UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Alex Oliveira’s perfectly timed right hand earned him a come-from-behind win, a second straight UFC finish and an added $50,000 to his bank account.
But Oliveira (18-3-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) still doesn’t think the highlight-reel knockout of Ryan LaFlare (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC on FOX 25 event was the best of his career.
“It was the second best in the UFC,” Oliveira said in his native Portuguese after the FOX-televised preliminary-card bout at NYCB LIVE at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.
According to Oliveira’s head coach Otavio Duarte, who was handling translation duties for the Brazilian welterweight, the first was actually the one over Piotr Hallman, at UFC Fight Night 77 – which, in fairness, also earned Oliveira a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
While things turned out OK for Oliveira, they weren’t looking that well prior to the 1:50 mark of Round 2. In fact, he was pretty much dominated by LaFlare’s sharp wrestling in Round 1. The ever-cool Oliveira, however, wasn’t that fazed by the early adversity.
If anything, he was counting on it.
“I knew he was going to try to take me down, submit (me) and stabilize on the the ground,” Oliveira said. “I was aware of that. I knew the first round was going to be tough but then the second and third would be mine.”
The win further solidifies Oliveira as a sneaky octagon force. So far, he’s lost only twice in the UFC – a third-round submission setback in a lightweight debut against Gilbert Burns and, more recently, a UFC Fight Night 83 defeat to Donald Cerrone. Oliveira served as a short-notice replacement both times.
Oliveira has finished three of his past four opponents, including Tim Means, whom he caught in a rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 106 to settle the score after their first bout ended in a no-contest due to illegal blows by Means. Before that, he’d knocked out former Bellator champ Will Brooks – after, it’s worth noting, badly missing weight for what was probably Oliveira’s last UFC fight at 155 pounds.
While there’s a case to be made for Oliveira to start aiming a little higher, the Brazilian “Cowboy” himself is not in a hurry.
“I’m not thinking about the belt yet because there are many people ahead of me who deserve to fight for it,” Oliveira said. “But when it’s my turn and my time, I’ll fight for it. I’m certain of that.”
As for future plans, Oliveira maintains the same game attitude that has allowed him to squeeze in an impressive 10 UFC appointments in a little more than two years.
“I’m not looking at anyone,” Oliveira said. “Whomever the UFC wants me to fight, I’m ready.”
For more from Oliveira, check out the video above.
And for complete coverage of UFC on FOX 25, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
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