At some point in a fighters career, there will come a point that changes have to be made and that time for Dinis Paiva came in 2013 following back to back defeats to Kin Moy and Rob Suillvan.
Following the lost to Sullivan in August of 2013, Paiva (6-5) began to think about his future in the sport. A conversation with trainer Mike Gresh kept him in the sport and it was the turning point in his career.
“I always took hiatus after a lost. Take at least a month or two off because I needed to miss the sport,” Paiva told The MMA Report. Gresh convinced me to stick around and train. He said, ‘Dinis if you only come in once or twice a week so be it. Don’t walk away.’ I really wanted to walk away and take a year or two off. I just wanted to clear my mind of the losses but I didn’t. That has been the turning point in my career. I stuck it out.”
One of the attributes that Gresh has helped with Paiva is helping him believe in his abilities. Gresh has helped him change his mindset and he believes that he can be a UFC champion one day.
“I fought for awhile just to fight and I am fighting now to compete. That is the big mindset difference. It was not that I did not believe in myself — I won, I lost. I won and a lost. I was just kind of up in the air with it. I was in the motions, but now I believe in myself that I can be a champion. I can be the number one 135’er in the northeast and move on to the UFC. Hopefully, fight for the UFC world title one day. I faithfully believe in myself that I have the capabilities of doing so. Maybe not right now and maybe not tomorrow, but I have the capabilities of working towards that.”
Next Friday night, he will look for his fourth straight win when he meets Chino Duran at CES MMA 29 at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Duran (8-8) has a solid wrestling background and will stand and bang according to Paiva. He will have a reach advantage in the fight and Paiva is planning for another knockout victory.
“A win is a win and I want to continue the streak,” he said. “I think this is one of the first fights in my career that I have told myself and promised myself that I need to finish this fight. The last few fights have been first round knockouts and to finish this fight with another first round knockout would be a great statement. It would be a testament to my career and my recent career. A win is a win and I am going to get the win regardless. I am confident in myself and I do feel I am going to win by knockout. I am going to finish this fight by any means necessary.”