THACKERVILLE, Okla – For Brazil’s Rafael Carvalho, Friday night’s co-main event clash with Chidi Njokuani isn’t just an opportunity to bounce back into the win column. It’s also a chance to catapult himself right back into contendership in Bellator’s middleweight division.
Carvalho (15-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) meets Njokuani (18-6 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) at Bellator 224 at WinStar World Casino knowing that defeat would put him on a three-fight skid following losses to Gegard Mousasi and Lyoto Machida.
But, nonetheless, the former Bellator middleweight champion says the pressure of the matchup is no greater than any other.
“Not at all,” he told MMA Junkie this week. “The fact I came here with a loss doesn’t mean anything. My opponent came here with a loss, too, and that definitely puts pressure on his back, too. The pressure is for both sides. I came here with two defeats, but that doesn’t mean nothing, I don’t feel pressure at all.
“Why? Because the pressure is always on both sides. Because whoever wins wants to keep on winning, and whoever has lost wants to win again. So, I don’t feel the pressure.”
With losses to elite, veteran opposition in Mousasi and Machida in his last two outings, Carvalho is keen to return to winning ways, and he’s happy with the style matchup Njokuani provides.
“When his name came out it made me very excited,” he enthused. “We both like to strike and I don’t think there’s any favorite in this fight, it’s a 50-50 for both sides. I’m excited. This is going to be a good fight, definitely. Two guys, same style, I can’t wait.
“A win would definitely make me happy because it will put me on track for good things. At the moment I don’t think about the title, just about this fight. One step at a time. I’m 100% focused on this fight, and whatever Bellator decides in the future, I’m here waiting. Definitely, I would love to fight for the belt again, but I can’t think about that right now. What I’m thinking about right now is my opponent.”
Victory for Carvalho would undoubtedly put the former champ right back in the mix at the sharp end of Bellator’s 185-pound division once again. That could potentially see him move towards a shot at the newly-crowned Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Lovato Jr. or possibly a rematch against one of the two men to recently defeat him. Carvalho said he would welcome rematches with either fighter.
“My mind is 100% on this fight on Friday night,” he reiterated. “But everything is in Bellator’s hands. Whatever Bellator decides, I’ll take it. Of course, if Bellator offers me Mousasi, I’ll be glad to have that fight because I didn’t show my potential in that specific fight. Of course, with Machida, too. That’s two fights where I didn’t show who I am. And I’d be very happy to fight with one of those, but my mind is on the fight Friday night with Chidi Njokuani.”
And after working tirelessly in the gym ahead of his return, Carvalho says he can’t wait to experience that winning feeling inside the Bellator cage once again.
“It’s hard to wait too long to fight, but we just want to put everything in practice that we worked on in training,” he said.
“I can’t wait to have my arm raised again.
