Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima will get the opportunity redeem himself and reclaim the title from the man he lost the belt to – current champion Andrey Koreshkov, tonight at Bellator 164 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
‘The Phenom‘ spoke to Fighters Only ahead of his fight today. The event airs on Spike in the US on Friday
FO: You went into the first fight with Andrey Koreshkov with numerous injuries. What are your takeaways from the first fight looking back now?
Douglas Lima: The main thing was that I was able to survive the 25 minutes. I don’t think there was a moment when he was close to finishing me. Just being able to go the distance, the way I went in there, only I know how bad my knee was, it was huge. This time I am healthy. I don’t even think about that first fight now. It’s a new fight and a new me. I am looking forward to this fight.
Why did you take the fight injured?
It was very difficult. If you don’t fight you don’t get paid. The bills pile up. I feel like I had to give away a belt just to be able to provide for my family. I needed that fight. It made me stronger, to be able to go in there and fight injured and do what I had to do for 25 minutes.
How great was it to have a full, injury-free training camp leading up to this fight?
It’s great. My training partners have been helping me tremendously. I am able to wrestle again, finally. I was able to work on my ground, on my striking. It was a complete training camp this time around. Expect a very different fighter. Expect a stronger fighter. Expect a fighter that will fight back again Koreshkov. I am looking forward to it. He has been getting better every fight. He is a complete fighter now. I am pumped to go in there healthy and take this belt from him. I can’t wait. I want to go in there and get the finish. I don’t want it to go to the judges.
How great did it feel to get back on the winning track by dominating Paul Daley at Bellator 158?
It was great to compete against him at 100%. It felt really good. Daley is a veteran. He has been in the sport for a long time. He has fought in all the major organizations in MMA. It felt good to dominate a guy like that. I got the better of him in the striking aspect, which is where he is the strongest. I was able to hurt him a couple of times. I was disappointed in myself that I didn’t get the finish. He kept coming forward. Props to him. He is a tough guy. He didn’t want to get finished. I was very happy with the outcome. That’s what I went there to do and I did it. Here we are. I’m in line for the title again. I can’t wait.
How do you assess the rest of the Bellator welterweight division?
I love it. I love that they signed Rory MacDonald. Of course, right now my focus is on Andrey Koreshkov and defeating him. I want to win the belt and defend it against Rory MacDonald. How great would it be if GSP came over? These are all the guys I want to compete against. They are big names and they have been in the sport for a long time. Everybody knows them. Those are the fights I want. I want the big fights. I want the big names. If they come I will be here waiting.
