The Fighting Nerds had Jean Silva shine inside the octagon this past weekend in Seattle, and now it’s time for fellow featherweight Ricardo Ramos to enter the octagon and represent the team.
Ramos faces Chepe Mariscal this Saturday at UFC Vegas 103 looking to start a winning streak after a decision victory over Josh Culibao in August 2024, and explained why moved to coach Pablo Sucupira’s team after years representing California’s Team Alpha Male.
“I decided to make this transition because of my family, my daughter,” Ramos told MMA Fighting. “I spent a good time in the United States and decided to stay closer to family now. Many athletes go to the United States, adapt well and live there, but we couldn’t do it for personal reasons, so we decided to stay here [in Sao Paulo].”
Ramos said he spoke with Team Alpha Male coaches before moving back to Brazil and remains in good terms with them, but plans on staying full-time in Sao Paulo now. Ramos’ camp for Mariscal was his first at Fighting Nerds, so he’s still living in his native Campinas and driving 120 miles a day for training sessions.
“I’m still experiencing it, but managed to do a good camp,” Ramos said. “It was great to train with them. The energy is through the roof and I enjoyed it a lot. I’m also sharing with them in any way I can to help the team. Let’s go for another war with a new home. It’s going to be a tremendous victory.”
Mariscal, his opponent Saturday, had an long amateur career before turning pro in 2014 and rack up a pro record of 13-6 before joining the UFC. He’s unbeaten so far inside the octagon with three decisions in four bouts, and Ramos expects an action-packed contest at the UFC APEX.
“He’s a chaotic guy,” Ramos said. “We have to be careful because he goes all-in. He draws you to his own game and brawls on the feet. If you let that happen and turn it into chaos, he has good cardio. He’s more physical than anything else. He does a bit of everything, so it’s a matter of controlling his attacks. He has good takedowns and several submissions and also has knockouts, but has gone t he distance more in the UFC.”
Ramos went 8-5 so far under the UFC banner with a tiro of finishes, and stayed active in jiu-jitsu competition during his seven-month period away from the octagon while recovering from injuries sustained thanks to Culibao’s leg kicks. With his jiu-jitsu sharper than ever, “Carcacinha” sees another path for victory in Las Vegas.
“I think the chances of a knockout are higher,” Ramos said. “He’ll give me openings on the feet to knock him out on the feet. On the other hand, he’s never been submitted before. I can see his defensive jiu-jitsu is very good, but he puts himself in a lot of bad spots, giving his back and fighting off his back. If I have an opportunity in one of those positions, I’ll go for it. I won’t miss it. But I won’t work too much for it so I don’t lose too much energy with his scrambles. I can’t miss opportunities against him.”
