Battlegrounds MMA tournament winner Roan Carneiro has unfinished business in the UFC

It takes a lot of heart and skills to win a MMA fight today. Roan Carneiro did it, and he did it three times in one night.

“Jucao,” a former UFC fighter, defeated Brock Larson, Trey Houston and Randall Wallace on Friday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma to win the Battlegrounds MMA one-night welterweight tournament, and it was tougher than most people imagine.

“After my first fight, I was really dehydrated. I came back to my locker room and could feel my body wasn’t well,” Carneiro told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I started having cramps. All the water I put inside my body, I went straight to the bathroom to pee. I wasn’t sweating at all. Something was wrong.”

Carneiro was almost forced to withdraw from the semifinal with Houston after tapping Randall Wallace in the first bout, but Douglas Lima and Dhiego Lima helped him continue. After having some Gatorade, “Jucao’s” body “started to feel good” again.

The Oklahoma Athletic Commission checked on Carneiro to see if he was good to go, and he went on to win a couple more fights that night.

“When I finished my first fight, I asked (the commission) some time to see how I would feel. When I said I was ready for the second fight, they started doing more exams to see if I was really ready to do my second fight,” he said. “They did an excellent job.”

Battlegrounds wasn’t Carneiro’s first one-night, eight-man MMA tournament. In 2006, “Jucao” lost to Leonardo Nascimento after getting past Gregory Bouchelaghem and Matt Horwich in three-round fights. Eight years later, he knew he’d go 3-0.

“When I heard about the tournament, I said ‘that is mine,’” he said “They had only one spot available, and I tried to find who was behind the tournament. It was Kenny Monday, and I texted him right on.

“I grew up in Brazil watching Royce Gracie doing those things. When I was a kid, I saw Murilo Bustamante fighting a tournament, when he fought Tom Erikson, who was (several pounds heavier) than him. It made me excited to come back and train. Three fights, in my mind it was three wins.”

He got the wins he wanted, but his night wasn’t perfect. The Oklahoma commission fined him 30 percent of his prize, an amount of $15,000, for showing up “extremely late” to a pre-fight medical exam.

“My manager and my attorney are starting to get in contact with them,” Carneiro said. “I think we are gonna come to a solution. I wasn’t late at all. I think they didn’t understand my side. I wasn’t late. I was there the whole time. When I got there, the doctors went talk to me and they didn’t talk to me about being late and they were gonna fine me. I just heard about it when I got the money.”

“I don’t agree, but I just wanna explain my side,” he continued. “My manager and my attorney are going to talk to them and explain my side. If they wanna fine me for something, we’ll see what happens. I was in contact with the promoter, I have text messages and everything on my phone. I don’t know. I’m not saying they are wrong, but I’m not wrong. I was there all the time. I just want them to listen to me and understand that I wasn’t late at all.

“If they wanna fine me, I just don’t wanna be fined with $15,000 because that hurts, specially the way I fought, three fights in one night. I think I deserve, I earned my whole money.”

Despite his post-fight financial issues with the commission, Oct. 3 was a great day for the Brazilian. With three wins in one night, Carneiro is now riding a five-fight streak with four stoppage victories. Defeated only once since leaving the UFC in 2008, “Jucao” wants another shot inside the Octagon.

“I’d love to finish some business over there,” he said. “In my mind, I beat Ryo Chonan, it was my last fight in the UFC in my town, Atlanta, and I lost by split decision but, in my mind, I beat him.”

Carneiro is more of a coach than a fighter today, but he proved to be in great shape.

“I’m training with many UFC fighters, of many weight divisions, and I’m still doing (well). Imagine if I had one performance like I had Friday night in the UFC,” he said. “I’m excited to show the world I can do some good things in that (UFC) cage. I just didn’t have the opportunity to show them I can do it, and it’s now late. I’m going to do it.”

It takes a lot of heart and skills to win a MMA fight today. Roan Carneiro did it, and he did it three times in one night.

“Jucao,” a former UFC fighter, defeated Brock Larson, Trey Houston and Randall Wallace on Friday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma to win the Battlegrounds MMA one-night welterweight tournament, and it was tougher than most people imagine.

“After my first fight, I was really dehydrated. I came back to my locker room and could feel my body wasn’t well,” Carneiro told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I started having cramps. All the water I put inside my body, I went straight to the bathroom to pee. I wasn’t sweating at all. Something was wrong.”

Carneiro was almost forced to withdraw from the semifinal with Houston after tapping Randall Wallace in the first bout, but Douglas Lima and Dhiego Lima helped him continue. After having some Gatorade, “Jucao’s” body “started to feel good” again.

The Oklahoma Athletic Commission checked on Carneiro to see if he was good to go, and he went on to win a couple more fights that night.

“When I finished my first fight, I asked (the commission) some time to see how I would feel. When I said I was ready for the second fight, they started doing more exams to see if I was really ready to do my second fight,” he said. “They did an excellent job.”

Battlegrounds wasn’t Carneiro’s first one-night, eight-man MMA tournament. In 2006, “Jucao” lost to Leonardo Nascimento after getting past Gregory Bouchelaghem and Matt Horwich in three-round fights. Eight years later, he knew he’d go 3-0.

“When I heard about the tournament, I said ‘that is mine,’” he said “They had only one spot available, and I tried to find who was behind the tournament. It was Kenny Monday, and I texted him right on.

“I grew up in Brazil watching Royce Gracie doing those things. When I was a kid, I saw Murilo Bustamante fighting a tournament, when he fought Tom Erikson, who was (several pounds heavier) than him. It made me excited to come back and train. Three fights, in my mind it was three wins.”


He got the wins he wanted, but his night wasn’t perfect. The Oklahoma commission fined him 30 percent of his prize, an amount of $15,000, for showing up “extremely late” to a pre-fight medical exam.

“My manager and my attorney are starting to get in contact with them,” Carneiro said. “I think we are gonna come to a solution. I wasn’t late at all. I think they didn’t understand my side. I wasn’t late. I was there the whole time. When I got there, the doctors went talk to me and they didn’t talk to me about being late and they were gonna fine me. I just heard about it when I got the money.”

“I don’t agree, but I just wanna explain my side,” he continued. “My manager and my attorney are going to talk to them and explain my side. If they wanna fine me for something, we’ll see what happens. I was in contact with the promoter, I have text messages and everything on my phone. I don’t know. I’m not saying they are wrong, but I’m not wrong. I was there all the time. I just want them to listen to me and understand that I wasn’t late at all.

“If they wanna fine me, I just don’t wanna be fined with $15,000 because that hurts, specially the way I fought, three fights in one night. I think I deserve, I earned my whole money.”

Despite his post-fight financial issues with the commission, Oct. 3 was a great day for the Brazilian. With three wins in one night, Carneiro is now riding a five-fight streak with four stoppage victories. Defeated only once since leaving the UFC in 2008, “Jucao” wants another shot inside the Octagon.

“I’d love to finish some business over there,” he said. “In my mind, I beat Ryo Chonan, it was my last fight in the UFC in my town, Atlanta, and I lost by split decision but, in my mind, I beat him.”

Carneiro is more of a coach than a fighter today, but he proved to be in great shape.

“I’m training with many UFC fighters, of many weight divisions, and I’m still doing (well). Imagine if I had one performance like I had Friday night in the UFC,” he said. “I’m excited to show the world I can do some good things in that (UFC) cage. I just didn’t have the opportunity to show them I can do it, and it’s now late. I’m going to do it.”