LAS VEGAS – After earning his way to the UFC through an impressive win on Dana White’s Contender Series, things haven’t gone exactly as Antonio Arroyo might have hoped.
Sure, there have been some pretty extenuating circumstances surrounding his two UFC losses, but the Brazilian middleweight realizes that hardly matters.
So when Arroyo (9-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) steps into the cage against Tom Breese (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 189 event, he know he’s competing for the right to stay on the UFC roster.
“I still have another fight in my contract, but so many guys were fired after the third loss that I don’t want to take that risk,” Arroyo told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “I believe if I make an exciting fight, I’ll keep my job and I’ll have another opportunity.”
With that pressure to win on his back, Arroyo traveled ot New Mexico’s famed Jackson Wink MMA – the same place he prepared ahead of his Dana White’s Contender Series win – and believes he enters UFC Fight Night 189 better than ever.
“I like fighting as an underdog, as someone that people are discrediting,” Arroyo said. “Every time I fought like that, I had great, great wins. So I believe this time it’s going to be good, and that’s one of the reasons: I’m the underdog, and I have a lot of pressure on me right now.”
UFC Fight Night 189 streams live on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex. To hear Arroyo’s full pre-fight interview, check out the video above.