RIO DE JANEIRO – When Brazilian special-forces officer Paulo Thiago was forced to withdraw from this weekend's UFC 142 event, it only made sense that welterweight replacement Ricardo Funch (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) stepped in to face Mike Pyle (21-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC).Sure, Funch isn't quite as well-known as Thiago, but as a recently commissioned police officer in his current residence of Ludlow, Mass., he's capable of carrying the shield.
"I was in the right place at the right time," Funch recently told MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com) in his native Portuguese. "I had just won a fight, and Paulo Thiago got injured. Since I'm Brazilian and I have a passport and the UFC needed a quick replacement, it was this combination of factors that allowed me to come back."
You may remember Funch from his two previous UFC contests, a pair of losses to Claude Patrick and Johny Hendricks. If you don't, that's just fine, according to the 31-year-old. Funch now admits he probably wasn't ready for the UFC experience at the time he got the call.
"I arrived in the UFC with only four years of training and no experience prior to that," Funch said. "Despite feeling physically ready to fight in the UFC, I wasn't totally mentally ready. I came from much smaller events, and to be faced with all the lights and cameras, it was a lot of psychological pressure. It all weighed on me.
"I think, psychologically, I was very lost during my UFC fights. I couldn't find myself. Now I feel I'm much more mature emotionally, and I think I'll put on a much better show."
Funch's nerves showed in a hard-fought debut against Hendricks in which the Brazilian-born fighter showed tremendous heart while enduring incredible damage. But he never really threatened a comeback.
While the experience was valuable, Funch said it did not help much in a return bout against Patrick.
"I probably was more nervous than in the previous fight," Funch said. "Since I had already lost one fight, I felt even more pressure. I came in trying not to lose instead of coming in to win. I held back too much, and I made a very rookie mistake of allowing myself to get caught in a guillotine, which I knew was a strong move of his."
Funch was released following the losses, and he began to focus on a professional career outside of the cage.
"I took my police exam in April of 2009, and I was called up in November of 2010 to work as an officer," Funch said.
But Funch also kept a fighting career in his back pocket. The Team Link fighter, a black belt under Marco Alvan and Gabriel Gonzaga, picked up a decision win in a December bout on the Massachusetts regional scene.
"I beat Ryan Quinn, who was ranked No. 2 in New England," Funch said. "Had he beat me, he could be fighting in a big show, but I ended up winning."
And with that win came another call-up to the show – a UFC 142 bout against Pyle on Saturday at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Funch, whose bout with Pyle airs as part of the evening's FX-broadcast preliminary card, knows he's got yet another tough task, but he believes things will be better this time around.
"Of course he's the favorite," Funch admitted. "He's accomplished much more in the sport than I have. He's been fighting for a long time.
"I know his groundwork is his strong point. He likes to take people down, use top control and use Brazilian jiu-jitsu to get great positions, so I'm sure that's what he'll eventually try with me. But I'm ready. I train a lot of jiu-jitsu as well as standup and wrestling since I have to be ready wherever the fight goes."
Whether or not his game has improved remains to be seen, but hardcore fans will notice one major difference the moment Funch steps into the cage: His long flowing locks, traditionally braided for fight night, have been replaced by the buzzed cut of a lawman. The biggest question Funch will have to address is whether his skills and comfort in the octagon have progressed along with his haircut.
"I'm anxious," Funch said. "I'm not known in Brazil, but since I'm Brazilian, I expect the crowd will be on my side. I've never had that experience. I'm very happy, and I plan to absorb the good vibes and use that against my opponent.
"It's a great honor to replace Paulo Thiago, who's such a well-regarded fighter around the world. I'm giving it my best in front of my crowd. Regardless of what happens, I'm giving my all. The rest is in God's hands."
For the latest on UFC 142, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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