Vinny Magalhaes Thinks His Ground Game Is Better Than David Branch’s

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Vinny Magalhaes (13-3) spoke about how his skills compared to that of WSOF light heavyweight champion David Branch (18-3). The two will fight at WSOF 33 on Friday from the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium. It airs on NBCSN. Here are highlights:

On his skills compared to Branch: “It’s not just because of jiu-jitsu credentials, but what both of us have done in fights, you know. He does have a lot of decision wins back in his record, and some of these decision wins are not – at least in my point of view as an expert, are not that impressive. When it comes to the ground game I can be far ahead of him, but then again, it’s still a fight, so I can’t be saying I’ll beat him just because of my jiu-jitsu. I’m going to have to put a bunch of things together in order to achieve that. I’m not just trying to count on just my jiu-jitsu.”

On if he thought about a run in the 185 pound division: “It’s funny because I keep saying that, too. Every time I get in a camp, especially when I get near a fight, I feel like I’m getting too skinny, and I’m really light, so I could probably make 185. For example, now I’m at 224, which really compares to when I started camp. I started camp at 244. So it’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m 224, I’m light,’ but the reality is I don’t think I’d ever be able to make 85, there’s no way. I feel like my cardio is great but I don’t have the same energy level, I’m keeping really low carbs, so it’s not doable. To be honest, to make 185 would have to be like dieting throughout the year and it’s impossible, man. I like eating.”