Diego Brandao, a former UFC fighter and winner of *The Ultimate Fighter*, is determined to make his way back to the promotion.
After leaving the UFC in 2016 with a record of 20-11, Brandao spent several years competing in Russia and other international circuits. During this time, sometimes fighting outside his preferred weight class, his record dipped significantly, reaching 29-22 this year.
He eventually decided this path wasn`t working.
Choosing to “fix his life,” Brandao left those international promotions and returned to North America with a clear goal: to prove he still has what it takes to compete in the UFC. To demonstrate this, the 38-year-old veteran was willing to face any promising prospect in the United States.
His new strategy quickly yielded results. In March, Brandao took on featherweight prospect Jamie Siraj (12-2) and secured a dramatic first-round knockout via a spinning wheel kick that went viral, earning him the Tuff-N-Uff belt. This past Sunday, just four miles away from the arena hosting UFC 317, Brandao delivered another stunning wheel kick knockout to successfully defend his title against Canaan Kawaihae, a much younger veteran of the Contender Series.
Following his recent victories, Brandao is optimistic about a potential call from the UFC. “I think the UFC is going to call,” he stated on Tuesday night. “We’ll talk to them tomorrow and see what they thought. Sean Shelby was there, but he was surrounded by people and left before the co-main event.”
Brandao revealed that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby played a key role in his decision to stop fighting in Russia.
“I left the Russian money because I went to Las Vegas and asked Sean Shelby what was missing for me to be back [in the UFC],” Brandao explained. “He said, `Diego, leave Russia and fight in your weight class. Knock three people out and call me.` I said, `F*ck, why didn`t you tell me that a while ago?!` First fight, knocked the man out. Second one, boom, it`s over. He said three fights? Let`s go. My focus is on that third fight because Sean Shelby is a man of his word. He said that, so he`ll do what he said.”
Brandao also touched upon UFC President Dana White`s perspective.
“Dana White has already cleared me [to return], but Sean Shelby is the key,” he stated. “I know Dana White *can* put me back if he wants to, but there’s a process. Dana White won’t just open the doors because he knows my history, my past. He might think, `I could put Diego in easily, but he could mess things up. No, let me see if he truly wants it. Let him work.` I believe that`s how Dana thinks. And I`m not as important as Conor McGregor to just call Dana White like that.”
He finds value in this challenging path back to the top.
“And I like this approach, fighting, because that`s how you truly appreciate things,” he added. “If I have to fight a third time, I`ll approach it with hunger, because then they will truly see and understand. They want to see me like that, in a battle, fighting, because they won`t just put me back in without effort. They know who I am; they know I need to work hard to earn and value it. They understand that.”
Brandao feels he has matured significantly since his previous UFC run, both as an athlete and a person, staying away from controversies outside the cage. He`s been actively beating prospects and says that if the UFC doesn`t call him sooner, he will likely defend his Tuff-N-Uff featherweight title in November. His potential opponent would be veteran Kai Kamaka III, who has competed in the UFC, Bellator, and PFL.
Regarding the potential fight with Kamaka III, a Hawaiian fighter, Brandao stated confidently:
“In Hawaii, BJ [Penn] is the only one from there that beats me, back when we trained together. The others, no chance. I`ll finish him.”
