Carvalho, who has earned nine of his 10 professional MMA wins by knockout, meets Schilling in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 136 in Irvine, Calif., and welcomes a stand-up battle with the GLORY star.
“My preparation was the best. I never felt so good physically as I do now,” Carvalho told MMAFighting.com. “I hope to give the fans a great fight. I want to give them what they are hoping for: a stand-up fight. He’s a striker, he has more experience than me in muay thai, but the fans will love this fight.”
Schilling holds a 17-7 record in kickboxing and a 2-3 record under MMA rules, and Carvalho recognizes his success. However, he’s not afraid to stand and bang.
“I don’t watch GLORY that much, to be honest with you, but I know he’s a dangerous striker, has heavy hands and beautiful knockouts,” he said. “This fight will be decided on the details. Make no mistakes and take advantage of the other’s mistakes and you will win. Every day I think about this fight, and I picture myself knocking him out.
“I won’t run away from my roots, which is the stand-up fight, but we’re complete MMA fighters,” he continued. “I train for everything. I can’t say I won’t take him down, but the fight starts standing. Until we get to the ground, many things will happen, so I’m ready for everything. He might also try to take me down. We never know.”
Brandon Halsey puts his middleweight title on the line against Kendall Grove on May 15, at Bellator 137, and Carvalho believes that a win over Schilling will leave him one win away from a shot at the gold.
“I want, and I will be the middleweight champion. That’s my goal in Bellator,” he said. “My goal is to be the champion, and I see him as one more step before I fulfill this dream. I have to be ready to defeat every opponent. I’m motivated. No one will stand between me and my goal. One more win after this and I will probably be the next in line for the title. I will continue working hard to earn my shot at the Bellator title.”
Carvalho, who has earned nine of his 10 professional MMA wins by knockout, meets Schilling in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 136 in Irvine, Calif., and welcomes a stand-up battle with the GLORY star.
“My preparation was the best. I never felt so good physically as I do now,” Carvalho told MMAFighting.com. “I hope to give the fans a great fight. I want to give them what they are hoping for: a stand-up fight. He’s a striker, he has more experience than me in muay thai, but the fans will love this fight.”
Schilling holds a 17-7 record in kickboxing and a 2-3 record under MMA rules, and Carvalho recognizes his success. However, he’s not afraid to stand and bang.
“I don’t watch GLORY that much, to be honest with you, but I know he’s a dangerous striker, has heavy hands and beautiful knockouts,” he said. “This fight will be decided on the details. Make no mistakes and take advantage of the other’s mistakes and you will win. Every day I think about this fight, and I picture myself knocking him out.
“I won’t run away from my roots, which is the stand-up fight, but we’re complete MMA fighters,” he continued. “I train for everything. I can’t say I won’t take him down, but the fight starts standing. Until we get to the ground, many things will happen, so I’m ready for everything. He might also try to take me down. We never know.”
Brandon Halsey puts his middleweight title on the line against Kendall Grove on May 15, at Bellator 137, and Carvalho believes that a win over Schilling will leave him one win away from a shot at the gold.
“I want, and I will be the middleweight champion. That’s my goal in Bellator,” he said. “My goal is to be the champion, and I see him as one more step before I fulfill this dream. I have to be ready to defeat every opponent. I’m motivated. No one will stand between me and my goal. One more win after this and I will probably be the next in line for the title. I will continue working hard to earn my shot at the Bellator title.”
