One prominent mixed martial arts coach has lofty ambitions for his
team this coming year.
One month after cornering Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight king
Alexandre
Pantoja through his first title defense against Brandon
Royval,
American Top Team coach “Parrumpa,” born Marcos da
Matta, will be back in business preparing another one of his
fighters for a belt. He will back Mayra
Bueno Silva at UFC 297 at the end of January, in her vacant
bantamweight championship collision against Raquel
Pennington. Da Matta spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday, discussing
his team’s tough upcoming agenda, their victories in 2023, the
UFC’s new anti-doping system and what he perceives to be a little
disrespect.
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“To tell you the truth, I didn’t have Christmas or New Years,” Da
Matta admitted. “Besides, half of my athletes are Muslims, who
don’t celebrate those dates, I have [Movsar]
Evloev and ‘Sheetara’ [Bueno Silva] fighting in UFC 297 [on]
Jan. 20 in Toronto, so we trained on the 25th and also Jan. 1.”
As expected, the highly regarded coach is confident that his pupils
will emerge victorious at the year’s first pay-per-view offering.
While coaches often point to their fighter simply winning,
“Parrumpa” went so far as to call his shot for both fighters:
Evloev beating Arnold
Allen in a close decision, and Bueno Silva tapping Pennington
in the fourth round to win the 135-pound crown.
At the World MMA Awards in December, ATT won “Gym of the Year”
honors. Additionally, fellow ATT coach Mike Thomas
Brown picked up the “Coach of the Year” award. While “Parrumpa”
was thrilled with his team’s successes, he felt that he was passed
over in consideration for a top honor. If it were up to him, he
would at least be nominated.
“If we talk about champions, concerning only the fighters I train,
ATT got very close to the triple crown with Pantoja [in the UFC],
[Magomed]
Magomedkerimov [in Professional Fighters League] and [Alexandr]
Shabliy [in Bellator MMA]. If not for Usman
[Nurmagomedov] doping, I could get the ‘Triple Crown’ with my
athletes in 2023, but I hope until the end of the season [in June],
Bellator does that [lightweight tournament] final, with [Brent]
Primus or Usman. If Shabliy wins, ATT can still celebrate the
triple crown. I’m also very confident ‘Sheetara’ will get the title
in February.”
Da Matta continued, “Man, I love Mike Brown. Not only for being a
wonderful professional and person. Actually, he was my first high
level fighter in the WEC, I get really happy with his success, but
if we consider 2023, his biggest achievement was keeping Johnny
Eblen’s title in Bellator. Besides working straight with
Pantoja and ‘Kerimov’ on their titles, I also cornered Shabliy
until the final of Bellator. And if we look among other of my
athletes, look what [Arman]
Tsarukyan, Evloev, [Magomed]
Umalatov and ‘Sheetara’ did. Karolina
Kowalkiewicz, 37 years old, was coming from five losses, now
she [has won four in a row]. Look what Edson
Barboza did in his last [two] fights. I think a professional
should be nominated ‘Coach of the Year’ not only for the champions
he [trained], but for the results he got with all his athletes in
all levels. But these just motivate me to keep working hard and
doing my job, producing new champions. One day, they [won’t] deny
me the recognition.”
At the end of December, the UFC
made official its new drug-testing policy, which includes the
implementation of a third-party organization called Combat Sports
Anti-Doping. This new company, paid for by the UFC, will be
operated by George Piro, a prominent ATT trainee who has won
multiple jiu-jitsu competitions under the tutelage of “Parrumpa.”
Despite their relationship, Da Matta believes that the former FBI
Special Agent will be able to perform his duties impartially.
“I’ve heard some jokes about Piro being close to ATT, but knowing
this man as I [do], I would say ATT athletes will be even more
tested to serve as an example. And make no mistake, the new system
will be as tough as USADA [was] to the fighters. Of course, some
corrections will be made, but I believe even more fighters will be
tested [comprehensively, in] what will be even better to the growth
of the sport,” “Parrumpa” concluded.