Saturday night, the UFC will head to Uruguay for the first time in the promotion’s history.
UFC on ESPN+ 14 is headlined by flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko (17-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), as she puts her title on the line against Liz Carmouche (13-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC).
Before Shevchenko and Carmouche square off, Brazilian flyweight Rogerio Bontorin (15-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take on Raulian Paiva (18-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a flyweight tilt on the evening’s prelims.
UFC on ESPN+ 14 takes place Saturday at Antel Arena in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. The card streams on ESPN+.
Get to know Rogerio Bontorin ahead of his UFC on ESPN+ 14 preliminary bout:
Full name: Rogerio Raab Bontorin
Nickname: Bontorin
DOB: April 25, 1992
Height/Weight: 5-foot-5, 125 pounds
Birthplace: Adrianopolis, Parana, Brazil
Team: Gile Ribeiro and Team Noguchi
How’d you get into professional martial arts?
One day I strolled past a martial arts academy. I thought it looked cool, so I decided to join. I haven’t stopped since. I think I was 14. By age 18, I had my professional debut.
You have all wins, except for one no-contest and one loss. Can you talk about some of the challenges along the way?
Every fight has been difficult, in truth. Fighting isn’t just the fight, itself. There’s also training. I’ve always trained hard. As far as my no contest in Japan, we were abandoned over there. The bathtub was broken at our hotel. We couldn’t speak to anyone. I ended up coming in one kilogram above the maximum weight. They still had me fight, even though I was dehydrated. I won by submission. Then it was declared a no contest. I was already there, so I went ahead and fought.
And as far as my only loss, against Michinori Tanaka, my lesson is not to accept a bout at the last minute. I hadn’t been training. When the short-notice opportunity came up, I accepted immediately. Plus, I had put on some weight and didn’t feel well on fight day.
Can you talk about earning your shot into the UFC this past August?
When I was called up to be on Dana White’s Contender Series, I was very happy. It was a chance to get into the UFC. I was already training, so I accepted. I felt even happier after my win.
Are you concerned about the longevity of flyweights in the UFC, considering the very small roster?
I’m fighting to win. If our weight class gets abolished, it’s no problem. I’m a bantamweight. Between fights, I weigh 75 kilograms (165 pounds). I do suffer a bit to make flyweight, but it was the weight class that was offered to me in the UFC.
How did it feel to beat Magomed Bibulatov by split decision in your UFC debut?
Against Magomed, I feel I won the first and third rounds, and lost the second. Only I had chances to finish the fight. It didn’t really feel like a win.
What can you say about your next opponent, fellow Brazilian Raulian Paiva?
I don’t really know him. I know that he’s a tough fighter, but I’ve always fought the best. It’s what I enjoy. I always enter the cage with the intent to win.
How’s your training going?
I’m training very hard for this fight. I working with the same teams and coaches as always – Gile Ribeiro and Team Noguchi. I also train at the Academia Versatil (Versátil) gym, in the town of Colombo, state of Parana.
Final thoughts?
My goal is to be the best. I train very hard to make that happen. I feel very blessed. I came from nothing, with no sponsorships, and battled very hard to make it this far.
