After weigh-in scuffle, UFC 212 winner Paulo Borrachinha is cool with 'really tough guy' Bamgbose

RIO DE JANEIRO – UFC light heavyweights Paulo Borrachinha and Oluwale Bamgbose were set to fight only on Saturday, but we got to see a preview when a weigh-in scuffle unfolded the day before.

Before UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard got a chance to intervene, Borrachinha (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) managed to get his hand on Bamgbose’s (6-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) face. Unsurprisingly, Bamgbose didn’t see  too thrilled, and the two were physically pulled apart.

The two got to settle their differences the day after, in a UFC 212 main-card pay-per-view bout at Rio de Janeiro’s Jeunesse Arena. This conflict, however, elected a clear victor in Brazil’s own Borrachinha.

Speaking to reporters backstage after the second-round TKO win, Borrachinha explained his side of the weigh-in incident, and guaranteed that any animosity is now water under the bridge.

“It was a bit of an atypical weigh-in, quite harsh,” Borrachinha said. “My opponent is also a very agitated guy, very electric. So we came really close to each other. I ended up trying to push him away because we were too close, and the adrenalin rushing in, but I think that’s part of it. We’re really motivated to give it our best. It’s a lot of adrenalin, a lot of emotion, and things like these happen.

“But he’s a good guy, I talked to him after the fight, and we exchanged compliments. He’s a really tough guy, and he surprised me. He was tougher than I expected.”

The undefeated Borrachinha had never gone past the first round of a professional MMA bout before. That it happened this time, he said, was due to both his opponent’s ability to absorb blows and the unexpectedly frenetic offense imposed by Bamgbose early on.

“I didn’t think it would (go past the first round),” Borrachinha said. “So he proved to be a tougher opponent, and that made the victory even better.”

In spite of the initial struggle to create offense over such a mobile target, however, Borrachinha was able to stay patient.

“I knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep that up for the next two or three rounds,” Borrachinha said. “I stayed calm to find the right time. It’s a little frustrating because he moves and moves, and you try to get his timing down, and that’s hard. I tried to wait for him to slow down a bit to land the strikes.”

While he did see bits of his own game that need work – takedown defense, particularly – Borrachinha is very happy with the two-finish start to his UFC career. And, as a reward for his efforts, he would be thoroughly satisfied with a top-10 opponent for his next outing.

The target date for that return, however, is yet to be decided. After immersing himself in back-to-back camps for Bamgbose and previous UFC Fight Night 106 opponent Garreth McLellan, Borrachinha might need some extra recovery time.

“I’d like to fight more times, maybe two,” Borrachinha said. “But, at the same time, I’m feeling tired. I had two heavy camps close together. I felt a little tired, and a little mentally stressed. One more fight would be great, to close out the year with three fights. That would be good.”

For more on UFC 212, check out the UFC Events section of the site.