| Sakara=Excitement | 01-20-2013 11:16 AM |
UFC On FX 7 Bonus Winner Ildemar Alcantara Planning Drop From 205 To 170 Pounds
UFC on FX 7 bonus winner Ildemar Alcantara planning drop from 205 to 170 pounds | News Quote:
SAO PAULO – Despite his "Submission of the Night" win over Wagner Prado at Saturday's UFC on FX 7 event, Ildemar Alcantara was never expected to be a UFC light heavyweight. As it turns out, he might not be a middleweight, either.
Following Saturday's event at Sao Paulo's Ibirapuera Gymnasium, Alcantara revealed he's actually got his eye on a run at 170 pounds.
Quote:
"I actually want to fight the best, and that's why I'm here," Alcantara said through a translator. "But I intend to fight in the 170-pound class. ... I intend to do the next fight at 170."
| Ildemar (18-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC), the brother of fellow UFC fighter Yuri Alcantara, is a Brazilian native who competed at middleweight on his home country's regional scene. But when a chance arose to replace injured light heavyweight Roger Hollett against Prado (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on less than two weeks' notice, the 30-year-old decided the reward was worth the risk.
Moving up a division meant there was no need to cut weight, and the 6-foot-1 "Marajo" registered just 201 pounds at Friday's official weigh-in ceremony.
On fight night, Alcantara appeared a little bit hesitant, and he admits the enormity of the moment affected his early work.
Quote:
"I did feel a little bit of the jitters in the beginning," Alcantara said. "I was kind of nervous, I'd say, but then once I started getting into it, (I was OK)."
| In the second round, Alcantara seized his opportunity. A series of failed choke attempts from his opponent left him and Prado scrambling on the floor, and Alcantara latched on to a leg in hopes of cranking a toehold. The initial results failed, but Alcantara deftly moved his opponent's leg under his shoulder, which resulted in an impromptu kneebar that ended the fight and ultimately earned the undersized underdog a $50,000 bonus check as the evening's "Submission of the Night" winner.
Quote:
"It's very, very important to fight in an event such as UFC," Alcantara said. "To be able to start with a submission, that's even better."
| Alcantara now boasts an eight-fight win streak and is 12-1 in his past 13 appearances. Regardless of his performance at Saturday's event, he was fully expected to move back down to a more natural weight class.
As it turns out, following the biggest win of his career, Alcantara may be taking it a step further.
Quote:
"When I walked in, I felt those jitters," Alcantara said. "I'm at the UFC. I got very happy to be in the UFC, and I'm even happier that I made bonus money.
"I never thought that in my debut, it wouldn't only be my right foot forward – it was both feet forward, so I'm really, really happy. I've lost my words, but I really say thank you."
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