Diego Ferreira looking to avenge his loss to Beneil Dariush after admittedly only taking first fight to be in Brazil
Interview with Diego Ferreira above
Carlos Diego Ferreira is set to kick off 2021 with a fun matchup with Beneil Dariush at UFC Vegas 18. The two originally fought back in 2014 when the Brazilian stepped in on short-notice at UFC 179. Now almost seven years later, Ferreira has a chance to avenge his first loss as a pro.
“I was really excited because that was my first loss,” Ferreira said. “It was my first loss [as a professional.] I didn’t call him out, Charles [Oliveira] pulled out of the fight and I said ‘Hey I’m here,’ if they want to use me, I’m here. I was good and in a good weight cut and I was already dropping weight pretty good. I saw the opportunity.”
The original fight didn’t go his way as Dariush ended up winning the contest by unanimous decision with all three judges giving him 30-27 scorecards. Funny enough both fights came as a result of opponents dropping out. The first fight was in Brazil, something that Ferreira wanted to capitalize on.
“The last fight was my fault,” the Brazilian admitted. “The last fight I took the short-notice [and] I was looking more to see my family in Brazil than really to fight. That’s how things [went.] But I’m not complaining. He took the fight and it was 50/50 for both. I think this time we [are] going to be more focused on each other. Especially because he improved so much and I did too. I think we can put on a good show. It’s gotten me more excited than ever.”
With the fight happening so long ago it’s fair to say both fighters are completely different now. Especially with both coming off of highlight reel finishes. The fighters have evolved so it’s fair to say Ferreira expects a very different outcome, one that will leave fans hoping for a trilogy.
“He looks completely different,” Ferreira said of today’s Dariush. “He’s more of a stand-up fighter now. He comes to bawl! It’s really interesting because his last fight two wins were super spectacular finishes and I was impressed. I like when the fighter puts in the work and now he’s really worked [from] being a grappler to being a stand-up fighter. It gets me more excited because I think we can put on a show.”
“We’re going to look for the finish and it’s going to be completely different from the last time.”
