Nine days later, the bout with Algeo came together, and through it all, the ultra-positive Brazilian has only seen the upside of things.
“The last couple weeks have been amazing,” said Ramos, who stayed in Sacramento and remained in camp throughout the last month. “I have been training with the best guys and I feel great; I feel like I’m ready to go at any time.
“With this surprise that we faced in camp, that’s just how life is, you know, and we’ve got to just keep the focus on winning, not on the opponent. I try to see the positive side of things, so I was here for almost a month, then they cancelled the fight, so I had more time to train and work with the guys at Team Alpha Male, and that makes a big difference; that’s good for me.”
One of the upshots of having his 2021 debut pushed back a couple weeks is that Ramos’ fight now lines up with that of fellow Team Alpha Male competitor Alexander Munoz, who is slated to follow Ramos into the cage this weekend when he takes on Ultimate Fighter alum Luis Pena.
“Just being around these guys is really good,” added Ramos, who genuinely loves the camaraderie and overall vibe of training with the long-time elite camp in the California capital. “I have my buddy Alex Munoz that is going to fight on this same card, and we’re working together with Raymond Daniels and a bunch of killers, so it gives me a lot of confidence.
“Every day we are around lions. I feel good and the closer I get to the fight, the more confident I get.
“I’m living a dream.”
As for the fight itself, Ramos has been impressed with what he’s seen studying tape of Algeo, who earned his first UFC victory with a unanimous decision win over Spike Carlyle at the end of November, but is more focused on simply getting to fight, confident that he’s capable of competing with anyone.
“He’s a well-rounded guy and I’ve been watching one of his fights every day, working on studying his abilities,” he said of the 31-year-old Pennsylvania native. “I feel like it’s a good fight, a good replacement — completely different from the one I was going to have — but I feel good.
“If there is somebody to face, that’s all I needed,” he added. “Doesn’t matter if he’s tall or short — I’ll be ready for him.”