Antonio Carlos Junior wary of 'tough' Emiliano Sordi's knockout power, but sees holes in his game
Antonio Carlos Junior is not shying away from the challenge of taking on 2019 PFL champion Emiliano Sordi.
Carlos Junior (11-5) faces Sordi (23-8-1) at 2021 PFL Playoffs 3, which takes place Friday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.
The former “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3” winner got off to a strong start to kick off his PFL tenure when he submitted Tom Lawlor in the first round in April. He then faced another ex-UFC fighter in Vinny Magalhaes, but the ending of the June contest was rather anticlimactic when an accidental groin strike by Carlos Junior rendered Magalhaes unable to continue.
“I was extremely happy with my first fight in the PFL,” Carlos Junior told MMA Junkie in his native Portuguese. “It was a great performance. I submitted Tom Lawlor. He’s very tough and difficult to put away. I won within the first round. My second bout with Vinny – it’s hard to judge. I can’t really gauge how much pain he felt at that moment. I just know that I felt great during the fight, up to that moment. I feel I was on my way to a win. I was confident during our striking exchanges.”
The six points earned after submitting Lawlor were enough for Carlos Junior to advance to PFL’s 2021 playoffs, and he will now face arguably the sternest test in the division in Sordi, who finished five opponents in the 2019 PFL season en route to capturing the title.
“Emiliano is extremely tough,” Carlos Junior said. “He’s the last season’s champion. He has a lot of good skills. He hits hard and has KO power, but he has shown some holes in his game. It’s my job to exploit that. The goal is to fight intelligently, to use my strong points, and to capitalize on his weak ones.”
In order to do that, Carlos Junior has been working with former UFC title challenger and knockout artist Thiago “Marreta” Santos to help him prepare for Sordi’s dangerous style.
“My camp has been great,” Carlos Junior said. “At American Top Team, I work with coaches Conan Silveira, Steve Mocco, ‘King Mo’ (Muhammed Lawal), Gabriel Oliveira, Mike Brown, etc. Everyone has been a great help. Our whole academy is full of top coaches as well as top fighters. I always look to work with fighters like Emiliano – with good boxing and takedown defense. I’ve been working with great guys like Thiago ‘Marreta’ Santos.”