'I've still got it': Douglas Lima looks to silence doubters – Jason Jackson included – at Bellator 283
Douglas Lima knows his recent form hasn’t been his best work.
The former Bellator welterweight champion and staple of the promotion returns to the cage July 22 at Bellator 283 in hopes of rebounding from a three-fight losing streak, the worst stretch of his 17-year MMA career. He takes on streaking contender Jason Jackson in the main event in Tacoma, Wash.
During this recent stretch, Lima (32-10 MMA, 14-6 BMMA) failed to become a two-division champion in a middleweight title fight against Gegard Mousasi, lost his 170-pound belt to undefeated talent Yaroslav Amosov, and then came up short in trying to establish himself as the No. 1 contender in a split decision loss to Michael Page.
It hasn’t been an easy past two years for the Brazilian, who not long ago was being talked about as one of the best welterweights on the planet and often sized up in fantasy matchups with UFC king Kamaru Usman.
“A lot of time I’m just like, ‘Man, am I just losing a step here?'” Lima told MMA Junkie. “‘Am I just getting too old?’ But no, man.
“One of the losses came to Mousasi at middleweight, one of the best in the world at a different weight class. The second was against Amosov and, yeah, I looked like trash on that performance. And then against MVP, it was a close decision that could’ve gone either way, so it is what it is. I lost the belt and then the next fight was for the No. 2 that could’ve gone either way.
“I feel good. There’s no pressure on myself. You know, yeah, it sucks to have three losses in a row. Who wants that? But the main thing is to keep the head straight and keep moving. Fall seven times and get up eight. That’s my mentality. … I need a win for sure. I need a win for sure, but there’s no pressure. It’s the game we play.”
Lima’s last win was an all-time career high and defining moment for his legacy.
In October 2019, Lima avenged a loss to Rory MacDonald, the man who had taken the Bellator welterweight title from him in the final of the Bellator welterweight grand prix. The victory earned Lima both the Bellator title back and welterweight grand prix belt, which came with a $1 million prize. It was a huge moment.
With that being his last victory, some have questioned Lima’s hunger following the grand prix. And that includes Jackson (15-4 MMA, 6-1 BMMA).
“After performances like that, people of course are going to say I lost hunger,” Lima said. “I think for me to lose hunger is not wanting to go to the gym and do the homework.
“But I don’t feel like that. Nothing really changed for me. The money was good, of course. It changed my life around, but I’m always in the gym, and I’m still training. Of course, people are going to say that after a big check, and then you lose three in a row. Of course, they’re going to say that. I understand that, but that’s not the case. That’s not the case, especially for him. He’s going to know when he fights me.”
Lima said he’s not only still excited to train but also holds his own and performs well against the younger talent. Apart from recovery, the 34 year-old very much feels the same as he used to when he was on top of Bellator’s welterweight division.
But the reality still doesn’t change. Three consecutive defeats still make up the last two years of Lima’s career. Lima admits that hasn’t been easy to deal with. Personally, there’s a battle within, but also the public adds another layer to the career doubts that may creep in.
“Yeah, sometimes it does – especially when you read the comments,” Lima explained. “Am I really (losing it)? Then I go to the gym, I feel good, and I train with the young guys, and I’m like, ‘Not yet. Not yet. I’ve still got some years left in me.’ …
“If the hunger is there, and I still want to fight, I’m good. And I feel it. I’m working every day, and I enjoy being in the gym. I enjoy training. So I’ve still got it. I’ve still got it, and I’ll show him in this fight. It’s not going to be easy.”