Douglas Lima plans to make a statement in the main event of Bellator 283 from Tacoma, Washington.
Lima is entering the fight against Jason Jackson on a three-fight losing streak after losing to Michael Page, Yaroslav Amosov, and Gegard Mousasi. The contests against Amosov and Mousasi were for the welterweight and middleweight titles respectively, and all three losses were by decision. Given that he is on a skid, many are wondering if the 34-year-old is past his prime, but he doesn’t think that is true at all.
Is Douglas Lima Past His Prime?
“A lot of time I’m just like, ‘Man, am I just losing a step here?’” Lima told MMA Junkie. “‘Am I just getting too old?’ But no, man. One of the losses came to Mousasi at middleweight, one of the best in the world at a different weight class. The second was against Amosov and, yeah, I looked like trash on that performance.”
🚨 Fight News! 🚨
Lima 🆚 Jackson will headline #Bellator283.
Sidney Outlaw 🆚 Tofiq Musayev will be the new co-main.🎟 👉 https://t.co/JCJs92Gxk1 pic.twitter.com/XVBQnPD9m0
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) July 5, 2022
“And then against MVP,” Lima continued, “it was a close decision that could’ve gone either way, so it is what it is. I lost the belt and then the next fight was for the No. 2 that could’ve gone either way. I feel good. There’s no pressure on myself. You know, yeah, it sucks to have three losses in a row. Who wants that? But the main thing is to keep the head straight and keep moving. Fall seven times and get up eight. That’s my mentality. … I need a win for sure. I need a win for sure, but there’s no pressure. It’s the game we play.”
What is Next for Douglas Lima?
Although Douglas Lima says he needs to win, he still believes he is a top contender regardless of the performance. Why he thinks that, is due to the fact he still hangs with all the younger fighters in the gym. That gives him confidence heading into this fight.
“I feel good,” he said, “and I train with the young guys, and I’m like, not yet. Not yet. I’ve still got some years left in me… If the hunger is there, and I still want to fight, I’m good. And I feel it. I’m working every day, and I enjoy being in the gym. I enjoy training. So I’ve still got it. I’ve still got it, and I’ll show him in this fight. It’s not going to be easy.”
Lima’s last win came back at Bellator 232 in October of 2019 as he beat Rory MacDonald. In his career, he also holds notable wins over Page, Andrey Koreshkov, Paul Daley, Lorenz Larkin, and Ben Saunders among others.
