After UAE Warriors 24, Andre Fialho was on top of the world. It was his third straight first round knockout and Fialho was on top of the world. In our previous interview, spoke on his hot streak saying that he believed that Dana White would be calling him after his fight. In that chat, he said, “I’ve known Dana is going to be here. I’ve been telling myself I’m coming to Abu Dhabi to get my UFC contract and I won’t leave without it. But now, I’m not even thinking about that.”
Unfortunately, White couldn’t make it over. “He didn’t make it to the fights. He wasn’t there and I didn’t got signed like I planned in my mind,” Fialho said.
But little did he know after UAE Warriors 24, Andre Fialho would be getting the call shortly. Originally slated for UFC Vegas 46, Fialho was game from the jump. Any opportunity to fight for the UFC was what he was looking for and now, he had it.
“I got called Monday to fight Saturday, my manager asked if I could make weight, and I answered of course.” Fialho continued and spoke on the feeling of getting into the UFC, a longtime goal of his. “I didn’t feel much to be honest. I felt I deserved the contract after my last fight on what was supposed to be Dana White Looking for a Fight but never happened.”
All in all, it’s all part of the process and Fialho is just happy to finally be there. “I’m just very happy with the opportunity and how everything is falling into place.”
When I asked about any hesitancy on agreeing to the fight with it being on such short notice, Fialho said, “Absolutely not.” He is ready for this moment.
Andre Fialho vs. Michel Pereira: Fireworks In The Making
The name given to Andre Fialho was a short notice fight with Michel Pereira. Fighting Pereira is like fighting a bull in a china shop and that’s the type of matchup Fialho is always wanting.
“I am very excited to fight a guy like that, it’s exciting. [Pereira is] very well known already and was fighting a ranked guy. I’m very excited the fight will be in the PPV.”
Regardless of the opponent and the short notice nature of the fight, Fialho is not nervous at all for this fight. He is elevated to be able to make it to the UFC and get an opportunity to prove himself at UFC 270.
When asked about having nerves before the fight, Andre Fialho said, “Right now, [there are] absolutely none. I’m so happy and just can’t stop smiling about everything and the opportunity itself!”
But, Fialho knows who is in front of him. Michel Pereira is electric in the cage. He’s powerful, he’s fast, and he is dangerous. But, Fialho says that winning going to require the best version of himself and if he does that, he will get the finish as he always aims for in every fight.
“I have to stay sharp, aware, move my feet, be patient and I believe the knockout will come.”
Continuing on, Fialho says that sticking to his game plan against a fighter like Michel Pereira is of the upmost importance. “I’m concentrating on keeping my skills sharp and follow a game plan in my head.” Following that may not guarantee a win, as in all sports being perfect does not always bode success. But, for Fialho at UFC 270, it gives him a damn good chance at winning this fight.
But UFC 270 will come and that is what Andre Fialho is excited about. He gets to do what he loves, what he was born to do while hundreds of thousands watch.
“I’ll be looking to do what I do best in front of 18,000 people: put him to sleep.”
With UFC 270 around the corner, Andre Fialho has the opportunity to do something on a major stage. With two title fights including Francis N’Gannou versus Ciryl Gane and Brandon Moreno versus Deiveson Figueiredo 3,
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