Raoni Barcelos excited for shot to take out ex-champ Cody Garbrandt at UFC Atlanta
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UFC Atlanta: Raoni Barcelos media day
Raoni Barcelos speaks to reporters at the UFC Atlanta media day.
ATLANTA – Raoni Barcelos met the media Wednesday ahead of his fight at UFC on ESPN 69.
Barcelos (19-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) takes on Cody Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in a bantamweight fight on the ESPN main card at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. At media day, Barcelos took questions from media members before his fight.
Barcelos said the massive upset he pulled off in January – one of the biggest in UFC history against 12-1 favorite Payton Talbott at UFC 311 – gave him extra confidence to know he's heading in the right direction after a stretch of four losses in five fights.
The fight with Garbrandt it one he said he's been asking to have for a while.
"I asked for the fight a long time ago – when the hype was all on me," the 38-year-old Barcelos told MMA Junkie. "Cody was on his way to become a champion, and the fight never happened. It's all timing. Right now, I feel so much better (than when I first called him out). I'm much more complete of a fighter.
"… The fight's happening at the right time. Cody's going to be a good fight for me, but this is the perfect time for me to fight him."
Check out Barcelos' full media day interview in the video above.
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