No Beats Skipped for Antonio Carlos Jr.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Antonio Carlos Jr. can probably relate.

“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 3 winner and onetime Professional Fighters League champion returned from close to a two-year absence without skipping a beat, as he put away Simon Biyong with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their April 12 encounter. It was the first appearance for Carlos Jr. since June 2022, a serious knee injury suffered in training having sidelined him for an entire season and part of another.

“It was a lot of pressure because I had been out of action for two years, having had two surgeries,” he told Sherdog.com. “It was something that really took away my confidence. It left me shaken during that time, because I was dying to come back. When you come back, you want to perform the same way as before all this happened. That’s why I was so happy with this victory. It was a triumphant return. It was due to all the good work we did in the gym and that we managed to bring all of this to the fight. That’s the most important thing.”

The win over Biyong brought Carlos Jr. six points and placed the American Top Team rep atop the PFL light heavyweight standings, alongside Rob Wilkinson, Joshua Silveira, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and Impa Kasanganay. He next faces Alex Polizzi in a featured PFL 5 pairing this Friday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, where he can afford to ease off the gas if the situation calls for it.

“Because the way the PFL system is, we need the [six] points to get to the next stage, so now, I won’t push myself so much in terms of points,” Carlos Jr. said. “A decision victory already qualifies me for the playoffs. Now we can focus much more on strategy, compared to people who need these points to go to the next phase. I think it was perfect the way it happened—a submission in the first round, coming from an injury, putting me in a good position in the rankings. It was wonderful.”

Polizzi started his career 10-1 but now finds himself on a three-fight losing streak. He made his promotional debut at PFL 2 in April, succumbing to first-round punches from the aforementioned Kasanganay. Polizzi trains out of the Chosen Few Gym in McFarland, Wisconsin.

“He’s a guy who’s well-experienced, and he’s faced great fighters,” Carlos Jr. said. “He has very strong wrestling. He’s not a very big guy for the category, but even with very heavy guys, he imposes his wrestling game. He has a bit of funky wrestling. That’s difficult for a lot of guys. We have to keep an eye on that, and he’s a guy who can take a lot of hits. He can take a beating, but he keeps moving forward until the end. We have to pay attention to that and follow our strategy correctly by not falling into his controlled chaos.”

The assignment at PFL 5 marks a second outing for Carlos Jr. since the Professional Fighters League acquired Bellator MMA and boosted its roster with a major influx of talent. The Brazilian veteran remains cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead.

“We hope it’s for the best,” Carlos Jr. said. “The PFL has been growing a lot. The MMA world has been changing a lot, so we’re always hoping for something good for us and for the sport.”

On a personal level, Carlos Jr. only has one goal in mind: “I really hope to be adding another belt to my resume.”