Do you remember Conor McGregor’s former rival Diego Brandao? Yes, the same Diego Brando who the Irishman emerged victorious against with a first-round KO at UFC Fight Night 46. And while the MMA realm wondered when Brandao would exact his revenge on ‘The Notorious’, things turned ugly for the Brazilian. UFC 195 marked Brandao’s last stint in the UFC. The world’s premier MMA promotion released ‘Ceara’ for violating the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy in 2016. But that suspension is a thing of the past now and Brandao is all set to plan his return to the Octagon. 

During a conversation with MMA Fighting on March 14, the TUF 14 winner said, “I was basically starting over. Fixing the mistakes inside and outside of fighting, so the only place for me to fight was Russia because Americans didn’t want to fight Brandao. I’m trying to fix my life. Forget money and let’s start from scratch. Back to the United States. F— that money. I’ll fight for $1 in the UFC. Many people think my life is upside down. It was upside down. Now you’ll hear the noise. It all starts Friday, brother.” Needless to say, Dana White was on high alert with such a statement. 

Well, it wasn’t exactly $1 per fight. Following his release from the UFC, Brandao went to fight under the banner of Fight Night Global. He then moved on to RIZIN, ACA, and Hardcore MMA. His current salary is around $40K. But he seems ready to give that up and fight in the UFC for a base salary of $5,000. ‘Ceara’ continued, “I’ve already talked to Dana White and Sean Shelby, I’ve been talking to them for over a year, and they’ve always told me, ‘Diego, get out of Russia.’ My financial situation wasn’t good. But I left that $40,000 [check] there to get paid $5,000 here. I’m not embarrassed to say it. I’m fighting for $5,000 because it’s a big opportunity.” 

Diego Brandao entered the UFC in 2011 after beating Dennis Bermudez via first-round submission at The Ultimate Fighter 14 finale. He then went on to amass a promotional record of 6-4 (including his TUF final fight), his last fight being against Brian Ortega who finished him via triangle choke at UFC 195. It wasn’t because he lost to Ortega that ‘Ceara’ was released from the promotion. He tested positive for a banned substance in early 2016. The final straw that forced the UFC to release him was his felony arrest.

Cut to the present day and Brandao is not fighting for money anymore. There is a much larger aspect to his seeking an opportunity to re-enter the UFC, and it involves clearing his name. But it seems like despite the fallout, Dana White wants to get Brandao back into the roster. 

Diego Brandao plans to follow Dana White and Sean Shelby’s advice

In subsequent statements, the Brazilian featherweight revealed that fighting in the UFC is all about putting up a show. It simply doesn’t matter if he is 37 years old. After all, Sean Shelby asked him to put on a show so that the big guns can see where he’s at. He said, “They asked me to fight in the United States, and I’m doing what they want. I’ll end this guy live at UFC Fight Pass and leave it in Dana White’s and Sean Shelby’s hands. Give me a Russian, a Dagestani. Americans are afraid to fight them, Brazilians don’t want those fights, and Brandao is here to kill.”

For now, Brandao has to defend himself against Jamie Siraj at Tuff-N-Puff 142. Siraj is actually on the verge of getting a UFC contract. He hasn’t lost in 9 years and has a record of 12-2-0. But Diego Brandao isn’t willing to give up. The pressure seems to be pushing him forward. After all, it will likely be his last shot at getting back into the UFC. With a professional MMA record of 29-22-0, Brandao has already established himself as a veteran. But if he can get a few more fights in the UFC before retiring, it would be a massive feather in his cap. 

What are your thoughts on Diego Brandao’s plan to get back into the UFC? Do you think Dana White will let him come back to the UFC? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.