Brunno Ferreira made a splash in his octagon debut in 2023, and now rematches the identical opponent he floored to attempt to insert himself within the record of future contenders within the UFC middleweight division — and one way or the other erase a unhealthy impression in his most recent battle.
Ferreira changed Brad Tavares in opposition to five-time octagon veteran Gregory Rodrigues in January 2023 and took him out with a violent left punch at UFC 283. Victorious in 5 of his seven bouts since, “Hulk” enters a rematch with “Robocop” at UFC 326 driving a three-fight successful streak, which incorporates a pair of armbar finishes and a resolution over Marvin Vettori.
“It makes total sense,” Ferreira advised MMA Fighting forward of the March 7 contest. “It’s been three years since that fight. I basically forgot about the fight that got me into the UFC. Even though I have more consecutive wins than him today, he’s ahead of me in the rankings. It made a lot of sense for me. They saw it was the only way to give me an opponent that made sense. Everyone else already had fights booked and the UFC didn’t want to give me an unranked opponent.”
Ferreira noticed the Vettori bout as a probability to enter the highest 10 of the UFC middleweight division, nevertheless it all modified after he stepped on the size at 189 kilos.
“That bothered me a lot because I’ve always been an athlete who doesn’t leave loose ends,” Ferreira stated. “And when you fail at your job, something has to be fixed. That same day, right after the weigh-in, I said, ‘Man, I need to deliver a fight that really makes sense.’ And not entering the rankings afterward hurt even more. I said, I’m going to change everything again.”
“Hulk” defined that he modified his food plan in 2025, including extra muscle mass “to handle the pace in training,” nevertheless it proved to be an excessive amount of in the long run. With 14 kilos to chop in 24 hours earlier than the Vettori match, his physique shut down.
“The mistake actually wasn’t the weight cut,” Ferreira stated. ”Last 12 months I went in with the mindset like, ‘I need to be heavier and stronger.’ And we adopted a protocol my physique by no means tailored to. I struggled to make weight at UFC 313, struggled at 319. On the third one, my physique couldn’t take it. I used to be slicing down from 216 kilos, whereas my regular weight, after I prepare and do what I like, is normally 205 kilos tops.”
Ferreira feels “much lighter and healthier now,” again to his outdated self, and vows to make it clear when he enters the eight-sided cage to rematch Rodrigues. He’s treating this as a new battle, as if he has by no means fought the guy Brazilian earlier than, and would advise “Robocop” to behave the identical method.
“Pride is something that hurts you,” Ferreira stated. “This revenge feeling doesn’t help. Forget that. If you go in with that mindset, it gets in the way. To be like, ‘I’m going to get him back.’ But he’ll have to respect me now. I believe he underestimated me in the first fight and we saw what happened. And if that happens again, I’ll take advantage the same way. I’ve evolved a lot. I used to really fight for one round, looking for the knockout or submission. Now he knows the weight of my hands and how much I’ve grown inside the octagon.”
Rodrigues gained 5 of his previous six, beating Jack Hermansson and Roman Kopylov to rebound from a “Fight of the Night” principal occasion defeat to Jared Cannonier in February 2025, and goals on the prime of the weight class with a victory.
“Hulk” hoped to earn a shot at former champion Robert Whittaker or Cannonier himself after UFC 326, fighters he known as “gatekeepers of the top 10,” however Whittaker could not be an choice since he’s voiced his intent in shifting as much as the sunshine heavyweight division.
Whoever is subsequent, Ferreira expects to go 3-0 in 2026 to shut the 12 months as a top-5 ranked middleweight.
“Either [ranked fighters] will keep avoiding me, or they’ll have to accept it one way or another,” Ferreira stated. “Let this fight be a message to those ahead of me. I’m looking at them. The targets are always the ones in front of us.”
