Francimar Barroso is eyeing new chapters and bigger names in the UFC light-heavyweight division following his victory over Darren Stewart on Saturday night.
His first bout with Stewart was judged a no-contest on the basis of an accidental head-butt at UFC Fight Night 100 last year. Barroso was the busier man on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 107, where he scored a unanimous-decision victory in the rematch with Stewart.
Francimar Barroso feels that the little time he did have with Darren Stewart in the first fight in 2016 prepared him for the rematch on Saturday night:
“The first fight, he surprised me; he came like crazy,” Barroso told MMAjunkie. “Of course that helped me prepare for this fight. I was already expecting everything. Everything I trained for was exactly how it happened in the fight. I’m much better prepared now.”
Barroso is now 37 years old, and it is hard to conceive a scenario where his next attempt at a title run will not be among his last. The light heavyweight upper echelons are where Barroso sees himself, eventually challenging for the title:
“I dream about that every day to fight those tops guys,” Barroso said. “That’s what I’ve trained for. No matter who comes, I will be ready to fight anyone. That’s my dream. I always think about the belt, it’s always a dream, and I will always be ready.”
“It’s a big motivation to me to be able to one day fight those guys,” Barroso said. “That’s what my coaches want for me, as well – to fight the best.”
