“The
Hulk” put Robocop” away in their first meeting. |
Getty/UFC
Brunno
Ferreira recently confirmed to Sherdog.com the news that he
will face his countryman Gregory
Rodrigues again at
UFC 326 on March 7.
“It certainly shouldn’t be a matchup that pleases Brazilian fans,
but for me it was something very good,” Ferreira said. “After all,
even though I beat him in my
UFC debut, he’s ahead of me in the rankings.
Just like the first time he secured a knockout at the end of the
first round in his UFC 283 debut in Rio de Janeiro, the judo black
belt hopes to surprise “Robocop.”
Improvements All Around
“Since our first fight, I’ve greatly improved my game, my
confidence, and my fighting style,” Ferreira said. “The past is the
past, let’s write a new story, and I’ll certainly be going after
him with the same determination as the first time. I’ll definitely
be looking to secure my place in the rankings with another victory.
Fans can expect a great war that will propel me up the division’s
rankings. As always, I’ll go in to finish from the start, but if it
lasts, I hope to win all three rounds.”
After earning a contract on
Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2022, Ferreira faced
Rodrigues in his first promotional foray at UFC 283, winning via
knockout at the 4:13 mark of Round 1. Six month after the
impressive debut “The Hulk” was knocked out by Nursulton
Ruziboev in the first round. After that loss the Brazilian TKO
representative knocked out Phil Hawes
and Dustin
Stoltzfus, both in the first round. In his fifth UFC fight,
however, he was submitted by Absupyan Magomedov via arm triangle.
But since then, he has earned three straight wins over Armen
Petrosyan, Jackson
McVey and Marvin
Vettori.
Rodrigues has been victorious in five of six Octagon appearances
since falling to Ferreira. That stretch for “Robocop” features
notable wins over the likes of Roman
Kopylov, Jack
Hermansson and Christian
Leroy Duncan. The 33-year-old Brazilian boasts a 9-3 overall
mark within the Las Vegas-based promotion.