Francimar Barroso Thinks He Can Knock Darren Stewart Out at Fight Night 107

Francimar Barroso spoke with MMAjunkie for a new interview. Some highlights are below:

On getting headbutted during his first fight with Darren Stewart: “When the head-butt happened, I was groggy, but I was able to communicate what happened. The referee did nothing to halt the fight. I think that would have been right to do – at least give me time to recover. It was undeniably an illegal strike, and the referee should have given me recovery time. I think that was the referee’s error – not to stop the fight so he could analyze what happened. Next thing I know, I was in a seated position, and the fight was being called off.”

On getting another shot at Stewart because of the headbutt: “It’s a good thing. The promotion looked at my body of work and decided I deserved this rematch. I’m thankful to the UFC for giving me the chance to prove who I truly am. I had already been studying him, so not much has changed. And the fact that he’s now fighting at home puts the pressure on him. I’m just showing up to win. I don’t care if we fight in Brazil or not. I always show up to win. Most of my fights have been on my opponents’ home turf. It makes no difference. I’m fine with that.”

On his plan for the fight: “I don’t care how I win; it can be by submission, knockout or decision. But I believe that if he keeps it standing, I have a high chance of knocking him out. But a fight is a fight, and it can go anywhere. I am a jiu-jitsu black belt, and I’ve been training wrestling for a very long time. I’m ready anywhere.”

On his goals: “My dream is always to fight against ranked opponents. I leave it up to the UFC. Right now, I’m just thinking about my next fight.”