Bantamweight Felipe Colares will have some extra motivation for his fight against Chris Gutierrez.
UFC bantamweight Felipe Colares is in need of a win next Saturday to begin his first streak in the Octagon. However, that is not all that motivates the Brazilian to step into the cage at UFC Vegas 39.
Paired up against Chris Gutierrez for the opening main card bout, Colares intends to dedicate a win to his own mother. In an interview with Combate, Felipe revealed how his mom was such an inspiration for himself ahead of this match, due to surviving a battle against cancer in the parotid glands.
“Thank God I was able to have a different camp this time,” Colares said. “She was still being treated during my last one. On June 2, she had her last chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions. She has beaten cancer and I’m in a new stage in my life. She did all of her treatment in Belem, which is a city just next to mine, but we talked everyday on video calls. When she began her treatment, I even went to Belem, right after my fight. I spent a few days with her, but I had to go back to train. She was so strong, she’s a warrior. She beat cancer and this win is for her.”
Colares feels confident he will be able to score his first UFC finish after his last four outings all having gone the distance. Although Felipe knows his opponent is not one to be dismissed, the Brazilian sees enough gaps in Chris’ game that he feels like could be exploited.
“I think I should be able to win by TKO or submission,” Colares said. “Although he has a solid game, there is also many mistakes in it. His previous opponents all put those mistakes into their gameplans and that’s what I’m going to do, too. I have a lot to show. I lacked confidence, but I’m starting to acquire it in order to do the things that got me in the UFC. A style with different kinds of takedowns, very tight striking. I’m really gaining confidence and starting to loosen up every day.”
In his last outing, Colares (10-2) defeated Luke Sanders by unanimous decision, back in May 2021. Before that, the 27-year-old had suffered a unanimous decision loss to Montel Jackson, in January 2020.
Now, Colares is expected to take on Gutierrez at UFC Vegas 39, on October 9, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a strawweight bout between contenders Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez.