Just when the UFC's heavyweight division is getting a surge of interest, Mario Pinto has entered the conversation.
And he'll really be part of the talk if he delivers on the expectations of him Saturday at UFC Fight Night 287 at Accor Arena in Paris. Pinto (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) takes on Ryan Spann (24-11 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a heavyweight bout that has him up against someone with three times his pro experience.
He's unbeaten in three UFC fights, plus his DWCS tryout – which he counts as UFC experience even if the record books don't – and he's a 3-1 betting favorite. And he feels it, even if he's done worrying about if that first loss will come.
"There's definitely pressure – lots of pressure," Pinto told the UFC this week in Paris. "But at the end of the day, whatever happens happens. It's fighting. It's a lot easier to be undefeated in boxing – they're protected. In the UFC, you've got to fight the best. You can't really pick who you want.
"I don't care anymore now about the record stuff. I just want to go out there and perform."
#heavyweight #three #don 't
And he'll really be part of the talk if he delivers on the expectations of him Saturday at UFC Fight Night 287 at Accor Arena in Paris. Pinto (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) takes on Ryan Spann (24-11 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a heavyweight bout that has him up against someone with three times his pro experience.
He's unbeaten in three UFC fights, plus his DWCS tryout – which he counts as UFC experience even if the record books don't – and he's a 3-1 betting favorite. And he feels it, even if he's done worrying about if that first loss will come.
"There's definitely pressure – lots of pressure," Pinto told the UFC this week in Paris. "But at the end of the day, whatever happens happens. It's fighting. It's a lot easier to be undefeated in boxing – they're protected. In the UFC, you've got to fight the best. You can't really pick who you want.
"I don't care anymore now about the record stuff. I just want to go out there and perform."
#heavyweight #three #don 't
6 days ago
