Davi Ramos unhappy with UFC Fresno performance despite submission win

Jiu-jitsu specialist Davi Ramos scored his first UFC win on Dec. 9, tapping out Chris Gruetzemacher with a third-round rear-naked choke at UFC Fresno.

But that doesn’t mean he’s happy with his performance.

Ramos, who lost a close decision on a short-notice welterweight fight against Sergio Moraes in his Octagon debut earlier this year, finished Gruetzemacher only 50 seconds into the final round. But this happened following a sequence in which he slowed down in the second frame after dominating the first five minutes of the contest.

"I’m not satisfied with my fight because I was training way better than what I’ve done in the fight,” Ramos told MMA Fighting. "I really didn't like the fight, I think I could’ve done way better."

Ramos was fighting at lightweight for the first time since Dec. 2016, and believes the weight cut affected him during the fight.

"I was too heavy when I started my camp, so that affects a little, and I ended up getting tired in the second round,” said the Brazilian, who weighed around 180 pounds on fight night. "I expected an easier fight and it ended up being harder. I came back to the third round to finish him right away because the fight was getting tougher.”

A heavy favorite at UFC Fresno, the ADCC gold medalist also admits that he expected Gruetzemacher to be an easy opponent.

“Gritz" was 1-1 in the UFC after competing on TUF 22, where he was finished by Artem Lobov. His last fight was a submission defeat to Chas Skelly at UFC Houston in February.

"I felt better than him everywhere after I watched his previous fights, so I was cool,” he said. "Focused, but cool, aware that I was better than him standing and on the ground, but he’s really tough. I hit him with heavy punches and knees but he kept coming like a robot.

"I wanted to show a lot more, so I can’t wait to evolve and get back in there to fight again. I believe I will be able to perform better in my next fights.”

Ramos has no timetable for his return to the Octagon, but plans on getting back to training as early as next week.

"Whenever my manager calls me and say he has a fight, I will start my camp right away,” the 31-year-old lightweight said. "I’m always training, I have no injuries right now, so I’ll get back in the gym next week."