UFC Atlantic City's Luan Chagas eyes new contract now, title shot within three years

If Luan Chagas wants to be competing for the UFC’s welterweight belt in three years, he better get moving.

Here’s to hoping his body is on the same page.

Chagas (15-2-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC), who meets Siyar Bahadurzada (23-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 128 on Saturday, has fought only three times since his UFC debut in May 2016. The reason for that is not exactly an uncommon one in this business: injuries.

First, it was a fracture suffered during a UFC Fight Night 95 bout with Erick Silva. Then a few months out from a UFC 212 meeting with Jim Wallhead, and ahead of a planned UFC Fight Night 119 bout with Niko Price, it was a broken foot that needed surgery.

It’s been more than 10 months since Chagas last set foot in the octagon. But he’s confident the tide is about to turn.

“I believe this injury-riddled phase is over, and I’m aiming toward my best phase yet, injury-free and with wins,” Chagas told MMAjunkie.

That starts this week, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., where a win in the FS1-televise preliminary-card not only stands between Chagas and a .500 UFC record, but also a UFC contract renewal.

It helps that Chagas isn’t coming off a loss, having finished Wallhead in the second round of their June encounter. But it’s hard to even figure out how a somewhat unique record like Chagas’, which now sits at 1-1-1, will be taken into account by the promotion.

For what it’s worth, the numbers don’t say it all.

Chagas’ UFC debut was filling in for prospect-turned-divisional-boogeyman Kamaru Usman, at UFC 198. Then an unknown name stepping up on short-notice, Chagas was (understandably) a heavy underdog against Sergio Moraes – a grappling ace who was then on a four-fight winning streak. A draw isn’t a fighter’s favorite way to end a fight, but for debutant Chagas it served as a big statement.

Chagas was originally set to meet Shinsho Anzai in his second UFC bout, but shuffles in the UFC Fight Night 95 card led him to meeting Silva. Chagas was choked out in the end, but not before putting on a barnburner that earned “Fight of the Night” honors in Brazil.

That extra $50,000 ended up coming in handy when Chagas’ injuries left him without a cash flow. But, if you ask him, he’d gladly trade it in for a win.

“I’d never seen that much money in my bank account,” Chagas said with a laugh. “It was a dream, but I’d trade that $50,000 for the win, no doubt.”

Thankfully, the win followed. And he’s hoping to get a streak going on Saturday against an opponent who’s also no stranger to layoffs.

“(Bahadurzada) was going through a similar thing than I was, with injuries,” Chagas said. “He ended up getting hurt a lot. He’s very aggressive, as well. He really likes to exchange on the feet, and I think that’s also why we end up getting hurt a lot in fights and having to sit it out for a while, unfortunately.”

But Bahadurzada’s case was a lot more serious than Chagas.’ Since joining the UFC in 2012, Bahadurzada was only able to fight twice in the same year once, in 2013. He fought in December that year, and didn’t return until 2016. After that, it was another 16 months before his return, which came in September.

However, albeit spread apart, Bahadurzada’s past two fights did end in wins. Stoppage wins, to be more specific. And for Chagas, who’d never gone to a decision before his UFC debut, there’s one simple prediction to be made out of this matchup.

“He’s got a heavy hand, but being heavy-handed at welterweight is a prerequisite,” Chagas said. “At the very least, you’ve got to have that. So I don’t expect less than that from him. But I’m going to pursue this fight like I usually do: moving forward. And I know that, when Siyar is attacked, he reacts. So think it will be a fight between two very aggressive guys.”

Chagas is focused on his immediate challenge, which is even more understandable given that how (or if) his UFC career will continue is riding on it. But, with hopes that his body lives up to its part of the deal, he still has his ambitions for further down the road.

“By winning this one, I want to start fighting the guys at the top,” Chagas said. “I know I’m just coming up, but I want to fight more often. I hope to stay in one piece after the fights so I can fight more often. My goal is to be fighting for a belt in three years.

“I’m sure that, from this fight on, I’ll get a lot of fights in a row. I believe that. And that’s my focus. To fight more and more, and to win more and more, too.”

Actually, scrap the “ambitions” part. Let’s just say Chagas has his certainties about what will eventually happen.

“For those who don’t believe it yet, so there isn’t any doubt: I will be UFC champion,” Chagas said. “I will be – of course, if no one gets there before I do – Brazil’s first welterweight champion.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 128, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.