Ricardo Lamas Relishes Underdog Role Heading Into UFC Fight Night 63
Heading into tomorrow’s (Sat., April 4, 2015) UFC Fight Night 63 from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, most MMA fans and media aren’t giving Ricardo Lamas much of a shot in his main event against top-ranked Chad Mendes.
But if you ask the former title contender, that doesn’t faze him much, if at all. Talking during an interview with MMAJunkie from Fairfax this week, Lamas said he’s consistently the underdog in most of his fights, citing his recent first round submission of the formerly surging Dennis Bermudez as a fine example:
“In my last fight, I was the underdog,” Lamas said. “Probably 95 percent of my fights, I’ve been the underdog and people pick the other guy against me. It doesn’t bother me at all. I know what I’m capable of, and that’s all I need.”
While it’s tough to see how the No. 4-ranked featherweight could be an underdog so often, it’s not all that difficult to see why he’s as high as a four-to-one underdog to “Money,” who last took longtime champion Jose Aldo the distance in a rousing five round affair at UFC 179.
Coupled with his brutal UFC 142 loss to Aldo, those are the only two defeats that the otherwise dominant Mendes has on his record. That may seem like an easy victory is at hand for Mendes, but Lamas noted that he’s extremely strong for a 145-pounder and can match Mendes’ strength because of his original background at lightweight:
“I feel like I’m real strong for a 145-pounder,” Lamas said. “Every fight I’ve been in, I felt like I was the stronger of the two. Mendes is a little powerhouse, also, so we’ll just have to see on Saturday.”
Overall, Lamas believes it’s going to be a great fight featuring both competitors rising to the level that their world-class talents would suggest. With the path to a potential title shot awaiting the winner, Lamas predicts he’ll rise to the occasion:
“Chad is a great fighter, and I think he’s going to bring the best out of me, and vice versa. I’m the type of fighter who rises to the level of my opponent, so it’s going to be a great fight.”
Mendes, on the other hand, isn’t surprised by the odds given how his last fight with Aldo played out compared to Lamas’ unanimous decision loss to th champ at February 2014’s UFC 169:
“I mean, no. Both of us have fought Aldo, and with my fight being a lot closer, maybe, than his, I could see why people would probably pick that. But styles make fights. Anything can happen in there. I’m expecting a war – I prepared for five rounds, and I’m treating it just like it’s a title fight.”
Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
