Melissa
Gatto wants to move back down to flyweight after a successful
bantamweight debut at UFC
Fight Night 241.
Advertisement
Gatto earned a third-round TKO win over fellow Brazilian Tamires
Vidal on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Gatto now wants
to return to action in August — preferably at 125 pounds.
“I want to fight in August in flyweight division,” Gatto said in a
post-fight scrum. “But if the UFC want me in
bantamweight division, I’m here to fight. I want to fight. I was
born to fight.”
While she feels like a natural flyweight, Gatto also emphasizes
that she has no problem competing at 135 pounds if the promotion
wants her to. Gatto explained why flyweight is her preferred
division.
“Because I think I am a flyweight, my body [likes the] flyweight
division,” she said. “And I think I am flyweight, my team said it
to me too. Of course but bantamweight no problem.”
Gatto’s win over Vidal came via a punch to the chest that drew a
delayed reaction from “Tratora.” Vidal inexplicably stopped
fighting as if expecting a timeout for an illegal blow. Gatto
followed up with a volley of strikes to secure the victory. Gatto
revealed that she never considered stopping due to her opponent’s
reaction, as the referee hadn’t intervened.
Gatto also claims to have seen Vidal try to stop the action in her
previous fighs after being hurt by similar strikes.
“No of course not [never considered stopping]. Because I watch the
last fights of her and always she feel that [punch to the chest]
and she always try to stop the fight,” Gatto said. “But the judges
[referee] said to me, ‘Don’t stop, you go.’ And I go and I will
finish and get my victory.”
Gatto’s latest win saw her rebound from a two-fight slump and
improve her promotional record to 3-2 with all of her wins coming
via stoppage. Meanwhile, Vidal has now dropped two in a row after a
stoppage win over Ramona
Pascual in her UFC debut in 2022.