Outside Source
Antonio Carlos Jr. recently became a two-time PFL champion. | PFL MMA
After recovering from five knee surgeries, Antonio Carlos Jr. achieved the seemingly impossible, winning three consecutive fights in a span of just over three months to capture his second Professional Fighters League belt.
He capped off his run in the light heavyweight tournament with a second-round submission of Sullivan Cauley in a wildly entertaining fight on Aug. 21.
“Sullivan had beaten [Alex] Polizzi and [Phil] Davis. I knew it would be a great fight, but I was well trained, and after everything I’d been through, the victory had to come in a battle with a lot of emotion,” the Brazilian told Sherdog.com upon returning to Rio de Janeiro.
. “Cara de Sapato” wasn’t surprised to hear the news that Karl Moore, his opponent in the first round, tested positive positive for erythropoietin. Though he defeated Moore via split decision in their May 1 encounter, Carlos Jr. nonetheless acknowledged the importance of a good anti-doping program.
“He was caught with EPO, which increases the number of red blood cells in the blood and significantly increases the athlete’s VO2 (maximum oxygen volume). Normally, you tire, and your opponent tires with you during the rounds,” Carlos Jr. said. “I remember telling my cornermen that his strength and stamina didn’t diminish, so much so that his best round was the third. Thankfully, I won the first two, but there was still a blind judge who gave him the second. Imagine the absurdity if this guy passed; it would have changed the entire history of the tournament. These things show how important doping tests are.”
The Brazilian recalls facing another tough opponent in the semifinal, when he defeated Simeon Powell via unanimous decision on June 27.
“I didn’t have any easy fights,” he said. “Simeon Powell is 6’4″ tall with a 6’5” wingspan, bigger than Jon Jones. I knew it was going to be a tough fight; I had to put pressure on him and make him move backward because he didn’t box well moving backward. I only managed to take him down once. I won through tactical application. And in the final, I also faced Sullivan, who trains with Jair Lourenço and was coming off two wins over favorites.”
After five months of uninterrupted training, Sapato plans to take two weeks off. First, he’ll see some friends in Rio and then visit his father and family in the northeast part of Brazil. After that, he’ll return to his training routine at American Top Team, aiming for the 2026 PFL season.
“I had a quick chat with my manager Ali. I still have a year left on my contract with the PFL,” Carlos Jr. said. “I think, given my history with the promotion, I intend to end my career with the PFL. If that’s in their best interest, and mine, then so be it.”
Betting On ‘Buchecha’
A personal friend and training partner Marcus Almeida, Carlos Jr. believes that his UFC debut loss to Martin Buday won’t derail the trajectory of the greatest champion in jiu-jitsu history.
“I think it was a matter of experience,” Carlos Jr. said. “Martin was 7-1 in the UFC. Even so, I thought the fight was pretty even.”
For Carlos Jr., Buchecha’s history of overcoming obstacles will be a key factor in his MMA career.
“The guy had a very serious injury,” Carlos Jr. said. “He tore three knee ligaments and came back gaining weight and won the absolute division, becoming the greatest champion in [grappling] history with 13 world titles. I’m sure this first fight will only motivate him to train harder and bounce back. The most important thing he has is the will, so much so that he’s in the gym every day training. I’m sure he’ll still have a lot of work to do at heavyweight.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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