Las Vegas — Middleweight Brunno Ferreira finds himself in a rare rematch with Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues at UFC 326 this coming weekend.
The promotion tends to save rematches for title fights, main events, or at least seems to prefer a decade having passed. Look no further than the UFC 326 main event for evidence, as Max Holloway and Charles Olvieira, two massive stars, finally run it back after over a decade.
Ferreira (15-2) admitted during Wednesday’s UFC 326 media day that he was “taken aback a little bit when it started, when we got the name, because I thought well, obviously, fighting him again,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press. His impression soon changed. “Not as much when I realized listen, he’s ahead of me, he’s up there in the rankings, he’s someone I’m going to have to face to leapfrog him in the rankings. So at that point, just take it in and be ready to go again.”
Rodrigues is actually ranked ahead of Ferreira, despite Brunno knocking out his fellow Brazilian in their first encounter in 2023. Ferreira sits at #15, Rodrigues two spots up at #13.
Ferreira suggested part of that was due to his own weight miss for his win over Marvin Vettori. “He ended up taking Marvin’s spot, but that’s okay now, because I’m here to take what is mine.”
The weight miss, according to Ferreira, is now a thing of the past. “I suffered, I changed the way I do things, I changed the basics on it and now here I am, ready to go.”
So ready, in fact, that Ferreira barely has a weight cut, revealing that as of Wednesday, he was only four pounds off from his fight weight.
Ahead of UFC 326, Ferreira posted a video of himself performing a flying knee on social media. He told Cageside Press that “I’m a dude that likes to shock people, like I did in my debut in the UFC. I got that spinning elbow. Also, maybe I have a new card in my deck.”
Having gone the distance in his last fight, Ferreira is also ready to show that he’s a complete fighter.
“For sure that shows the evolution and the development, and the constant evolution that I always had and displayed,” he stated. “I can finish you, there could be a knockout, I could submit you, and also I can go the distance, showing that I’m a complete athlete.”
Watch the full UFC 326 media day appearance by Brunno Ferreira above.
