Chance Meeting

Bruno Miranda believes he has paid his dues.

The Nova Uniao export will try to break into the Professional Fighters League ranks—where a shot at $1 million could await—when he faces Carson Frei in the PFL Challenger Series 5 marquee attraction on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. There, eight prospective lightweights are scheduled to compete for one spot on the PFL main roster.

“I’m looking forward to being picked [by] the PFL,” Miranda told Sherdog.com. “I’ve been in this business for a long time. I deserve the opportunity to be in a major promotion.”

Closing in on 11 years of mixed martial arts service time, the 5-foot-8 Brazilian finds himself on a four-fight winning streak. However, he has not fought since he put away Ricardo Tirloni with punches in the third round of their July 27, 2019 encounter under the Battlefield Fighting Championship banner. Tirloni holds the distinction of being a two-time Bellator MMA tournament semifinalist, and beating him served as something of a seminal moment in Miranda’s development.

“Without a doubt, my fight against Tirloni was where I truly proved myself,” he said. “He’s a very good fighter. He represented jiu-jitsu, and I represented muay Thai and kickboxing. We had the perfect game plan to beat him. I was able to demonstrate my completeness as a fighter. I can handle myself as far as jiu-jitsu and takedowns. In that particular fight, we found ourselves in every possible MMA scenario. It was the most important fight of my career.”

Miranda, 31, carries an impressive 13-3 record into his latest assignment, having lost only to Nandin-Erdene Munguntsooj, Shinji Sasaki and Jose Lucas Fabiano de Melo. While his missteps have been few and far between, he admits they have taught him much about himself.

“My preference is striking, but today, I feel I’m a complete fighter,” Miranda said. “My record shows I’ve also won by submission. Regarding my three losses, that’s in the past now, but I did learn great lessons from them. It was part of the process of gaining maturity in this game. The losses were a good thing. I’m a different fighter today. I had to work in many areas. I feel much more complete today.”

Miranda has spent his pre-fight preparation time working through the rust associated with a lengthy layoff and sharpening the skills that drew the attention of PFL talent evaluators.

“I did my training camp at the Nova Uniao academy in the Flamengo section of Rio de Janeiro,” he said. “I’d like to thank coach Andre Pederneiras for opening his doors to me and for his full support. I’ve had several great training partners.”

Miranda has traveled the globe in some regards, having fought in China, South Korea, Luxembourg and his native Brazil. However, his PFL Challenger Series outing will represent his first appearance on American soil.

“I’ve fought in several parts of the world: Europe, Asia and South America,” Miranda said. “I’m very excited to showcase my style in the United States.”

In the Oregon-based Frei, Miranda confronts an opponent who has won three of his past four bouts. He last competed on May 14, when he submitted Westin Wilson with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their Fierce Fighting Championship 15 co-main event. Frei has gone the distance seven times in his 13-fight career and sports a 6-1 record in those bouts.

“We watched his videos and put together our strategy,” Miranda said. “I can mostly talk about myself. I’m ready for any situation. If he wants to strike, I’m ready. If he wants to do jiu-jitsu, I’m ready, too. Don’t blink.”