Though his fight with Ron Leon at Cage Titans 47 this past January was a bit more difficult than he anticipated, bantamweight Mitch Raposo was able to overcome the issues he ran into and come out of the fight with a unanimous decision victory.
While things didn’t go quite like Raposo would want, he’s nonetheless happy with the fact he was able to come out of the bout with a win and remain undefeated in his pro career.
“It was tough,” Raposo told MMAWeekly.com. “I was supposed to be fighting at flyweight, and I actually had three or four pullouts in the last two weeks of that fight, so I moved up to 145lbs for that fight.
“It was against somebody (in Leon) who didn’t have the best record, but was a lot better than his record. It was a lot to handle, but I handled it and dominated. It obviously could have gone better, but I went through a lot mentally for that fight, and I learned a lot.”
While Raposo wasn’t able to build off the momentum of the win due to the novel coronavirus and the lockdown that ensued, he was able to maintain focus and use his summer in a productive fashion.
“I’d just been grinding,” said Raposo. “I feel like the guys who are going to be world champions the next five years were guys who stayed focused and stayed working during this pandemic. I was definitely one of those guys. I made it a point to be one of those guys.
“There’s no control in my hands, the world was shut down, but I did my part, being responsible, and kind of focusing on what I could control, and that was getting better and being ready for when fights did come back.”
On Wednesday in Warwick, Rhode Island, Raposo (4-0) will look to remain unblemished when he faces Matt Almy (4-3) in a main card 130-pound bout at CES 61.
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“He’s definitely a solid guy, with good experience and a winning record,” Raposo said of Almy. “I just need to go out there and be myself; have fun; and I’ll get a dominant finish. Going out there and having fun always brings out the best version of myself. I plan on making a statement in my CES debut.”
While Raposo hopes another will help get him one step closer to the next level, he’s going to do what he can to focus on the task at hand on October 14.
“It’s definitely one fight at a time,” said Raposo. “You don’t want to get too far ahead of you. Believe it or not, regardless of what you think, you’re missing out on what’s in front of you (if you look too far ahead). You have to be present at all times.
“I’m definitely looking to go out and perform (at the CES) and have a quick turnaround. Whether it’s the Contender Series, the UFC, I’m ready for any opportunity. I’m ready to keep on winning and get into the UFC.”
Mitch Raposo looking for impressive CES 61 victory and a ticket to the UFC
