A move to
American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, altered the
trajectory of Philipe
Lins’ career as a professional mixed martial artist. He won a
$1 million
Professional Fighters League tournament at 205 pounds roughly a
year later in 2018, then signed with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship as a heavyweight in order to
prove himself at the sport’s highest level.
“It was a high point in my career,” Lins told Sherdog.com.
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However, there was no honeymoon period in the UFC. Lins was greeted
by back-to-back defeats to Andrei
Arlovski and Tanner
Boser, forcing him to recalibrate his position.
“A red light went off,” he said. “I needed to change something. I
sat down with my coaches and manager. We made a good decision in
having me drop back down to light heavyweight. I have a much
healthier lifestyle now. I feel so much better. I’m more focused
back at my original weight class.”
Lins will carry a four-fight winning streak into his latest
assignment, as he meets Ion
Cutelaba in the featured
UFC Fight Night 229 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas. Cutelaba, 29, has become known for his
live-by-the-sword-die-by-the-sword approach across his 15
appearances in the UFC. The rugged Moldovan last competed on April
15, when he put away Boser with punches a little more than two
minutes into their UFC on ESPN 44 encounter.
“He’s tough and experienced,” Lins said. “He’s faced great fighters
in our weight class. I can’t wait to step into the cage to face
him. Without a doubt, it will be an exciting fight for the fans. He
likes to strike, and so do I. This fight has all the right
ingredients: gasoline and fire. Everyone knows what happens when
those two come together. I can’t wait for us to bang it out. I have
all the respect for him and for his career, but it’s my time to
shine. I’m ready for this challenge.”
The 38-year-old Lins hopes to build on his momentum and move
forward in the light heavyweight division. He last fought at UFC on
ESPN 46, where he took a three-round unanimous decision from former
World Fighting Championship Akhmat titleholder Maxim
Grishin on June 3. Lins understands it will all be for naught
if he fails to get past Cutelaba.
“We’ll have an excellent clash,” he said. “Everything is there for
one of the best fights of the night. I can hardly wait. I’m very
well prepared. I’ll step into the cage and let the monster loose.
Hopefully, this will be yet another victory.”