Paulão roots for Murilo Ninja, an old foe. Photo: Carlos Ozório
Paulo Filho took almost everyone by surprise with his inclusion on the card for this coming Friday’s Memorial Fight Qualifying event, in the city of Santos, Brazil. GRACIEMAG.com had a chat with the fighter after hearing of confirmation of his presence.
“I have to fight. Time is going by and I can’t just sit around. This opportunity came at the right time. I don’t know anything about my opponent; what I want is to fight!” he says with excitement.
Paulo went on to explain the visa problems that kept him out of his Bellator fight.
“They told me the event would be in one place and the letter from the organization that came in said another. When I went to the interview at the consulate there was this mistake and I was turned down; we didn’t even get to talk about it. They didn’t even want to hear how I’ve been to the United States several times without any problems,” he recounts.
I couldn’t miss this chance to challenge Shogun,” Paulão
Photo: Carlos Ozório
Paulão also remarked on the challenge he issued Maurício Shogun. At Bitetti Combat 7, both were honored in the cage. Paulão heaped praise on Shogun, but admitted he would like to face him some day. Shortly thereafter he was cheering frenetically for Murilo Ninja, once a rival of his.
“I couldn’t miss the chance to challenge him. I want to fight him and feel the pressure up close by the end of my career. That’s just something I want. Shoot, I’ve been getting lambasted on forums. Folks are acting with a lot of disrespect. But it’s what I want and I know I can make it.”
Paulo’s physical conditioning coach Julio Muniz guarantees the black belt is in excellent shape for his coming challenges.
“I can guarantee he’s clean. There’s no point in talking; what he has to do is fight and win. We have four fights ahead of us and he’s going to show how he’s in shape. He’s going to trample everyone and prove it,” he warns.
