Uncasville, CT — Matheus Mattos (12-2-1) enters Bellator 262 this Friday looking for his first win inside the Bellator cage.
“I’m really excited right now. I’m really, really looking forward to this fight. He’s a really good opponent.” Interestingly enough, that opponent is CeeJay Hamilton, who like Mattos himself, lost to Magomed Magomedov in his promotional debut.
Mattos, however, doesn’t like comparing fights. “Because now against CeeJay, it’s a different strategy. It’s a different style. Magomed has high-level wrestling, so he didn’t want to fight against me.” Mattos’ last fight prior to that had been three years earlier, and he was coming off surgery, he added. “I’ve changed my game, I’ve changed my mindset, now I’m not scared anymore of takedowns or something like that. I’m going to do what I’m always happy doing, looking for the knockout, for the submission, and now my mind is more ready for that than ever.”
While he doesn’t like comparing fights, it’s worth noting that Mattos has shared the cage with both Magomedov and former UFC bantamweight champ Petr Yan.
“Good challenges change us,” said Mattos, when it comes to such experiences. “They define us as fighters, as persons. What we do to change, what we do to improve. So I’m always taking lessons from defeat, from training, from sparring, from everything.” That extends to his wife, his daughter, his life. “I’m always changing my mindset from everything, every day, all the time. So now, fighting CeeJay is another big challenge that I wanted, that I asked for.”
“I want a big challenge to make me a better Matheus Mattos.”
What would a win inside the Bellator cage mean to Mattos? That’s simple. “A Bellator win means I’m a world-level fighter. I already fought against high-level guys, but I need a win right here. I need a win to prove my name in Bellator and say ‘hey, I’m here, I’m coming for you guys.'”
Watch the full Bellator 262 media day interview with Matheus Mattos above. The event takes place Friday, July 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
