Dhiego Lima on XFC 25 opponent: 'Wants to be tested, but picked the wrong guy'

Dhiego Lima believes he’s one or two fights away from a UFC contract, and until he gets one, he’s signing single-bout contracts so he doesn’t miss an opportunity to join MMA’s biggest promotion.

His opponent tonight at XFC 25, meanwhile, is tough but untested, Lima (8-1) said. But welterweight Ricky Rainey (6-1) picked the wrong guy to test himself against, he insisted.

“He’s tough, but I don’t think he’s been tested yet,” Lima told MMAjunkie.com. “He hasn’t had very good opponents yet. He asked for this fight because he wants to be tested, but he picked the wrong guy.

“I’ve already faced Strikeforce and Bellator vets. Nobody knows what kind of ground game he has either. I’m going to pressure him hard during all rounds. I want to break every part of him so he’ll know that I’m on another level. I’ve been training at different places. I’m very well trained for this fight. It will not be a good night for him.”

“XFC 25: Boiling Point” takes place at Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico, and Lima and Rainey meet in tonight’s AXS TV-televised co-headliner.

For Lima, who recently attended “The Ultimate Fighter 19? tryouts, it could be a final showcase before the UFC takes notice. That’s the plan, anyway.

“I had a contract with MFC for years, and I have this fight booked with XFC, but my plan is to go to the UFC,” he said. “I don’t wish to go to Bellator or anywhere else. Any future fights, until I get into the UFC, will be on a single-fight contract. I’m not signing anything long-term.

“I’m training with tough guys only like Brian Stann, and Roan ‘Jucao’ Carneiro. ‘Jucao’ is the best trainer and training partner in the world. He feels I’m ready for the UFC, and so do I. I trust in what he says.”

Lima, the younger brother of former MFC champ and Bellator tournament winner Douglas Lima, has posted seven stoppages in eight career wins. He delivered Keon Caldwell his first career loss, he posted three straight stoppages in MFC, and he’s rebounded from his first career loss, to wrestler Nathan Coy, with recent victories over the more experienced Nick Hinchliffe (19-8 at the time) and Roger Carroll (11-8).

For Lima, a Brazilian who moved to Atlanta when he was 12, he believes he’s UFC-ready. Despite a successful high school football run (“I received offers to play for different universities, but I’m no good in school,” he said), he followed in his brother’s footsteps and took up MMA. Douglas got a head start and turned pro when he was just 17, but Dhiego is catching up.

Now, the American Top Team Atlanta fighter simply wants an opportunity to prove he’s UFC-caliber. A win over Rainey, who’s won three straight under the XFC banner, could certainly help the cause.

“I’m wouldn’t say I’m at the highest level, but I could defeat many of the fighters already there,” he said. “I think I’ll be there after one or two more fights against guys matching my level of experience. I’m still young. I wish to start from the bottom and work my way to the top. My time is near.”

For more on XFC 25, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.