After years of weight cuts that became increasingly hard on him, Felipe Lima needed some time to reset.
Perhaps it wasn't planned after his decision loss to Payton Talbott last June – which was his first setback since his pro debut in 2015 – when he was just 17. After that loss, he didn't fight as a pro again for four more years, so clearly that one has an asterisk attached.
Effectively, his loss to Talbott was really his first. It came at bantamweight, like his two UFC fights before that – including a bonus-winning submission of Muhammad Naimov in 2024. He was set to return last November, but had to pull out of a fight with Daniel Marcos.
That set things in motion for where he is now: about to be a UFC featherweight for the first time.
And, at
least his body is telling his mind, it feels all right.
"It feels good. I'm happy to be back, and happy to be back with the new (weight class) at featherweight," Lima told the UFC this week. "Bantamweight, I couldn't do it anymore. My body wanted to give up. So life is good, just focusing on the camp – no more focus on cutting weight, dieting. No more being bored (from not eating), being mad at people (because) the calories are low and stuff like that. But now, life is good."
The 28-year-old Lima (14-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), from Brazil, takes on France's Morgan Charriere (21-12-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) to close out the UFC Fight Night 287 prelims Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris.
Lima trains in Stockholm at the acclaimed Allstars Training Center with the likes of Alexander Gustafsson and Khamzat Chimaev. But even that pedigree couldn't help what happened when he was prepping for the fight he had booked with Marcos.
Lima saw things take a turn, he said.
"I went to a very dark place after my fight with Daniel Marcos got canceled from an injury," Lima said. "It shook me a little bit, not being able to fight and not able to train. You learn a lot when you go to those places, and I appreciate that I learned a lot from that. Now I'm back, and I'm new now.
He's a 2-1 betting favorite on the road against Charriere, who no doubt will get the hometown pop from the fans. But Lima said he's prepared for that adversity and ready to put on a show.
Check out his breakdown on the matchup below:
“I'm happy to be back.”
— UFC News (@UFCNews) September 2, 2026
Felipe Lima (@felipelimamma) knows he has what it takes to mix it up in the featherweight division starting with his bout with Morgan Charriere at #UFCParis.
Fight by Fight Preview ➡️: https://t.co/fbp0AErPfk pic.twitter.com/XrNnjn6PcN
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Felipe Lima glad to be back from 'a dark place' at UFC Paris
