UFC Fight Night 115 winner Michel Prazeres says weather to blame for weight miss

ROTTERDAM – Fighting overseas can be quite the inconvenience. After all, long flights, different food and climate changes can add stress to an already tense week.

But for some, it might mean meeting places and people they wouldn’t get to know otherwise. That was the case for Brazil’s Michel Prazeres (23-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC). The lightweight, of course, isn’t mad about adding a fifth straight win to his streak with the third-round submission of Mads Burnell (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Saturday.

But when it came time to break down his solid UFC Fight Night 115 display, Prazeres chose to discuss his fight-week experience instead.

“I’m happy not only because of my performance, but also because I’m getting to know Rotterdam,” Prazeres said after the preliminary-card bout, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from Ahoy Rotterdam in the Netherlands. “I come from a very humble family in Belem, Brazil. I’m in the military police.

“To me, it’s a dream to be here in the Netherlands, get to know this first-world country. Brazil is very beautiful, but the culture here is beautiful as well, and the people are very polite. I was very happy to get to know them, this other vibe and these great people.”

The Rotterdam experience wasn’t all positive, though. Prazeres said he had a tough time dealing with the city’s weather. The result of that, the Brazilian explained, was the three-pound weight miss that we saw on the scales on Friday.

“We arrived to a very cold hotel, and I’m from a very warm region,” Prazeres explained. “So I struggled with that to make weight, the local weather.”

Prazeres apologized to both the UFC and Burnell for the miss, which he knows was “irresponsible.” And, should he be called to fight under similar circumstances again, he said he’ll make sure to arrive early and adjust properly.

While he did lose 20 percent of his purse due to that, Prazeres walked away with his second finish in a row – to cap off a five-fight winning streak. Now, with some solid standings in a highly competitive division, the lightweight hopes he’s earned some good will.

“I’d like (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby and the UFC people to put me against a top-15 opponent,” Prazeres said. “I don’t have a specific name. But if they put me against a top-15 I’ll say yes. And I’ll fight happily, as I usually do.”

To hear more from Prazeres, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 115, check out the UFC Events section of the site.