Marcio Barbosa realized a lifelong goal at UFC Winnipeg on Saturday night, earning a knockout victory over Dennis Buzukja in his promotional debut.
After years of grinding toward the moment, Barbosa soaked it in afterward, calling the win a “dream come true” as he officially announced his arrival on the UFC stage.
“A dream come true. We worked so hard for so long, so many years, for this to happen,” Barbosa told Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum through a translator.
“Thank God it happened that way. It’s just amazing.”
Barbosa (18-2) credited his preparation and the guidance of his longtime coach for keeping him composed under the bright lights of his UFC debut. Even with the stakes at their highest, he approached the fight with a calm mindset that allowed him to execute when it mattered most, and he was able to avoid the infamous ‘UFC jitters’.
“I have a coach, he’s not just a teacher or a coach, father, a mentor, a psychologist. He always says, ‘listen we’re going to go out there to do one more. Just one more fight. It’s just a different kind of sparring’,” Barbosa said.
“So I wasn’t shook, I wasn’t rattled by the moment. I was able to actually keep my cool and just go out there and get the win.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Marcio Barbosa above.