Allan Begosso opens up on training camp for PFL New York, next opponent and MMA journey

Allan Begosso is in pursuit of his first win in the Professional Fighters League. Begosso is looking forward to meeting fellow heavy-handed bantamweight Sean Gauci at PFL New York, set to go down on July 31 at UBS Arena in Belmont, Long Island. Allan Begosso has nothing but praise for Australian foe, details training camp Begosso hailed his upcoming opponent as a “complete fighter” in a recent interview with Sherdog. The Brazilian welcomes the matchup after facing grappling-heavy fighters in his last few outings and predicts their bout will be an entertaining clash of styles. “He’s a complete fighter. He’s tough and has good boxing skills. I’m very excited for this fight,” Begosso said. “Lately, I’ve been paired up against a lot of grapplers. Last time around, my opponent [Jack Cartwright] was a good boxer, but he opted to keep it on the mat. I ended up losing a decision even though he didn’t land a single punch. It was strange. But Gauci is good. He also trained at Team Alpha Male for some time. I’m looking forward to our fight. I think our styles will clash very well. It will be a great fight!” After eight years in the United States, with stints at Team Alpha Male and more recently at Syndicate MMA, Begosso is back to training in his native Brazil. He also credited the Fighting Nerds for assisting in his training camp. “For this fight, I chose to have a more private training camp,” Begosso revealed. “My home team in Brazil will always be 011 MMA. I hired Felipe Buakaw, one of Brazil’s top talents, to train me. We worked with several guys with a style similar to Gauci’s. And, though I don’t belong to The Fighting Nerds, the guys there were also a big help when I joined their training sessions.” Allan Begosso reflects on journey to PFL Begosso then recalled his rough start in the sport, revealing that he initially learned to throw strikes from older boys on the street. He got his big break upon receiving a scholarship and has been all-in on mixed martial arts ever since. “I didn’t pay much attention to fights as a kid,” Begosso recalled. “By age 10, I was hanging out with older boys who’d frequently get into street fights. They all trained martial arts and started teaching me how to strike. I took a liking to it. One of my friends was serious about it and actually trained with Anderson Silva. Anderson is one of the biggest names in kickboxing. He was my first teacher. Since my friend felt I had a knack for it, I accepted the invitation to go train with them. [Silva] liked what he saw and got me a scholarship so I could train. By the time I was 11, I had my first bout. I haven’t stopped since.” He is thankful for the rough road that brought him this far. In the same interview, Begosso reminisced over some of the jobs he took up to make ends meet and support his MMA career before revealing how happy he is to be a part of the PFL. A lightweight title fight headlines PFL NY: Tune on Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. “As most athletes in Brazil, unfortunately, I’ve had multiple jobs since I was young to make ends meet,” he added. “I’ve been a waiter, car washer, construction worker, roofer and I taught martial arts. That’s the reality for all Brazilian athletes. But they were all valuable experiences. Thank God, I found my way in the sport. When living in the U.S., I started managing other fighters, some of whom fight in the PFL. In the future, I want to help even more Brazilian fighters. God is good. I’m very happy to be here.” Begosso’s pro career has been mostly successful, but injuries have kept him away for years at a time, including four bouts canceled in a row during his tenure in the LFA. “I’d like to fight as often as possible,” Begosso said. “Due to injuries, I’ve never been very active as a professional fighter. But this year, I’m about to have my third bout. I’m hoping that after I win this one, I can fight twice more. I don’t know if that’s possible, depending on the PFL’s schedule, but I’ll be available. My goal is to reach the top of my weight class and capture the belt, while remaining as active as possible. I enjoy fighting and I put on shows. I have it in me to make history in the PFL.” Begosso’s record stands at 10-4 with eight finishes, while his next opponent, Gauci, is 11-1 with five knockouts. — LFA (@LFAfighting) February 28, 2026