Tyson Pedro is preparing to make his UFC debut tonight at UFC Fight Night 101 and he would’ve done anything possible, include cutting off his own leg, to make it to the UFC.
“I knew that I was going to be here,” Pedro told MMA Junkie. “It was just a matter of time. For me, I believe in myself. The timing was a bit different (because it was a short notice fight) and that was the only thing that threw me off, but I knew I wanted to be here. I’ve been doing this for 17 years now. I’m 25 and for all these people telling me, ‘You’re going to be in the UFC.’ Now I’m here and now I have to show them why they believed me, and that’s what I’m so excited about. When you walk out that first time, you get the shakes and a bit of an adrenaline rush seeing the crowd and hearing them scream, I think experiencing that for the first time is going to make a big difference, especially since I’ve done it twice now (while cornering teammates). The third time, now it’s my turn and I’m going to enjoy it. I didn’t get told who my opponent was. I would have chopped my leg off to fight (Ronaldo) ‘Jacare’ Souza (at middleweight) if I needed to. It didn’t matter who it was. They could have offered the top guys, you can’t say no. When you dream of it your whole life, now to be here, you can’t say no.”
Pedro will be fighting Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night 101 and he plans on finishing the fighter in rather quick fashion.
“I want to finish him in the first round,” Pedro said. “I like finishes. I don’t like going longer, I don’t like decisions. I don’t like leaving in the hands of the judges, and I want to end it in the first round.”
UFC Fight Night 101 takes place tonight from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia with Robert Whittaker and Brad Tavares headlining.
