MMA: Pepi Staropoli fights for a belt in France, with the heat and a rival “hurt” from the World Cup

TO They graduate “Pepi” Staropoli (30) Two wins by unanimous decision in the French championship was enough for him ARES Fighting Championship to have a chance in the championship: he will fight for the welterweight belt next Friday, April 7 against the local Michael Lebout. Of course, its good pace and experience for UFCThey also give him “chapa” so that this opportunity has come to him.

“It’s the most important fight of my career,” he said clarion a few days before the evening, which will see him protagonist in the main fight.

But obviously, as in any complicated quest, Pepi will add epicness if he wins: he will do it in France, as a guest and against a hostile audience. The latter, increased by Argentina win against France in Qatar 2022.

On the latter, in fact, Lebout tried to provoke him and uploaded several memes related to football, Argentina and Staropoli. “The rivalry we have is only through social networks. He’s quite hurt that we won the World Cup against him and use memes to get my attention or to dull my attention,” Pepi said.

And he said this “means nothing” to him or his team. “We are very solid in the work we are doing and I will show who is the champion“, challenge.

As for his rival, he said he is “a very experienced fighter, with a lot of experience, he’s been in the UFC, he’s fought in the major leagues here in Europe as well and he’s ranked number 2.” Also, he announced that he will plan the foot fight, he stronger than him.

“We will go out to eliminate, because we know that I will be a visitor, with all the public in his favor and we will not leave the decision to the judges. I will end the fight prematurely,” the Argentine bet.

He described the fight as the “most important” of his career: “I will fight for a European championship belt.”

“I will be a visitor, against the entire French publicbut at the same time very content and happy because so many friends from Argentina come, my sister, my girlfriend, so many people to make me tolerate. Even if it is a visitor, I think I will feel very accompanied by many people who love me, “he was moved.

He also said he will enter the cage with the trapper Ecko. “I am very happy and happy to have him here with me, being a popular exponent of the trap… That he is with me in this fight will be very important,” he continued.

Finally, Pepi assured that this belt could mean his return to the UFC and also bet on the PFL, the championship that never stops growing and where Emiliano Sordi won a million dollars)

“While Ares is doing very well, we know the UFC and PFL They are the companies that all fighters want to join“, he concluded.

His time at the UFC

He has now settled in Paris, where he trains at the MMA Factory fernand lopez (gym where, for example, the UFC champion Francis Ngannou passed), Pepi had had a more than promising debut in the UFC, collecting two victories by unanimous decision.

The first in the landing of the company in Buenos Aires in 2017, in what was a real war against the Mexican Hector Aldana for which they won the 50,000 dollar bonus for the best fight of the night, and in their second fight against the Brazilian Thiago Alves in Rio de Janeiro.

But then he put together four straight losses to Muslim Salikhov (October 2019), Tim Means (August 2020), Roman Dolidze (June 2021) and Jamie Pickett (October 2021), all defeats by unanimous decision of the judges.