Former Ultimate Fighter finalist Dhiego Lima is ready to continue implementing the improvements he has made in Titan FC.

Lima is the brother of former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima. Like his brother, Dhiego is know for fast-paced, aggressive striking.

After disappointing himself in his UFC stint, Lima took time away from the cage to do some soul searching to improve. His strategy has worked thus far, as Dhiego won in his return fight over prospect Antonio Trocoli.

Cage Pages wanted to get to know what is going on in Lima’s head before he takes on fellow UFC veteran David Michaud.

Lima started out by touching on the competitive environment he grew up in.

“I started training right after high school at 18. I was too busy playing football. My brother was training since he was 14. Football wasn’t going to take me anywhere so my brother said, ‘Come to the gym. You’re a big strong guy’. I had my first fight two years after that.”

If you don’t like it, go work anywhere else. Oh well, go find a real job.

Although, that wasn’t the first time his brother tried to convince him to compete.

“He always pushed me to go to the gym man. I promised my mom I was going to finish high school. I had to finish. At first my parents were a little nervous, a little skeptical. Now they love it. Now they’re my biggest fans. They get nervous.”

Lima’s name carries value in MMA, so we asked him to comment on why he chose Titan FC.

“I love being close to home. I’m in Atlanta. My manager was retiring, after I left the UFC I was doing it on my own. When I was ready to fight I was talking to every organization out there. I just wanted to fight quick. They said they were not really signing anyone. Titan was interested right away. We had a little back and forth but I now I got a fight.”

When asked about his match-up with Michaud, Lima is oozing with confidence.

“I’m not too sure of the guy. He used to fight at 155. I’m going to be stronger. I’m looking to stay aggressive. Just tap and move and use my distance.”

After Michaud, Lima is open to fighting all comers.

“Man I don’t have anyone I want to fight. I took a year off. I was just focusing on myself. I just want to fight tough guys. I’m fighting a UFC vet, then I’m getting the champ*. Just legit competition. I can’t be fighting small name guys.”

When asked about where he wanted to end up Lima had a clear idea.

“Man I gotta go back to the UFC. I gotta. Those fights didn’t show who I was. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my time yet. I have a bad taste in my mouth. I gotta get it out. I can’t watch any of those fights. When I think about it, that’s not me. It’s horrible. It’s heartbreaking. I was just beat to shit. I lost my fights before they started. Mentally, physically I was so over-trained. I took fights on short notice. I was just being stupid, hard-headed. I should have listened to my coaches and people around me. I’m a fighter. I just took fights. I needed to take a long break. I’ve just been training, traveling, helping training partners. Being a student again. Learning again. Not sparring. I haven’t sparred for one year.”

Before closing, Lima touched on current gripes about sponsorships, and Reebok’s presence in the UFC, Lima could not care less about the uniform policy.

“You have to understand, if you’re in the UFC you just work for them. I used to work for Home Depot. They changed the rules all the time. They don’t give a damn about what you think. These guys need to shut up and fight. It sucks you can’t have your outside sponsors, but oh well. It’s a big company. You work for them. You have no say. If you don’t like it, go work anywhere else. Oh well, go find a real job. That’s the way the world works.”

Lima speaks with a refreshing mix of confidence and relaxation that reflects the desire to compete. Before Lima fights Michaud fights on Fight Pass at Titan FC 39, follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

*At the time of interview, Titan FC champion Belal Muhammad had not vacated his belt for the UFC.