“I messed up when I hit him with my leg from boxing distance,” the Brazilian told Ag Fight. “I shouldn’t have kicked him. My first round was pretty good. I landed a lot of punches and won the opening five minutes, I’m sure of it. In the second round, he changed his strategy, started shortening his distance, going forward. I should have changed my strategy too. I should have started punching with my hands, boxing with him. When you go backwards, it’s not the best stance for leg kicks.”
“I know where I made a mistake. I fight the best in the world – blink at the wrong time and it’s over, you’re already lying there. He changed his strategy and I didn’t. That was my mistake. I failed to adapt. I kicked him from boxing distance and he kicked me with his arm. I was too close. I shouldn’t have let him touch me at all, because I’m taller than most fighters.”
Recall that the fight between the top welterweights, which headlined UFC Fight Night 234 in Las Vegas two and a half weeks ago, ended at the 2:42 mark of the second round with a knockout victory for the Russian.