Luan Chagas Says He’s Finally Ready To Get A Win In UFC

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Luan Chagas (14-2-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC) spoke about his welterweight with Jim Wallhead (29-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the preliminary card of UFC 212. Here are highlights:

On getting in the groove of his UFC run: “I think it took some time to understand how to rise to the level of the fighters in the UFC. I had been fighting on the national circuit. When I entered the UFC, I thought the level would be a bit higher, but it was a lot higher. I also made some mistakes during preparation, so it took me a while to get the swing of things in the UFC. Now I understand that I’m in the biggest promotion in the world, so I made some changes during this fight camp. It’s a new start.”

On needing a win: “There’s always pressure. There’s no way one can fight in the UFC and not have pressure. It was greater in my debut. But I already got through that. Now I’ll be cold and calculating against Jim Wallhead. That’s how I’ll be dealing with him.”

On the Brazilian crowd: “Fighting at home isn’t new. My other two UFC fights were in Brazil, but this fight has a different taste since I’ll be facing an Englishman, not a Brazilian. Having the fans behind me is always a good thing. Even though it doesn’t affect my performance, it’s very cool. My future plans remain the same. I want to be a UFC champion despite the errors I’ve committed at first. It won’t happen again. I’m going for that belt.”