LAS VEGAS \u2013 Rafael Estevam met the media Saturday after his unanimous decision win over Felipe Bunes at UFC on ESPN 71.<\/p>\n
Estevam (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was a heavy favorite against Bunes (14-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex, but had his win \u2013 a trio of 29-28 scores \u2013 marred by another big weight miss. Estevam missed the bantamweight mark by 4 pounds Friday \u2013 his second weight miss in three UFC fights.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf you asked any athlete to have 26, 27, 28, just under 30 days to get ready, we would probably see who\u2019s who,\u201d Estevam told MMA Junkie through a translator at his post-fight news conference. \u201cYou have to either prepare yourself or focus on the weight. I was going to either focus on my weight or focus on the preparation, and I wanted to be prepared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not an athlete who follows the rules. I\u2019m not as disciplined. I have flaws. There are things I need to improve. I want to get better every single time. That\u2019s what I was doing: Focus on the preparation. I think there are things I need to evaluate about the weight cut. That\u2019s the problem. Weight cuts are hard from me. I have to work on the mental side. I have to work on the psychological side, maybe go through therapy for this. Whenever you go through what I just did, the psyche needs to be unwavering and unbreakable. Last fight, I had the proper time, I prepared myself properly, and I made the weight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Check out Estevam\u2019s post-fight news conference in the video above.<\/p>\n