Bellator 118's Marcos Galvao wasn't ready for first fight with ex-teammate, is now

Bellator bantamweight Marcos Galvao is still gunning for the promotion’s title at 135 pounds, even if it again forces him to fight a former teammate.

Galvao was knocked out by current champ Eduardo Dantas, with whom he once trained at the famed Nova Uniao in Brazil. But he said his mindset wasn’t right, and feels confident things will be different if he can win another tournament.

“When I faced Dantas, I had too many things going through my head,” Galvao told MMAjunkie. “I didn’t fight to my full potential.

“I was 100 percent trained, but my mind was in a bad place. I only fought because I had already signed the contract. What was eating at me was the fact that I trained at Nova Uniao my entire life, and to fight someone who used to be my pupil was too much. It affected me greatly.

“I wished my fight had taken plan around the time I won the tournament, so I would be in a good fighting rhythm. I was supposed to have faced ‘Dudu’ a month after that. Our bout was delayed three times. And in New York, when it starts to snow, there’s isn’t much training going on. All that affected my mind very much. It’s not an excuse. Congratulations to him. Congratulations to his team. Now, I’m moving forward. I need to keep fighting to stay in a good rhythm.”

Galvao (15-6-1 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) now trains with UFC vets Dennis Bermudez, Constantinos Philippou and others in Long Island, N.Y., and bears no ill will toward his former team. He is enjoying back-to-back wins since his title setback, and tonight at Bellator 118, he meets Thomas Vasquez (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a non-tournament bout. The event takes place at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J. Main card fights air live on Spike TV.

“I don’t watch that much video (on my opponents),” Galvao said. “I leave it up to my trainers. But I can tell he’s talented and he’s no dummy. I respect him. But I’m training hard and I’m going there to showcase my work. I respect him as a person, but not once inside the cage. It’s a one-off fight.”

Galvao said he has four fights remaining on his current Bellator contract, which also allows him to fight in his native Brazil. He has plenty of time to fulfill his dream of becoming champion and fulfill a promise he made to his late mother to win gold. Tonight’s bout could serve as an entry point to the promotion’s next tournament, where the winner is guaranteed a title shot.

“Without a doubt, the promise is always in my head and I’ll keep pursuing that dream,” he said.

Dantas was scheduled to defend his title against Joe Warren in the headliner of Bellator 118, but a head injury forced him to withdraw from the bout, which prompted the promotion to pair Warren against Rafael Silva for an interim title. On Thursday, however, Silva missed weight for the bout, so only Warren is capable of winning the stand-in strap.

Galvao may delay another fight with his former teammate if the injury is serious, but whether he is able to reach the interim champ or Dantas, he’ll be ready.

“I’m moving forward,” he said. “My goal is to capture that belt. I consider myself the world’s best fighter in my weight class. I’m fine mentally and physically and I have a team who supports me. I was missing that.”

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