By Kelsey Mowatt

While his older brother Douglas was busy defeating the likes of Ben Saunders and winning Bellator’s latest welterweight tourney, undefeated prospect Dhiego Lima has been nursing the injury that forced his removal from an October 7th bout with UFC vet Terry Martin. According to the 21 year-old-fighter, however, he continues to recover from the setback that will prevent him from fighting again this year.

“The injury is good; I had to sit out about a month altogether,” said Lima, who was scheduled to fight Martin at the Maximum Fighting Championship’s 31st card. “I tried to come back earlier but I just kept re-injuring it. Everyone was like ‘man, you just have to take some time off.’ So I ended up taking about a month off.”

“I separated the cartilage in my rib,” Lima added. “So there’s nothing you can really do about it; there’s no medicine for it, you just have to sit and wait.”

Although Lima will not be able to add to a 2011 campaign that included a submission win over Josh Taveirne, and a KO victory over Jamie Toney more recently in June, the Atlanta fighter believes he will return early in 2012.

“I’m supposed to be fighting on the January 27th card,” said Lima, while referring to MFC 32 which will take place in Edmonton, Alberta and will be broadcast live on HDNet. “I don’t have an opponent yet but it’s like 98% that I’ll be on the card.”

“I’m excited man,” Lima furthered. “I can’t wait, but it feels good to get a little rest. I was on a streak there where I had a lot of fights in a row. So it’s good to feel relaxed and not tired. Before I was tired all the time because I have a full time job too, so, although I’m still young your body can’t always take that kind of pressure.”

Lima signed with the MFC last year with just three pro bouts on his record, but after scoring three more consecutive wins, the rising fighter was assigned the aforementioned Martin. The match-up was an indication of how quickly Lima has progressed through the pro ranks, and the welterweight is hoping that a similar, high profile bout will be scheduled for MFC 32.

“I’m hoping to fight a big name guy again,” Lima told FCF. “There’s a few guys out there. I really don’t care though, I just want to fight. I’m tired of all these young guys not taking fights. It’s been like that where the MFC wants to get a prospect as well, someone who is young, but they don’t want to take the fight…I want to fight guys that are prospects, or UFC vets that have a lot of fight left in them, I just want to fight man.”

Although Lima has yet to crack the ten fight mark, another win in January would further his position in the title shot mix, and move him one step forward to where his brother Douglas once resided as MFC champ.

“2012 I’ll still probably have to stay at my job, but I’m hoping soon that I’ll be a full time fighter,” said the Home Depot employee while discussing his aspirations for next year. “I still have a little bit to go; I’m young and only have six fights. You can write this down though, I’m hoping to be the MFC Welterweight Champion in 2012, and then we’ll go from there.”