Raush Manfio Promises to ‘Make a Beautiful Fight’ at the PFL Championships

The Brazilian is ready for whatever curveball Loik Radzhabov is going to throw at him.

In the span of a few months, Raush Manfio (14-3, 3-0) made his way to the 2021 lightweight championship after taking on Joilton Lutterbach, former Ultimate Fighting Championship 155-pound kingpin Anthony Pettis and UFC alum Clay Collard. The only obstacle left on his way to the $1 million prize is Radzhabov, the man who fell short of capturing the championship in the 2019 season. It won’t be the first time “Cavalo De Guerra” will face a possible five-round fight, as he competed for a Titan Fighting Championship title in 2018. Still, he adopted a scientific approach to his camp and worked for a plan that allows him to conserve as much energy as he needs to perform for all 25 minutes.

“We created a different type of strategy, and this time I will show you,” Manfio said to Sherdog. “I need to work at least in the very first and second round differently than I used to work in the other fights. We have a strategy for it and I put to work it. God allows me, this fight is going to finish faster, but if this fight is not finishing in the very first or second round, we have the stamina to go the five rounds and make a beautiful fight.”

Manfio also explained why he’s always doing interviews in his car and complained about not receiving a pair of PFL gloves with the golden writing, among other topics.

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog begun in 2018 and now he covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.