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André Lima | The Long Wait Is Finally Over
Brazilian Prospects Talks Inactivity, Return Against Kevin Borjas On Saturday
Andre Lima isn’t used to spending any real amount of time on the sidelines, so the fact that he’s been out of action since last March has got the Dana White’s Contender Series grad itching to get back into action this weekend in Las Vegas when he faces Kevin Borjas.
“I was always a very active fighter,” Lima said. “I made my pro debut in MMA in October ’22. I signed with UFC in October ’23. I had six fights in this period, and the biggest period of inactivity I had, including my kickboxing career was between my Contender Series fight and my UFC debut, which was six months… It’s been pretty crazy, been pretty tough, but I’m ready to come back. I’m ready to show the UFC that I want to be an active fighter. I want to have three fights this year, including this one, and I wanna be ready to step up on short notice and make up for lost time.”
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Spending the last 15 months on the sidelines isn’t the only change Lima has dealt with since rising to the biggest stage in the sport. In his six fights on the regional circuit, the 27-year-old Brazilian registered five stoppages, but between his Contender Series win and his first three UFC assignments, he went the distance three times. The lone stoppage came in his debut when his opponent, Igor Severino, was disqualified for biting him. He finally earned the elusive finish in his last fight when he submitted Daniel Barez in the third round.
“It was something that was bothering me a little bit,” Lima said. “I was always known as a finisher on the regional scene, so to get to the UFC, get the three wins, but no finishes was something that — it was very tough opponents that I had in my first three fights. I knew that I couldn’t make any mistakes to get those wins. I knew I needed to solidify my name in the UFC before anything happened, but then last fight, I came in way more relaxed, knowing my priority was going to be to chase the finish, chase the performance bonus, and that’s what I did.”
Everyone handles being undefeated differently. Some feel stress and anxiety about maintaining their unblemished record. For Lima, who competed in kickboxing for many years before making the transition to MMA, there are other things that occupy his mind far more than the zero in his loss column.
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“I don’t really feel any pressure,” he said. “It’s been part of my career for a while now, and I’m really focused on much bigger things. I want to show I have the level to be in the top-15, I wanna show I have the level to one day achieve my dream of being the UFC champion… Being undefeated, I see it as more of a privilege and the outcome of my hard work. I know how it is to lose, and I don’t want to lose any time soon in the UFC.”
Now 4-0 in the UFC and 11-0 overall, Lima stands as another in the growing list of promising young talents in the flyweight division alongside champion Joshua Van, recent title challenger Tatsuro Taira, and a host of others.
Saturday’s pairing with Borjas is a somewhat curious one on paper as the Peruvian enters having dropped four of five since joining the roster but makes more sense when considering Borjas is stepping in for DongHun Choi. Lima is both appreciative of his willingness to fight and aware that his results don’t accurately reflect the skill he brings into the Octagon this weekend.
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“All due respect to Kevin — it’s gonna be an honor to share the cage with him,” began Lima. “I know that when my fight back in April got cancelled, the UFC tried to talk with a lot of (fighters), and he was the only one that said, ‘Yes.’ A lot of (fighters), including ranked guy, said ‘No’ to me, so all the respect to Kevin. I’m not under-estimating him at all. I know how tough he is… A lot of people talk stuff about his record, but when you look at who he has faced and how close those fights were, you really can’t underestimate the guy. He’s a dangerous guy. He knows I’m a dangerous guy as well, but for him to step up to the plate, say ‘Yes’ to fighting me, I can’t have anything but respect for him.”
Andre Lima Submits Daniel Barez In The Third Round | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Dolidze 2
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Andre Lima Submits Daniel Barez In The Third Round | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Dolidze 2
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Although he respects him, Lima is still looking to make a statement at Borjas’ expense this weekend.
“I wanna be a steamroller on Saturday,” he said. “I wanna go in there and finish my fight quickly; doesn’t matter if it’s a TKO or a submission, but my biggest focus is to get in there and do my job as quickly as I can. I want a quick finish. that’s what I’m aiming for on Saturday.”
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