Antonio Carlos Junior on PFL 9 and bringing another belt back to ATT

Antonio Carlos Junior clashes with Emiliano Sordi in a high-stakes light heavyweight contest at PFL 9.

This is a semi-finals bout in the 205-pound ranks. These upper echelon warriors look to punch their ticket towards a million dollars and a world championship.

The latest from Professional Fighters League goes down Friday, August 27th from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The broadcast takes place on ESPN 2 and ESPN+ as the 2021 PFL Playoffs continue.

Carlos Junior is a UFC veteran who made his mark initially on TUF Brazil season three on that particular platform. After a close to a seven-year-long run with the organization, Shoeface‘s focuses became redirected towards the chance at a million dollars and a tournament-minded framework in PFL.

With a pair of bouts that ended in the first round behind him (a victory and no contest respectively), Antonio Carlos Junior aims to get it done in his third PFL bout of the 2021 run.

I spoke with Shoeface at the PFL Pre-Fight Presser. The excerpt from my interaction with Carlos Junior is below.

Antonio Carlos Junior

I was noticing that video with Ray Lewis there at ATT headquarters and you had a myriad of belts in the background.

.@raylewis runs into @caradesapatojr at ATT HQ!

Shoeface faces Emiliano Sordi in the Light Heavyweight Semifinals.

2021 #PFLPlayoffs Continue Friday, August 27!
Main Card: 10pm ET on ESPN2 & ESPN+
Prelims: 6:30pm ET on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/5K6105teLl

— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 25, 2021

As much as winning gold in PFL would be a tremendous individual accomplishment, how cool would it be to also further bolster the collective and the great championship legacy at ATT?

Antonio Carlos Junior said, “I think it’s really nice. I want to be part of the history of my gym too. We get a lot of champions at the facility, a lot of great fighters. I have a lot of great training partners who help me like every day. Tough guys always helping each other. I want to be a part of that. Bring the gold to the gym.”

Dylan Bowker

I've been enamored with combat sports for as long as I can remember. I've hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, Mark Coleman, and more. I've been an MMA broadcaster for XFFC as well as BTC and have done play by play commentary on live pay per view on GFL as well as FITE TV. I've provided written, audio, and video content covering some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage. I've worked as a sports entertainment personality for over five years and given play-by-play or featured promotions of KSW, ONE Championship, TKO, and Invicta FC. My work can be found in the USA Today Sports affiliate MMA Torch, Cageside Press, MMA Sucka, and Liberty Multimedia.

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