Antonio Carlos Junior wants to prove himself against top middleweight competition.
Before he can do that, he must get past Eric Spicely on June 3 inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 212. Junior will be looking to extend his winning streak to three. After being TKO’d by Daniel Kelly, Junior submitted Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes and took a unanimous decision over Marvin Vettori.
If he’s able to emerge victorious against Spicely, Junior wants a bout with former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder Chris Weidman. He told Combate that he feels ready to take on a higher level of competition due to his maturity (via Bloody Elbow):
“I really want to grow in the division. I was too immature when I first entered the UFC. I only had three professional MMA fights. I have been able to get better with each passing fight. This is my eighth UFC fight, so that brings you some maturity. Today, I’m a more complete fighter, more experienced and happier. I’m sure I’ll get this win in Rio and then, after, I want to fight Chris Weidman. He has some history with Brazilians and I want to be face to face with him.”
