‘Bigfoot’ Stalks the UFC Heavyweight Division

Like his famously elusive namesake, Marcos Rogerio de Lima is lurking just outside the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Top 10, ready to sneak up on a suddenly wide-open division.

De Lima (20-8-1; 9-6 UFC), who is set to face 9-0 rising prospect Waldo Cortes-Acosta on the main card of UFC Fight Night 223 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, spoke to Sherdog about his history as well as his future with the promotion, and shared some insights on his approach to fighting. The 37-year-old Brazilian who goes by “Pezao” — that’s Portuguese for “Bigfoot” — is a 15-fight veteran of the Octagon, but the first half of his UFC run was contested at light heavyweight. Speaking to him today gives the sense that he is happier in his new weight class, and perhaps even wishes he had made the move sooner.

“Thankfully, I have a blessed career,” he said. “I’m very dedicated to my work. There was a time when I’d drop to light heavyweight. It was torture. I didn’t have good fight performances. After moving up to heavyweight, I become much faster and stronger. My conditioning is much better. This was great for my health, as well as for my life as a father, son, and athlete. I thank God for putting people in my life who help me do this. I’ve always sought new training techniques, and new ways to evolve. I think that whoever saw my first fight in the UFC, my first loss, and my first win, knows that I’m a completely different athlete today. I’m in constant evolution. I’m happy with what I’ve done thus far, and with my performances, even in losses. I’m always putting on great battles. I expect to keep this up for quite some time.”

About his upcoming opponent, the undefeated Cortes-Acosta, de Lima has nothing but good things to say. He maintains that his clash with the massive Dominican should yield good results for the fans.

“Waldo was on the same card when I fought Andrei Arlovski,” de Lima said, referring to his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 213 last October. “I watched his fight. We even interacted a bit. He seems like a really cool guy. He’s a young up-and-comer. He used to play baseball. He’s always been an athlete. He boxed, and now he’s in MMA. Despite having few MMA bouts, he’s amassed experience in boxing, and he’s always been a competitor. Without a doubt, it will be a great fight. He’s a good striker with good knockouts. He controls his opponents well. I think he matches up very well with me. I’m also highly aggressive, and I like to move forward. The fans will truly enjoy our fight. I know I have the ability to win this fight, with a more complete game. I haven’t seen too much footage on him, other than the fight against Jared Vanderaa, which he won by decision. It was his UFC debut, so I’m sure he was being careful. Against me, I’ll sure we’ll tear each other apart with strikes.”

De Lima is as familiar as he cares to be with Cortes-Acosta’s skill set, but makes it clear that his priority is his own preparation, and that looking for some kind of Achilles’ heel in one’s opponent is a fool’s errand.

“I’m giving the most emphasis to my physical condition,” he said. “Each time, I’m stronger and faster. I want to be a true heavyweight who’s also strong, fast, with good conditioning. I never face my opponents with a particular strategy. I show up ready to fight MMA. I glance at my opponent to have an idea of what he likes to do. I don’t try to look for holes in my opponent’s game. I feel that’s a great illusion. I’ll be ready to strike, wrestle, or hit the ground. I’m mostly working on my physical conditioning with coach Everton Oliveira at American Top Team. He’s worked with several champs: Junior dos Santos, Amanda Nunes, Adriano Moraes, as well as top fighters like Alexandre Pantoja. I also train under Katel Kubis and Gabriel Oliveira, who works with me on my boxing. And I’ve been working with Steve Mocco, ‘Parrumpa,’ and Ailton Barbosa. They’re all a huge help. Lastly, Marcus ‘Conan’ Silveira manages my training schedule. I’m confident I’ll be at 100% for this fight, and I’ll be scoring yet another win.”

While de Lima is preoccupied at the moment with the challenge in front of him this Saturday and his own place in the UFC heavyweight division, he spares some thought for past losses that still sting, and admits that the division is in flux thanks to one recent high-profile fight. “This year, I’m very focused on getting into the top 15,” he said. “I think this fight may get me there. It’s where I need to be. And I can think of a few fights I’d like to revisit. I’m not much for rematches, but I'm still bothered by my losses to Blagoy Ivanov and Alexander Romanov,” he said, referring in the former case to a razor-close decision loss last May. “I’d like those rematches. I want to reach the top of our weight class, and I know I have much to contribute. After Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane, we have a new target on which to focus. I’m looking forward to a great year with some great wins.”