Carlos Real Miranda, who has won 15 of his last 17 professional fights, will finally achieve his goal of competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The Brazilian will be on short notice to face Rinat Fakhreddinov at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. What makes this situation even more interesting is how someone who has never fought in the UFC and lives in Curitiba, Brazil could accept such a call from the promotion during fight week. I wonder if it was. The foundation for the transition was laid in August 2023.
After losing his second straight decision to Sadive Sy in the Professional Fighters League semifinals, Leal decided it was time to leave the PFL and pursue his goal of competing in the UFC.
“My goal when I joined the PFL was to become champions. In my first season I came pretty close, so I decided to try again. When we lost for the second time, I thought it was time for me and the team to quit.” “I decided that,” Leal said.
Although things didn’t work out as planned at PFL, ‘Lion’ recognizes that the organization was important to his development.
“PFL was great. [learning experience] For me,” he said. “Thanks to that promotion, I was able to provide a better life for my family and buy a house for my mother. PFL also helped me evolve as a person and as a fighter. I have nothing but gratitude to them.”
So Real and his manager came up with a plan to get him closer to his dream of competing in the UFC.
UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway takes place Saturday at 2pm ET on ESPN+. Order now!
“I knew the best way to get to the UFC was to win the LFA title,” Leal said.
Before joining LFA, his team decided to accept an invitation to fight at UAE Warriors 48, and Real KO’d Marcio Breno Rodríguez Braga in the first round. Four months later, Real finally made his LFA debut, knocking out Manuel Mena in the first round in his first step toward winning the LFA title.
Twelve weeks ago, his manager learned that UFC 308 would be held in Abu Dhabi the same week as UAE Warriors 55.
“He put me on the card with a clear strategy,” Leal said. “If any welterweight or middleweight fighter had any issues at UFC 308, I would already be here. But even if no one pulled out of the card, I would have been unable to perform for UFC officials. This will be a great opportunity to showcase your skills and win a contract.”
When the first part of the plan went well, Real needed a little help to make the dream a reality.
“The UAE Warriors said they would allow me to fight in the UFC if they found a replacement for me, and my trainer Rodrigo Caballeiro Correia immediately stepped in and scheduled a catchweight fight against my former opponent on Tuesday. He agreed.
Cavaliheiro, 41, defeated Elkin Darmenov by first-round knockout at UAE Warriors 55 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Real are preparing to face Fakhredinov at short notice. It will be his first time facing a Russian opponent in 26 professional matches, but Lille is not worried.
“There were a lot of top Russians in my department, so I studied them for a long time,” he said. “I’m really happy to finally be able to fulfill my dream of fighting in the UFC against a strong opponent like Rinato. It’s sure to be a hell of a fight and I couldn’t think of a better way to achieve my goal.”
