After spending nearly a year away from fighting, former UFC welterweight Dhiego Lima made a successful return to MMA with a unanimous decision win over Antonio Trocoli in Legacy FC this past April.
While Lima knew his return wouldn’t be easy, he wasn’t quite prepared for the difficulties that Trocoli would present in the fight.
“That dude was just so long,” Lima told MMAWeekly.com. “I wanted to do more in that fight, but man, (Trocoli) was a long guy. Everything I did, the distance was just… I’ve never seen anything like that.
“It was my first fight coming back and I had a lot going on in that fight. Just all the adversity, fighting at home, coming off of two losses, needing a win, I felt like I did great.”
Rather than feel rusty after his time off, Lima was feeling refreshed after having such an active run while in the UFC.
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“Going through camp, going through fight week, everything felt right,” Lima said. “It felt like I’d been there, done that, and everything was settled in.
“Being in the UFC, getting to the finals of the TUF house, I didn’t really have the time off to settle down and let everything sink in and regroup. I had been fighting back-to-back-to-back, and my body was just drained.”
Lima (11-4) will look to pick up his second straight win when he takes on David Michaud (9-2) in a main card lightweight bout at Titan FC 39 on Friday in Coral Gables, Fla.
“I’m really excited for this match-up, because this guy comes to fight every time,” Lima said of Michaud. “There’s no holding back with him. He comes forward and brings it.
“I’ve got to stay on the outside and defend his shots and put my hands on him. I hit hard and I have been working on my boxing, so I’m going to put it to use. I’m looking for the KO in this one, I really am.”
Following time off to recharge, Lima now seeks to build his way back to the UFC in 2016, starting with his bout at Titan FC 39.
“I think a good fight with Michaud and another good one after that, I’ll get right back in (the UFC),” Lima said. “I don’t know long it’s going to take, but I’ve had my time off, and now my main goal is to get back to the UFC. This win will be a big step up there.”
