With the heavyweight division looking wide open, the opportunity for rapid progression could be there for a fighter who strings together a succession of impressive wins. But, as he explained, Pinto isn’t in a mad rush to reach the heavyweight summit. But he plans to get there, and be fully prepared for the big names in the division when he does.
“I want to go steady. And for me, it’s just getting experience, building my name, going through different experiences. Sometimes winning rounds, losing rounds, you know?” he said.
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“Sometimes, if you get rushed too forward, man, you jump into the deep end, and it’s too early for you (and) you’re not prepared. There’s a big difference between the top 10 and the top 15. I’ve been warned about this, training with other guys as well (with) more experience, especially training with the champ, that the guys in the top five, they’re just different. You can’t get away with certain things you do with the guys in the top 15 or under the rankings. So you have to stay sharp and be ready for anything, because you might fight ranked number one, or you might fight the champ, or you might fight number three, and everyone’s dangerous.”
The wider MMA world got its first real glimpse of Pinto’s personality after his victory over Diniz in Rio, where he respectfully began his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping speaking in Portuguese, then flipping the script mid-way through by switching to his English, spoken in a distinctively London accent. It caught Bisping by surprise and made Pinto’s post-fight interview immediately memorable.
When we asked him about that moment, Pinto grinned, and revealed that, surprisingly, the moment wasn’t pre-planned.
