Bruno Pucci believes he can dominate Xie Chao at ONE: Warrior's Dream
Bruno Pucci feels like he has something to prove.
The Evolve MMA representative experienced a setback in January, as he fell to Emilio Urrutia at ONE: Global Superheroes.
“No excuses — on my last bout, I simply didn’t perform,” the 28-year-old confessed.
“I didn’t create any opportunity to rise on that fight. I was looking for the perfect counter shot and waited too much, and props to Urrutia. He took advantage of the situation and grew during the fight. I let him have that power, and that was my fault.”
While humble in defeat, “Puccibull" refuses to stay down for too long, and instead took the loss as an opportunity to develop and get better.
“I’ve learned a lot,” the two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu No-Gi World Champion continued.
“I found so many gaps to cover on that fight, and I’ve been sharpening my sword since then. I just feel like a totally different fighter right now, and the fans can expect fireworks on this coming match.”
Pucci may have been away from the ONE Championship cage for almost ten months, but his passion and love for martial arts has pushed him to continue working on his game even without a match scheduled.
“I’m always training. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I did before, so I’m always eager to learn,” the BJJ black belt shared.
“During this year, I only took a break in July, because I got married to Angela [Lee]. Aside from that, the routine is the same — home-gym, gym-home, but now together with my wife. We love this life!”
This coming Saturday (Nov 17), Pucci will look to display his improvements when he takes on China’s “White Dragon” Xie Chao at ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM from Stadium Istora in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Despite starting his mixed martial arts career just two years ago, the Chinese featherweight has already compiled a 9-4 professional record, stopping seven of his opponents in the process.
Although Xie has competed frequently as of late, “Puccibull” does not believe his recent activity will play a role in their upcoming tilt.
“I don’t really see this as an advantage for him,” he says.
“I might not be as active in the cage as I want to be, but I have been doing this for a while now.
“In the past six months, I really focused on my skills [and] development as a martial artist, and the hard work will pay off.”
He will need to tread carefully, however, as Xie has a versatile skill set that could pose problems for the Evolve representative.
The Chinese athlete, who has a background in Jeet Kune Do, is a credible striker and grappler. Three of his victories come via TKO and another four by submission.
Pucci, however, is not too concerned with his rival’s strengths. He confident in his own tools and the improvements he has made, and believes that will be more than enough to secure a stoppage victory.
“He is very well rounded and can be dangerous everywhere, especially with his ground game. I’m ready for his best day. I trained harder than ever for this bout,” Pucci says.
“I believe I can dominate him in all mixed martial arts areas. I just need to stay focused and get the job done.”
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