’s had his hand raised in victory.

“The inherent similarity is there, and it’s plain for all to see,” says Barnett of the relationship between wrestling and mixed martial arts. “It’s just that most fighters don’t have much personality or lack the ability to put it out there in a very interesting way. Not my fault.

“I’m gonna go out there and put my feelings out there, let the world know what I’m thinking, create interest, and give them something to hate or love, but nonetheless care about, and I don’t see any other way to really be the best I can be without bringing that part of the equation into play.

“I don’t think it’s for everyone — everyone’s going to find their own way to do it — but just gimme a mic, gimme a camera, and a room full of people, and that’s all I need. The stage is set.”

It is for Saturday night in San Jose, where Barnett will look to add another name to his impressive list of vanquished foes, and take another step towards reaching his goal of conquering the heavyweight division.

The man known to many simply as “Mayhem” is at a crossroads in his career.

Expected to enter the UFC opposite veteran Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 last July, Jason Miller was instead handed the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to coach Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite former TUF winner and top five contender Michael “The Count” Bisping.

Rather than having to work his way up from the middle of the pack in the 185-pound ranks, Miller was being given a shot at jumping to the head of the line. After more than three months of televised bickering between the two, fight night arrived, and the highlight of “Mayhem’s” performance was his entertaining walk to the cage.

Bisping dominated Miller, earning a stoppage win just past the midway point of the third round. Though it was the 44th fight of his career, Miller looked like a newcomer inside the cage, throwing awkward strikes, and fatiguing quickly.

The criticism came fast and furious, and from every direction, including the top of the UFC. Dana White openly pondered whether or not to keep Miller on the roster, and called the contest one of the most lopsided fights he’s ever seen. While many have pressed him for an explanation, the verbose 31-year-old veteran has refrained from saying much — if anything — about his performance.

“Nobody cares about your excuses,” blurts out Miller before the question is completed, knowing it will end at his decision not to discuss his December outing against Bisping. “The point is get in there and do it right, you know? I threw that fight away, and it was my fault. I’m not going to cry about it — I’m going to look forward, and win the fight on the 26th.”

After serving as one half of a highly anticipated main event in his UFC debut, Miller is back in the middle of the pack for his second outing, aligned with former Ultimate Fighter finalist C.B. Dollaway on the preliminary portion of UFC 146, the company’s annual Memorial Day weekend event.

Miller has no problem with the flood of criticism that flowed following the Bisping debacle, and not only did he completely understand White’s reaction to his performance, the former “Bully Beatdown” host has told the UFC President that if he offers up a similar showing against Dollaway, he’s calling it a career.

“Everybody likes to kick a guy when he’s down, but I don’t give a damn,” says Miller of the critical response to his performance from fans and media. “If I’m man enough to stand in front of my mom and the rest of the world and get my ass kicked, I think I’m strong enough to take some criticism from a guy who never laced on some gloves.

“I told (Dana) if I put on a show like that again, I’m quitting,” Miller says flatly. “That was ridiculous. That wasn’t me out there; that wasn’t me. I threw that fight away, and so it’s up to me to go ahead and really make a statement on the 26th. The best thing that ever happened to me is me getting beat up by Michael Bisping because I’ve approached my entire career in a completely different light.”

Like Miller, Dollaway will enter the Octagon with his back against the wall. After earning five wins in his first six post-TUF appearances, the 28-year-old Arizona native has dropped back-to-back contests, getting stopped by Miller’s teammate Munoz last March before falling to Jared Hamman last summer.

Though Dollaway has a 5-0 edge in UFC wins and five times as many appearances in the Octagon, Miller is thoroughly unimpressed with what his opponent has accomplished to date, and sees himself staving off early retirement with relative ease.

“I just look at who he’s fought in the past, and I look at — you know — I look at who he’s fought in the past, and how I match up with them, and I know that… this should be an easy night for me. On top of that, I trained my ass off. I’m not gonna make this a personal thing with the guy, but at the same time, I’m not gonna pretend to respect him.

“There’s a stark contrast between me and him. You can see that I’m mentally tough, and I’m a bit of a masochist, so I’ll take the abuse, and go through it. When the going gets tough, this guy quits, and I’m gonna make him quit.

“I shredded the fat out of my training camp,” Miller continues, explaining why things will be different this time around. “I was getting hung up on gimmicks, and having too many people crowded into my training camp. The good thing about losing a fight is that you lose a lot of quote-unquote friends. I got rid of the people who weren’t doing anything for me, and now I’ve focused on the core group of training partners who are going to make me successful.”

While the sarcasm and snark are ever-present, Miller’s brusque tone speaks volumes as well. Even if he sounds like he’s joking most the time, he’s acutely aware of how pivotal this fight is for his career.

With the loser of this fight possibly receiving a handshake and best wishes in their future endeavors, Miller knows nothing else matters other than coming away with the victory, including where this bout is in the lineup on fight night.

“I don’t give a damn (where I’m at on the card). When I’m inside the cage, I finally get to have fun. All the stupidness is over — all the cutting weight, every day going to practice, not eating what I want to eat, not drinking what I want to drink, you know what I mean? All the suffering is over. That’s supposed to be the performance part, so I don’t care where it is on the card. I don’t care if I’m fighting him in the back parking lot, Structure C; I’m going to fight just as hard.

“I’m going to knock his fart-face off, and I’m going to send him packing. There’s no way around it.”

It took 40 fights and nearly ten years for Carlo Prater to make his way into the UFC Octagon.

A veteran who has fought throughout North America and in his native Brazil, Prater had made a name for himself by taking tough fights on short notice, alternating between welterweight and lightweight throughout career, and his UFC debut would be no different.

When Siyar Bahadurzada was forced from his UFC 142 matchup with rising welterweight star Erick Silva, Prater was tabbed to replace him. Short notice or not, it was the opportunity the 30-year-old Brazilian had been working towards his whole career.

The bout lasted just 29 seconds, and while the record shows a victory for Prater, it wasn’t the type of outing he was hoping to have in his UFC debut.

Silva came out like a rocket, dropping Prater almost instantly, chasing him to the canvas with a torrent of lefts and rights in an attempt to finish the fight. As Prater tried to avoid punishment, Silva connected with a couple of borderline strikes, receiving a warning from referee Mario Yamasaki. Silva continued to land, and seconds later, the fight was over, but instead of a second consecutive UFC win in under a minute for middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s talented protégé, Prater took home a disqualification win, much to the dismay of the pro-Silva crowd assembled at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

“I didn’t want that,” says Prater, discussing his inauspicious UFC debut. “I’m pretty sure he didn’t want it either, but it is what it is; it happened. I was feeling an incredible amount of pain shooting down my arm at the time, and I wanted to get checked out. I didn’t care if I had won or lost; I just wanted to be well again.”

Four months later, the 30-10-1 Prater is prepared to return to the cage opposite Canadian TJ Grant in a lightweight contest he plans to use to make a much better first impression.

“I’m anxious with this fight to be able to move past that. It was an unfortunate incident, but I just use it as fuel to my fire. As soon as I was medically cleared, I got back to training down here, and have just ramped it up to another notch.

“I’ve hired different people (for this camp). I’m working with a whole slew of different professionals down here. I’m in incredible shape right now, very focused, and just looking forward to showing everybody why I was contracted in the first place.”

Don’t let Prater’s sub-30 second UFC debut fool you — the Brazilian is a talented and experienced fighter, having shared the cage with the likes of Melvin Guillard, Spencer Fisher, and Carlos Condit over the course of his career. A black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and luta livre, Prater has been tough to finish throughout his career, while collecting half of his wins by submission.

Yet after suffering through a seven-fight stretch that yielded a 2-5 record, Prater knew he needed to make some changes.

“I’d say me being more a part of my son’s life (had a huge impact),” he explains. “I moved back down to Brazil, and he’s been a tremendous motivation to me over the last year-and-a-half. I take great pride in being able to be a father full-time, and that’s incredible motivation for what I do Monday through Saturday — being able to look at myself at the end of a long day, and say I did the best I could.

“I think (it also) had to do with me surrounding myself with more helpful relationships. I had a lot of relationships — friends, people around me outside of the gym — that just weren’t really pushing me as a professional. I needed to get serious at some point, and I had to take a long, hard, introspective look in the mirror, and get down to the core of what I am and what I do.

“I love combat; I love the huffing and puffing when I’m tired, and bloody, and so is he. I love the challenge of knowing I beat a man, and he was trying to beat me. I had to get away from certain influences and friendships. Other than that, I just focused more and more, listened to my trainers more and more, and do what they ask me to do. It was a shift in mindset and a shift in focus.”

Since dropping a unanimous decision to recent UFC newcomer Reza Medadi in October 2010, Prater rattled off four consecutive finishes to earn the call to replace Bahadurzada against Silva in January, showing the skill set that he hopes to put on display a week from today when he steps into the cage with Grant on the undercard of the UFC’s third event on FUEL TV on May 15th.

Though his controversial debut has been a dominant part of the narrative leading up to the card in Fairfax, Virgina, Prater prefers to heed the words of one of his trainers, and use this contest as the catalyst to a lengthy, successful stint as a member of the UFC lightweight division.

“I like to bring up something that my trainer always tells me. He’s like `Look man, your career starts now. You’re 0-0. Each fight is your first and your last fight.’ You have to look at it like that.

“When you’re fighting for the UFC, you’re no longer 30-10 or 5-1 or whatever your record was previously; you’re 0-0, and that’s every UFC fight you go into. After any fight, you can get canned, so that’s just something I always keep in the back of my head. I want to put on an incredible performance, and that’s what it is — it’s motivation more than anything.

“I relish this pressure,” continues Prater, who handed Carlos Condit the first loss of his career more than seven years ago. “I love fighting for the largest fighting organization in the world. As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to retire one day several years down the road as a UFC fighter. I have no plans on leaving the UFC ever; I want to make it my home, and make it a long, fruitful partnership for as long as I can. I want to be a UFC fighter for a long time to come.”

To keep that dream alive, Prater will need to deliver on against Grant, a tough Canadian veteran who earned a first round submission win over Shane Roller in his lightweight debut back in October. After struggling in his debut, Prater is confident his second appearance will prove he deserves to be inside the Octagon with the best the sport has to offer in the lightweight division.

“The last one was very much just me doing what I’ve done so many other times — taking hard fights against tough up-and-comers in a variety of weight classes on short notice,” admits Prater. “I’ve done that so many times in my career that I have that `screw it’ mentality, but it’s hurt me over the years, taking these really tough fights on short notice.

“And then you’re approached by the largest organization in the world, and every fighter’s dream is to fight for the UFC, including mine, so of course I was dying (to accept the offer). They could have offered me Jon “Bones” Jones, and I would have jumped at it; not that I’m saying I could beat Jon “Bones” Jones. I just feel one hundred percent more confident for this fight, knowing that I’ve put in all the work that needs to be done.”

After accepting a nightmare pairing with Silva on short notice for his debut, Prater has put in a full camp in preparation for his first fight in the UFC’s 155-pound ranks, and Grant profiles as a much better matchup for the Brazilian.

“I think that we’re going to match up well; it’s going to be a dynamic fight. He trades well, he’s a good grappler, and I’m the same. We’re both experienced and well rounded; we’re both cool and calm under pressure.

“It’s going to be a good fight — I can just tell. I think it’s going to be an exciting fight for the fans, and hopefully we put on a great performance, the card goes quick, and we get shown (on the broadcast).

“I’ve invested every cent that I have in this camp,” says Prater in closing. “I’ve taken no shortcuts. Everything I’ve ever been told I should do, I’ve done. I’ve got such a clear conscience at this point. I really like where I’m at right now, and I just want to be able to show everybody that I belong in the UFC, and I deserve to be in the lightweight division with the rest of the great fighters in the weight class.

“I’m going to go out there, give it my all, and let my training do the talking. I’m just really looking forward to May 15.”