Las Vegas, NV — Like a “bear coming out of hibernation” is how Philipe Lins described himself ahead of UFC Vegas 69.
He looked very much the part of a predator in the cage with Ovince Saint Preux, storming out of the gate, charging at OSP and overwhelming him with strikes.
“Yeah for sure. I did talk about this in one interview. I’m like a bear who’s hungry,” Lins (16-5) told media outlets including Cageside Press. “The bear spends a long time hibernating, when he wakes up, [nobody can] stay in front of him.”
“At this fight, I’m like a bear. When I smelled blood, I went in there and knocked out my opponent.”
Lins’ bear analogy goes a little deeper than just charging at his opponent and mauling him in the cage. He went through a hibernation period of sorts, one that saw a number of fights fall through.
“Too much drama, too many problems. A lot of fights cancelled,” Lins said in regards to that stretch. Some fights were cancelled because of health, others saw opponents pull out of the fight. Sometimes, that was about health too. “For me, it was my time hibernating. I’m kidding sometimes that my nickname switched from ‘Monstro’ to ‘Drama Fighter,’ but I said after this fight, it’s going to be back to ‘Monstro.’ I’m ‘Monstro’ again.”
Lins believes that with the OSP win, he’s turned a corner. And he’s looking to stay busy. “This is what I’m looking for, to me more consistent. I want to do more— two or maybe three fights this year, and I want to be more consistent for sure.”
A date in the spring appeals to the Brazilian, who trains in Florida with American Top Team. “I’m going to fight before the summer, here. Maybe May. May is a good date. And after summer, like September or October, I want to fight again.”
While he doesn’t have an opponent in mind, Lins knows what he wants. “I don’t have a name, but I want top 15. I’m ready for the challenge. A big challenge.”
Following his fight with OSP, Lins dropped to his knees and pounded his fists on the octagon floor. That was the moment hitting him.
“Yes for sure. A victory over Ovince Saint Preux is a very good step at my goals in the UFC organization. For sure, it’s a very good win for me. Right now, I’m feeling like I proved a I deserve to be here, I deserve my contract. I deserve to be here at the big show.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 69 post-fight media appearance from Philipe Lins above.
