Rodolfo Vieira is fresh off his 2nd bout but he’s quite enthusiastic and optimistic. His 2nd bout was at the just concluded Shooto Boxing 74 card held in Rio – he secured a submission with only 13 seconds left in the bout.

And now he’s ready to talk all about it:

“I think I’m twice as better compared to my debut,” he said. “I trained really hard to evolve in the transition between different aspects of the game. To mix things up is the hardest part in my opinion. You can’t just be good standing and on the ground, you have to mix it up well. But I’m feeling way better than prior to my debut.”

Vieira ruled out competing at the 2017 edition of ADCC in Finland or returning to IBJJF tournaments as he told MMA Fighting, unless he’s paid a good amount of money for a super fight.

“ACB came with a really good offer, but we’re still thinking if it’s worthy,” Vieira said. “I’m still unexperienced, so signing with a big promotion right now, even if the money is good, is dangerous. I have to be careful with my career, especially in the beginning. My focus is to get to the UFC, where the best in the world are fighting. I know it’s a long and tough road and I have to be careful to avoid losses and screw up.”

“That’s why I decided to train really hard before my first fight,” he continued, “because I knew that a few good wins could get me in the UFC before many other athletes because of all the history I build in jiu-jitsu. On the other side, I think that’s bad because sometimes it’s too premature. I think if I win five or six fights, I think by the end of the next year I’ll be ready to enter the UFC.”