Bellator 158: "London" takes place at O2 Arena in London, England, this Saturday night (July 16, 2016), featuring a Welterweight fight between Paul "Semtex" Daley taking on former 170-pound champion Douglas Lima. It has been nearly one year since Lima was last seen in Bellator, dropping his title to Andrey Koreshkov and, in the process, snapping a five-fight win streak, all of which Lima won via (technical) knockout.
"The Phenom" doesn't get an easy opponent after a lengthy absence. After originally being scheduled to face Chidi "Bang Bang" Njokuani at Bellator 156, Lima will fill in for Josh Koscheck and step into a Spike TV-televised main event opposite Paul "Semtex" Daley.
In an exclusive interview with MMAmania.com that spanned two opponents and two months, Lima talked about getting back in the cage after a lengthy layoff and how he feels about headlining an event in Daley's hometown.
"Feeling good! (I'm) feeling good (and) being ready. It's the fight that I wanted. It feels good, just ready to go now, ready to make this weight and compete."
For Lima, the biggest opponent has been his health. Multiple knee surgeries and complications kept him on the shelf and may have contributed to his loss to Koreshkov.
"Man! Since I won the belt two years ago I've been dealing with this knee injury. (I) did about four surgeries (then) I had a fungal infection that came out of nowhere so. It's been really bad, but it's finally back. I'm past that injury and happy to train again."
The joy Lima feels at overcoming these obstacles comes across clear as day. He's just about as excited to get back in the cage again as a fighter can possibly be.
"It's been a tough two years for me but we're back man. We're back, we're healthy, can't wait, everything's going great. My weight's down, my energy is up, I feel fantastic! I feel blessed and happy to finally be healthy again."
Fight fans will be happy to know that Daley is just as excited about this bout as Lima, as he's repeatedly insisted he not only wanted this fight, but hand-picked Lima as his replacement opponent. Lima is not letting that faze him at all.
"Good! Well he's gonna get his wish, you know what I mean? Man! I'm just pumped to fight a guy like that you know. He's game, he's got a big name, he's also has a big mouth, which is a plus. It's going to bring the best (out) of me so I'm very excited."
Daley is renowned as a striker with more than 40 combined knockouts in kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA); however, Lima has 12 knockouts of his own. Is his power back now that his health is back?
"Definitely man, definitely! I think it's always been there, but (it's) just a little better now. I feel even faster now. Man that's what we're going to look for -- another finish! I gotta get that streak going (and) start it all over again. Not five, maybe 10 this time. I'm gonna be looking for the finish the whole time."
I asked Lima to respond to Daley's assertion that their roles are reversed thanks to Lima being the former champion. In effect, Daley believes that Lima has more to gain by beating him than the other way around.
"The dude has a big mouth so he can say whatever he wants, but once we're locked inside the cage he's gonna be humble real quick you know? So we'll see."
Lima doesn't feel that he's over-trained with an extra month of preparation after the Njokuani fight was nixed. On the contrary, to him it was just a matter of handling his business the right way.
"Well, honestly, man, it's just taking care of the body, you know? I was already ready to fight, my weight was already low, I've actually been training for 14 weeks straight you know? So, I just rested a little more that week that we changed the fight, but everything is back to normal. Everything is on point -- the weight, cardio, strength, everything looks good. I'm healthy and man I can't wait -- it's going to be my best performance for sure."
With a win over Daley in London, Lima is determined to face Koreshkov next and show him a whole new look.
"Fight him healthy -- that's it. That's the big difference -- fight him healthy. He's definitely going to see a new me there. I'm not going to be the same fighter. He's not going to fight the same Douglas that he fought before, and it's gonna shock him. It's gonna shock him (and) it's gonna shock a lot of people."
One thing is for certain going into this fight with Daley -- all that talk about how he has "power in both hands" now and how his opponents have "nowhere to run" isn't giving Lima any doubts about winning a striking exchange.
"The same can be said about me, man. I have power in both hands, in both legs, both knees. You know, whatever! He's got power, I've got power. What matters is going to be who's gonna land first. I'm confident in everything, I'm confident in my power. If I connect something on him he's gonna feel it, and that's what's gonna happen, you know? I don't care about what he says or what he thinks he has. What I know is I'm a tough opponent for him, I'm a difficult fight for him, and he's going to find that out."
It may seem like overconfidence unless you've watched "The Phenom" fight before. But, when he is healthy and at 100 percent, anything's possible. Indeed, Koreshkov may be seeing him again soon with a solid performance this weekend.
"Man! I gotta fight him again. That's all I care about. I want to fight him again healthy -- then we'll see."
Complete audio of our interview is below and complete Bellator MMA coverage can be found right here on fight night.