Brazil will have several representatives in the octagon in UFC 308, this Saturday (26). Among the athletes from the nation, is Victor 'Striker' Hugo, bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg.) who is having his 30th professional fight against the undefeated Farid Basharat on the preliminary card. Representing Astra Fight Team, the Goiás native gave details of his preparation and his expectations for the fight in an exclusive interview with SUPER FIGHTS.
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Preparation
About to face another great opponent on his journey to the top of one of the most balanced divisions in the UFC, the Brazilian assured that even though it was an important fight, the preparation was basically the same.
“Nothing has changed. We have a standard preparation, so we focused a lot on his flaws, and also on the physical part. And on the diet, nutrition, everything. We’re going to go for it. That’s basically it, we didn’t change anything. We just took his flaws, his positive points to work on, and the negative ones too, just like everyone else does. My camp was very good. We trained properly, without injuries, nothing. We managed to train hard, have some sparring partners,” he said.
Abu Dhabi
The Brazilian will fight in the third fight of the card, held in Abu Dhabi. Although it is not the athlete's first time in the country, he admitted that there were some difficulties brought about by the local time zone, seven hours ahead of Balneário Camboriú, the city where he trains.
“I’ve already been to Abu Dhabi. I was here about three months ago, but I arrived on Tuesday (22). I started to adapt today, because sometimes you don’t want to sleep but you have to force yourself to sleep so that everything goes smoothly, so that you’re rested when the fight comes. It’s a question of timing. But, as everyone knows, the time zone is difficult. You have to fight against it and do what you have to do, otherwise it will catch up with you,” he said.
Victor Hugo will make the third fight of the UFC 308. Photo: Instagram/UFC Fight Pass.
Undefeated opponent
Despite being in the best phase of his career, with 14 consecutive wins and without losing in a decade, Victor is a slight underdog for this weekend's fight. The reason may be due to his opponent's track record. Basharat is undefeated in 12 professional fights and has three wins in the organization.
Despite this, the Brazilian was very confident and happy with the opportunity to become the first fighter to defeat the Afghan.
“This is really good. The guy has never lost, and he’s going to lose this Saturday. I think it’s great, I’m going to be his first loss. I think it’s really good, because he’s a tough guy, he’s coming off 12 fights, 12 wins, and he’s already had a few stints in the organization, so for me it’s going to be really good,” said the guy from Goiás.
Expectation for the fight
With over 13 years as a professional athlete, the bantamweight (up to 61kg) said he sees gaps in his opponent's fighting style that can help him achieve victory. For him, it is essential to approach the fight aggressively, to have his arm raised without the need for a decision from the side judges.
“In my mind, I’m going to finish him. That’s the truth. Because I’m going for it. If I take him down, I’ll stay on top and finish him. If he manages to pull off the miracle of taking me down at least once, I’ll finish him the same way from the bottom. My ground game is very aggressive from the bottom. I don’t want to leave it to a decision. You know how it is, the opponent’s house… I don’t want to take it to the points, no,” he concluded.
In your last fight, Victor Hugo won Pedro Falcao by unanimous decision. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFC News
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