Alexandre Bezerra Feels No Pressure Heading into Titan FC Title Fight | MMAWeekly.com

After taking some time off from fighting, former Bellator MMA featherweight Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra returned to MMA this year, picking up two wins in the XCC promotion.

First against Frank Caraballo, Bezerra was able to pick up a first-round TKO, and then followed that up with another first-round finish, defeating Dimitre Ivy by submission.

“The fight against Frank was pretty good,” Bezerra told MMAWeekly.com. “I was expecting something much longer, but I was glad I could end the fight fast.

“The fight with Ivy was pretty good. I was pretty confident. On the ground, we were exchanging a couple punches, and he felt my punch, and when I got to his back, I went for the choke.”

Bezerra was able to return to MMA after an extended hiatus refreshed and with an ability to focus more on his fights themselves rather than on the business of fighting.

“I took a little bit because I had too much pressure on me to fight and pay the bills,” he said. “I made the decision to focus on Jiu-Jitsu more and pay my bills and everything, so when I fight, I fight just because want to, not because I have to.

“I took almost a year and a half off to make things good for me, and now I’m free and am ready to fight and am excited to fight. Every time I step in the cage now, I just think about winning, and nothing else.”

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Bezerra (19-4) will look to keep his winning streak going when he makes his Titan FC debut on September 9 in Coral Gables, Florida, to challenge Andre Harrison (13-0) for the promotion’s 145-pound title in the evening’s main event.

“I feel really excited for this fight,” said Bezerra. “This is a big opportunity to be fighting on UFC Fight Pass. This is a big show, and I want to be the champ of this show.

“(Harrison is) a wrestler, so I’m expecting him to try to take me to the ground – but (the ground) is my strong suit. If he tries to take me down, that’s where I want to be. I think it’s a good match-up for me.”

Now that he’s back fighting, Bezerra doesn’t want to slow down. He’s looking forward to every opportunity that comes his way and looks to stay busy moving forward.

“I don’t feel any pressure, I feel excitement,” he said. “I want this belt, and I’m going to fight for it. I’m in a time in my life that I want to fight so bad that I’m happy to step into the cage.

“Actually after this fight, I’m signed up to do a no-gi tournament. After that show, I’m going to be fighting. I don’t want to stop anymore. I want to keep training and getting better and better, and keep fighting.”

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