Douglas Lima: This is one of the toughest tournaments in history
Douglas Lima: “The best welterweights on the planet are competing. … I believe this is one of the toughest tournaments in history. The winner here really belongs at the top of the welterweight division.”
Former Bellator MMA welterweight champion Douglas Lima appeared recently on MMAjunkie Radio and talked tournaments. He won two in the first incarnation of Bellator, and at Bellator 206 on September 29, Lima trilogy fights fellow former champ Andrey Koreshkov in the opening round of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix.
Lima won the first fight and the belt via Unanimous Decision at Bellator 140 on July 17, 20145, and won the belt back via Round 3 KO at Bellator on 164 November 10, 2016.
We have a lot of killers in this tournament, said Lima as transcribed by MMAjunkie. The best welterweights on the planet are competing. Hopefully it goes quick and it’s not to long of breaks between fights. I believe this is one of the toughest tournaments in history. The winner here really belongs at the top of the welterweight division. That’s what I plan on doing.
Koreshkov is one of the toughest guys out there. I need to be prepared for everything. He’s got good striking, he’s got good wrestling and I know he’s good on top on the ground. There’s no easy way out. You have to be ready to fight everywhere and be ready to bring it. To beat a guy like that you have to finish him. You have to KO him, you have to break something. He’s not just going to give up. That’s the type of fighter you have to prepare for.
We’re familiar with the styles of course, but it’s a new fight. I don’t know if he’s going to come with a different strategy, but I have to be prepared for everything.
I think this is the best fight of the night. We’re both competitive, we’re both in the top two or three in Bellator for sure. It’s going to be a good one. It’s an even matchup. Two strikers, we’re excited and we’re fan favorites.