Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight
legend
Matt Hughes
once famously claimed that you aren’t a real champion until you
defend your championship once. While things run a bit differently
in the
Professional Fighters League, 2021 PFL
heavyweight titleholder
Bruno
Henrique Cappelozza is called to defend his status as champion
this year. Cappelozza started the new season on the right foot by
smashing
Stuart
Austin in the opening round of their clash in April, pocketing
six points for a spot in the playoffs. Now, he is set to face
Matheus
Scheffel at upcoming
PFL 5 on June 24, where he will
put his five-bout winning streak on the line.
In advance of Cappelozza’s upcoming clash with Scheffel, a look at
five of the moments that have come to define his career:
Welcome to the Jungle
Cappelozza made his professional mixed martial arts debut on Dec.
11, 2010, when he faced
Joao
Paulo Pereira. Unfortunately, his first pro fight ended with a
defeat for Cappelozza, who was forced to tap due to an arm-triangle
choke at the 3:34 mark of Round 1. Seven days later, Cappelozza
signed with
Jungle Fight to compete at Jungle Fight 24. Again, the
Corinthians MMA standout had to learn a harsh lesson as he was
disqualified due to illegal punches at 1:58 of the opening period.
Still, joining JF was the right move. After accumulating some more
experience in the gym, Cappelozza returned to action and scored
three consecutive wins, his first winning streak. Cumulatively,
Cappelozza ended his JF run with five victories and three
defeats.
O Campeao Esta Aqui
While fighting under the JF banner, Cappelozza captured two
championships. First, he took home the 220-pound championship after
crushing Francisco
Sandro da
Silva Bezerra at Jungle Fight 82. On that occasion, Cappelozza
showcased some refined ground-and-pound action thanks to which he
opened a cut on his opponent’s head which he continued to target,
forcing the referee to stop the action at 4:17 into Round 1.
Cappelozza subsequently won the light heavyweight championship
following a back-and-forth battle with
Klidson
Abreu at Jungle Fight 87. That time, Cappelozza defeated his
opponent with a third-round technical-knockout stoppage.