After taking a short notice UFC bout and winning a decision over Octagon vet Brad Scott in May, you might assume that Carlo Pedersoli Jr. would be content to get the victory in whatever way he could, be happy with that, get out of England and gear up for the next fight.
Not so fast.
“I’m sure I won that fight by unanimous decision, but sometimes judges makes mistakes,” he said. “It’s part of the game.”
It’s also a sign that when it comes to fighting and competing, Italy’s Pedersoli always wants to win more than the other guy. That’s a trait every fighter has, right? Not necessarily. Some will say a win’s a win. “Semento” wants to dominate.
“I always want to win when I compete,” he said, and he’s gotten his wish in 11 of 12 fights, with the only defeat a split decision to Yuki Okano in 2015. Since then, the 25-year-old has won eight in a row, the most notable victory being an April win over UFC vet Nicolas Dalby.
Less than a month later, he was in the UFC, but as the results proved, the first-time Octagon issues were not a factor.
“I’m not a nervous fighter,” Pedersoli said. “I’m able to keep calm before and during the fight, and being in the UFC was one of the best experiences of my life.”
Now it’s off to Brazil for another short-notice assignment, this one a co-main event slot against Alex Oliveira on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Sao Paulo.
“I’m comfortable and I know that is a big opportunity for me,” he said. “It’s a big step up.”
It is, especially with Oliveira going 5-1, 1 NC in his last seven, a stretch in which he’s finished his last four wins over Carlos Condit, Ryan LaFlare, Tim Means and Will Brooks. But Pedersoli isn’t blinking.
“He (Oliveira) is a world-class athlete and very well-rounded, but I’ll do everything I can to beat him.”
He means it, too. So while Italy is not yet a hotbed for producing elite fighters, with Pedersoli, Marvin Vettori and Alessio Di Chirico all making noise in the UFC, that day may be coming sooner rather than later.
“MMA in Italy is getting better every time, so it’s now more easy to prepare for a fight,” he said. “It’s still more difficult to prepare for a fight from Italy (than from other places) I think, but I like difficulties.”
It’s an attitude his late grandfather, the decorated swimmer and water polo player Carlo Pedersoli (best known for his acting work under the name Bud Spencer), would have appreciated.
“I’m sure that he would have been happy,” said Pedersoli Jr.
