ADCC world champion Diogo Reis has just revealed that he has been taking in some striking training sessions and he might even be making his professional MMA debut in the future. Reis is already one proven himself to be one of the best grapplers on the planet by winning the under 66kg division at ADCC 2022, so with some serviceable striking to go along with that then he could do very well in an MMA fight. Particularly if he gets appropriate matchmaking on the regional MMA circuit for a little while before moving on to tougher tests, that would give him the opportunity to develop his striking at a steady pace while he adapts to the new sport.
If Diogo Reis is really going to make his MMA debut then it’s clearly not going to be for a little while yet, as he has another challenge on the horizon that’s going to take precedence over his striking training. Reis has been invited to return and defend his title at ADCC 2024, and the division will have just as much top talent competing in it as it did last time around. If he wants to maintain his status as the reigning ADCC world champion then it’s going to require months of intense focus and hard work, so that he can bring an even better version of himself to ADCC 2024 than the one that won last time around.
Diogo Reis hinted that he was preparing to make his MMA debut in a recent post to his official Instagram account about a trip to Fighting Nerds for a striking training session. He explained how the session went in the video (Translated from the original Portuguese):
“Me preparing for my MMA debut… I was invited to a training session at Fighting Nerds and I was able to see boxing training at a high level and meet several UFC athletes. Of course, among them, Caio Borralho will now fight in the UFC this weekend. I made some moves to warm up the machine here and then I went to fight. I thought I was going to do something, but I just got beaten up… I got beaten by my doctor, Dr. Alberto, and my trainer Rodrigao. I learned a lot, I really liked the reception and the gym, and now the question that won’t be silent… Who would like to see baby shark in the UFC in the future? Leave it in the comments for me to know and if you want to see how the whole training and my trip to Fighting Nerds went, go to my YouTube channel, it will all be there!”
