JARAGUA DO SUL, Brazil — Iuri Alcantara had a tough night on Feb. 15 in Brazil, but he went home with another victory on his record.
The WEC veteran fought former EliteXC bantamweight champion Wilson Reis at UFC Fight Night 36 and claimed the victory via split decision after a back-and-forth battle in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil.
“Wilson Reis is a tough fighter, and the fight was really close,” Alcantara told the media after the win. “It could have gone either way, but thank God I won another fight in the UFC.”
Alcantara came close to finish Reis, but he always found a way to recover and get back in the fight.
“I knew he would be tough,” he said. “I thought ‘f–k, I knock this guy down and think it’s the end of the fight, but then he comes back and takes me down again’. I’m glad that it was a great fight.
“Nobody ever had the mount over me in training or in a fight, and he did it. He has a great jiu-jitsu, is well-rounded and strong, but I was well trained.”
The next he steps inside the Octagon, Alcantara wants to avenge the only loss he suffered since cutting down to 135 pounds.
“Marajo” was the only fighter Urijah Faber couldn’t finish in his four-fight win streak in 2013 before fighting for the UFC title, and the Brazilian wants another shot at “The California Kid.”
“Who knows, may I’ll fight Faber again,” he said. “I’m a top 10 now, and I’m ready to fight him one more time. Fighting Faber was a dream coming true for me. I learned a lot with that fight.”
“I’m ready to fight anyone they put in front of me,” he continued. “I will be back to the gym in a week, and I’m ready to show the UFC that I can get at the top.”