LAS VEGAS – Guilherme Pat met the media Saturday after his win over Allen Frye Jr. at UFC on ESPN 74.
Pat (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) outworked Frye (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who also was making his promotional debut, for a sweep of the scorecards in the heavyweight bout on the preliminary card at the UFC Apex.
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Pat fought for the first time in 16 months when he stepped in against Frye. He was set for his second LFA fight earlier this year, but it fell through. And in September, he pulled out of a DWCS fight that was meant to be his tryout.
Instead, it worked out that he went straight to a debut after his visa issues from Brazil were resolved.
“It’s been a long journey here. Myself and the team tried to get me a visa for over a year, and obviously it wasn’t happening,” Pat told MMAJunkie at his post-fight news conference. “This was a lot that went into it – the dream and the work of myself and my team and coaches.”
Pat said there were no pre-fight jitters like might hit most fighters.
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“I was way more nervous in all the fights I had in Brazil throughout my career than here, because all those visa denials, that was proof for me was the final detail for me. That means I belong here. … My mental state, my mindset, was that I was already here. It was just the final (visa) detail and the step that needed to be taken. So no butterflies – that intensity to come here.
“All I did was breathe deep, concentrate and focus. I’m in the UFC, so let’s make it happen.”
Check out Pat’s post-fight news conference in the video above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Guilherme Pat says pre-fight jitters out the window for UFC debut win
