Athletes
Raphael Assunção: 'I Think This Is My Last One'
Longtime UFC Bantamweight Contender Raphael Assunção Feels That His UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Dvalishvili Bout With Davey Grant Might Be His Last Fight.
Raphael Assunção thought long and hard about retiring following his December 2021 loss to Ricky Simon.
After building a 27-5 record and spending the better part of the previous decade ranked in the Top 10 of the UFC’s bantamweight division, the Brazilian veteran suffered consecutive losses to Rob Font and Cory Sandhagen in 2019, and was knocked out by Cody Garbrandt in his lone appearance of 2020. Having battled illness and injury throughout the year, he knew that taking the fight with Simon was a mistake from a health perspective, but the competitor in him wanted to get back in there.
Two minutes into the second round, Assuncao got knocked out. After only being finished in that manner once before in his career, he’d now lost back-to-back fights where he was stopped, and the cumulative effects of those four straight losses and consecutive knockouts forced him to sit down with his family and his inner circle to discuss whether to keep soldiering on or not.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Dvalishvili
“I didn’t want to go out like that,” Assuncao said on Monday, as he readies to step in against fellow veteran Davey Grant in one of this weekend’s five bantamweight contests. “It was a hard decision; there was a lot of talk with my family, my team.
“I don’t want to put myself through that type of stuff. It’s not healthy, it’s embarrassing, and you’re not doing your job. Anything can happen in a fight, but I don’t want to go out on a (slide) like that.
“If I’m going to call it a day, I would like to go out the way I plan to go out, and that’s pretty simple: putting in the time and doing everything I could have done for a good result, and winning,” added the Brazilian veteran, who got back into the win column last October with a unanimous decision victory over Victor Henry. “The result is a consequence of many factors, but going out like, ‘This is my last fight; I’ll get some money and see what happens’ — I don’t want to go out like that; no way.”
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Assuncao showed he still has something left to offer when he faced off with Henry in October, turning back the well-travelled veteran who impressed in his promotional debut by defeating Raoni Barcelos.
Throughout the contest, Assuncao beat Henry to the punch, showcasing the crisp boxing and sharp all-around game that made him a fixture in the Top 10 and one of the most underrated fighters of his era. It was the kind of fight that made you go back and re-examine who he had lost to during that four-fight slide, recognize he was beaten by top contenders and a former champion, and give the now 40-year-old divisional stalwart some grace when it came to assessing his place in the bantamweight ranks going forward.
But after not wanting to end things on a prolonged losing streak and getting back into the win column, Assuncao is comfortable acknowledging that Saturday’s fight with Grant is most likely going to be the final time we see him make the walk to the Octagon.
“I think this is my last one, bud, but let me see what happens,” he said, noting that Saturday’s contest is the final fight on his current contract, and that he would like to end his career in the UFC. “I’m thinking this is the end, but let’s see what happens.”
While numerous fighters in the twilight of their careers think about walking away and then opt to stick around after collecting a victory, only to overstay their welcome, Assuncao’s decision isn’t going to come down to the results of this weekend’s tussle with Grant, per se, as much as it will depend on how his body is feeling after another weight cut and another trip into the Octagon against yet another skilled, dangerous opponent.
Should this indeed be the end of the road for the standout from Recife, Brazil who has long called Alpharetta, Georgia home, Assuncao should be remembered as one of the best fighters of his generation and one of the more underrated talents to ever step into the Octagon.
Raphael Assunção Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs Araújo
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Raphael Assunção Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs Araújo
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After losing his UFC debut at featherweight, Assuncao relocated to the 135-pound weight class and promptly rattled off seven straight victories, including wins over TJ Dillashaw, Pedro Munhoz, and Bryan Caraway. He dropped a decision to Dillashaw in a rematch at UFC 200, and then posted four additional victories, adding wins over current champ Aljamain Sterling, eventual title challenger Marlon Moraes, Matthew Lopez, and Rob Font.
Despite going 11-1 over his first dozen bantamweight appearances, Assuncao never got the opportunity to fight for the title, and it’s the one thing that will always remain a disappointment for him.
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“That’s the only thing that kind of gives me bad feelings is not having a chance for the championship; that’s the only thing,” admitted Assuncao, who dealt with untimely injuries throughout his career and was often just the odd man out in a division filled with more boisterous contemporaries and tense rivalries that dominated the championship picture.
If he does hang up his four-ounce gloves following Saturday’s clash with Grant, it won’t be the last we see of Assuncao in the MMA space, as he plans on sticking around to pass along the knowledge he picked up over the course of his 20-year, 38-fight career to future generations.
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“The plan is to start a gym here shortly, regardless of if I’m going to stop after this fight or not, and I definitely want to try to share everything that I’ve learned,” he said. “I think I have some different approaches to pass on, not just the physical teaching of MMA, but helping the next generation through planning their careers, and the psychological aspect, too, because we know it’s very important how you carry yourself and develop a good character.
“I’ll be glad to pass that knowledge along and I think that is my calling after I’m done competing.”
UFC Fight Night: Yan vs Dvalishvili took place live from The Theater At Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on March 11, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive all the action at UFC Fight Pass!
