It has been a very long 20 months for Brazil’s Carlos Mota, but he is finally ready to unleash the pent-up frustration and agony that he went through.
Like many regional MMA fighters, Mota (5-0) couldn’t get a fight in 2020 because of travel restrictions and the world being on lockdown, so he took the year off. However, he kept training, and he would release videos of him hard at work in the gym to remind fans that he is still a force.
Ready for next @LFAfighting 🇧🇷🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/N025bJHNBF
— Carlos mota tizil (@Carlos_Tizilmma) December 5, 2020
Finally, early this year, in January, it was announced that Mota would headline LFA 100 against Victor Altamirano, an opponent with who he was matched up in 2019 as well. The fight would be for the vacant flyweight title. Well, that fight never happened.
It was announced that Mota would not be competing at LFA 100 because of travel restrictions. Unfortunately, he could not obtain a visa, and so the fight was off. Mota was devastated.
“I fell hard. It was a very hard punch in my soul and heart. But I’m used to it, all my life there have been difficulties, I’ve had to run over them. I’ve been doing it my entire life,” Mota said, speaking through a translator in an exclusive interview with Cageside Press on Monday.
“Emotionally, I got a little depressed, but I became more mature, more focused, more hungry. My soul and heart are so hungry. I’m so focused that I forgot about LFA 100,” Mota smiled.
LFA is going to Brazil for their 111th show, so Mota doesn’t have to worry about any of the issues that screwed him prior. When he steps into the cage, he will be fighting Rodrigo Roldan. Mota thinks highly of his opponent, and so do the local gyms.
“It’s a very good match-up. Rodrigo is an Argentian guy that is well known and with a lot of heart. It is an incredible fighter- a brawler. The hype about Rodrigo around the gyms is very, very high. Everyone says his record doesn’t [match his skillset]. Everyone is telling me that he is amazing and can beat him 200 pounders, his ground game is great, his boxing is unbelievable,” Mota said.
All of Roldan’s hype won’t stop Mota from unleashing all of the pent-up emotion on Friday.
“I’ve been training and holding onto a lot of emotions and definitely will be explosive as hell on Friday. I will be cautious as well because the kid has [power], and we know that. But I’m totally ready. My soul is hungry. I just want to be there, more than anything!”
Carlos Mota returns to action this Friday at LFA 111 on exclusively UFC Fight Pass.
Watch the rest of the interview above where Mota talks about Charles Oliveria bringing a belt back to Brazil, wanting to go straight to the UFC, and learning English.
