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MMA QUOTABLES: Pedro Rizzo thinks he's one win away from a UFC return
Nov 1, 2010 - 10:45:50 PM MMA QUOTABLES: Pedro Rizzo thinks he's one win away from a UFC return

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By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist

“Dana White mentioned that the winner (of a proposed fight between Rizzo and Tim Sylvia) should get another chance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“Another good reason for me to do a good job of preparing, if just because Tim is two meters tall and has great reach, and that means I have to change my way of fighting. I can’t stand still, I’ll have to move around the whole time.

“As the date hasn’t been set, it’s just a verbal agreement, so I’m getting back to light training. But I want to have a good performance. Who knows? Maybe I’ll manage a return to the UFC. I feel really comfortable fighting in that Octagon. I feel leaving there was the biggest mistake of my career, my great regret.

“I left on my own volition (end of 2003), but at that time I felt stagnant and the big heavyweight challenges were in Japan. I always went after the toughest matches, so I had to face the guys in Pride. What to do? It didn’t work out. But today, with Cain Velasquez as champion, the UFC is really well represented. I feel Cain could even take out Fedor Emelianenko,” he said in assessment."

- Pedro Rizzo talks to Graciemag International about Tim Sylvia, past career choices, and Cain Velasquez


Rich Hansen says: It's gratifying to see that the UFC has Rizzo on their radar. Rizzo is an instrumental piece of UFC lore, and should absolutely be respected for that. But, and there's always a but, if a return to the UFC is contingent upon him taking out Tim Sylvia, then he's further away from rejoining the UFC than just one victory.

Rizzo's last two victories are over Ken Shamrock and Gary Goodridge, so let's dismiss those fights, as neither fight should be considered an accurate barometer of his UFC potential. So those fights aside, his last four meaningful fights were against Jeff Monson (win), Gilbert Yvel (KO loss), Josh Barnett (KO loss), and Jeff Monson (win). I think that ledger is very representative of his current skillset.