It was a long and difficult road back for
Antonio
Carlos Jr.
The 2021
Professional Fighters League
light heavyweight champion will
return to the cage for the first time in almost two years when he
matches skills with
Simon
Biyong in a featured
PFL 2 attraction on Friday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels
in Las Vegas. A serious knee injury has kept Carlos Jr. on the
sidelines since June 17, 2022.
“I fought twice with a partially torn ACL,” he told Sherdog.com. “I
don’t even know how I managed to fight. It was truly challenging. I
was doing more physical therapy and strength work than actually
training. I still managed to get two wins in two fights. While
training for the playoffs [in 2022], I had a total ligament tear,
along with a meniscus injury. I wasn’t able to either bend or
completely straighten my leg. It stayed at an angle after the tear.
I couldn’t even walk properly.
“It was a difficult period,” Carlos Jr. added. “I wanted to fight.
I was feeling ready to win yet another title. Then it happened. It
was frustrating, but these things happen. Because of the time that
it takes to recover, I wasn’t able to join the following season.
After a year and a half, I’m coming back to do what I do best.”
Carlos Jr. confronts a relative unknown in his return. Born in
Cameroon and based in Italy, Biyong steps into his promotional
debut with wins in six of his past eight outings. He last fought at
Bellator 296 on May 12, when he dropped a three-round unanimous
decision to
Jose
Augusto. Though Biyong heads into his match with “Cara de
Sapato” as an unproven commodity, Carlos Jr. has taken steps to
ensure he does not overlook the underdog.
“It’s a big danger, especially with a guy like him,” he said. “He’s
very big and athletic. He has a great reach. If he uses that, he
becomes even more dangerous, not to mention his physical build. We
have to be very careful, especially at the start of a fight. He is
strong and likes to pressure constantly. We have to pay attention,
and I have been idle for a while. Underestimating someone is not
something I’ve ever done. Ours is a sport in which anything can
happen. Regardless of who I’m fighting, I always step into the cage
looking to bring my best.”
As has been his standard operating procedure for years, Carlos Jr.
spent his training camp at the powerhouse
American Top Team academy in Coconut Creek, Florida. Daily
access to coaches like
Marcus “Conan”
Silveira, Gabriel de Oliveira,
Steve Mocco
and
Muhammed
“King Mo” Lawal has proven invaluable.
“It’s a huge academy with tons of great athletes,” said Carlos Jr.,
who supplemented his efforts at American Top Team by training with
boxing coach Luiz Dorea in Brazil. “We always manage to simulate
our opponents. I’m glad with how everything went. We’ll be seeing
the results in the cage.”
Carlos Jr. likes the changes the Professional Fighters League has
made in his absence, most notably its recent acquisition of the
Bellator
MMA promotion. A deeper talent pool intrigues him.
“It’s going to become even more competitive since more fighters
were brought in,” Carlos Jr. said. “More fighters should mean more
people watching. We’re rooting for the organization to grow even
more.”