The UFC is the pinnacle of mixed martial arts (MMA), so reaching this peak is within the reach of very few. There are fighters who, by chance, arrive ‘relatively’ early to the American company, but this is not the case with Dani Barez (17-6). The Valencian has had a career with ups and downs, but there is something that characterizes him. has never given up. Between 2016 and 2019 he achieved six victories in a row, which earned him a chance to participate in the ‘Dana White’s Contender Series’ (a billboard in which fighters risk a UFC contract). However, he would have to lose in a disputed and even controversial decision, something that would once again frustrate his greatest dream, fighting in the UFC. But Bárez always gets up, stronger and stronger. After that setback he would obtain four wins by completion in the first round, which made him receive the call.
It was official, with short notice, Dani Bárez would make his UFC debut. However, it would not be the expected premiere, as it would fall under submission. That made him arrive next motivated and ready to achieve his first success in Dana White’s company. “I wanted to have my first victory to show people and myself that I have the level to be there, that it is not a coincidence,” the man from Burjassot told ABC. But this fight had to wait due to an attack that almost ended Bárez’s career. This attack led to a complicated skull surgerywhich resulted in success, fortunately. Once again, Bárez demonstrated her resilience, and overcame a situation that would have meant the end of many. «It has been quite hard psychologically, although then I started training and became motivated. Now I fight stronger than ever», he says.
And indeed he came back in the best way. In his fight with Víctor Altamirano Bárez he excelled. He dominated the first two rounds and even knocked him down three times. This makes five in just two fights in the UFC. «I made, I think, a very intelligent fight. The last round they gave it to him but it’s normal, he won it, he hit me with a ‘spinning back’ that I didn’t even remember, but a lot of things crossed my mind,” he recalls. Although with a tough ending due to that broken nose, the Spaniard knew how to stay calm and endure the storm, ensuring that it was the fight in which he got the least tired of his entire career.
But it’s time to look to the future, where André Lima is already waiting for March 15. However, from his first setback, Bárez’s confidence comes out: «I have unlocked like a key, I don’t care who is in the category. I think I can win and knock out anyone». Although his next opponent is complicated, he doesn’t care as he seeks to “fight with people from above and try to climb as quickly as possible.” All with an eye toward one goal: «My ambition within the UFC would be to fight and enter within the top 15 and then set other objectives.
But what worries Dani Bárez the most is a much bigger challenge, be a father. And the Valencian announced on his social networks that he would have a daughter, so he will begin a new stage in his life. «I am living very well. In theory, it’s time to fight at the end of March, so I want to fight before because I have to be here when he’s born and so on. I was in Mexico and I was very excited,” he explains to this newspaper. In addition, he gives us more clues about his future, in which he will try to stay linked to the sport, more in a coaching role: «I really like fighting in the UFC but it is very demanding on a psychological level, it demands a lot of money, a lot of stress and also me want to enjoyto be the other part of martial arts.
He had time to remember his UFC teammates, from whom only good words came out: “Joel is very good, in every fight he shows more and I think he has no ceiling.” Regarding Ilia Topuria He maintained that “I think that right now he is untouchable and I don’t know who is going to be able to beat him.” Finally, he spoke about Aleksandre Topuria, who will make his debut a month before Bárez, on February 9 in Australia: «I have seen his level up close because I have seen both Ilia and Aleksandre fighting since amateurs, and he has a brutal level. And the Valencian cares about them. “I get more nervous than when I fight, since I can’t control it I get anxious,” he says with a laugh. And now, with Christmas ahead, a fight agreed upon and his daughter on the way, the Spaniard is clear about his true ambition. “What motivates me now is be happy», says Bárez.
#Dani #Bárez #UFC #fighter #win #knock
