In what is now an immediate rematch for Bruno Cappelozza, he’s been paired up with Matheus Scheffel at PFL 2 on Friday night, the opening night of the league’s 2023 heavyweight season.
Cappelozza (15-6), the PFL’s 2021 heavyweight champion, lost a unanimous decision against Scheffel last year, before an injury took him out of the season altogether. Scheffel went on to the final, losing to Ante Delija; Cappelozza has not fought since.
“I’m extremely motivated to get this revenge, to avenge this loss, and I’ve spent the last three months away from home, away from my family,” Cappelozza noted, asked about the rematch during this week’s PFL 2 media day. “Put them aside for this one just to really, really focus on getting this one back.”
That focus has seen the Brazilian training his “strong suit a lot,” he added, as he “focused on that as far as my striking goes. Really drilled in on my wrestling and grappling side of things as well. So extremely well prepared.”
Having fought through two PFL seasons thus far, Cappelozza also feels he has the experience necessary to give him an edge.
“I feel like the experience that the past two seasons brings, it’s invaluable,” said Cappelozza. “There’s a lot more that comes into play than just competing. You’ve got to take care of yourself over the course of the season, and I do feel like I have a competitive edge having done this before.”
After going the distance with Scheffel and losing on the scorecards, Cappelozza has also learned not to get too comfortable in his fights.
“One thing that I was able to get out of that, the major thing, was not to get complacent, not to coast by, to feel too relaxed with the fight. I feel like I was winning the first two minutes of that fight, then stuff happened and the fight went the other way.”
Watch the full PFL 2 media day appearance by Bruno Cappelozza above.
