Douglas Lima addresses doubters: I haven't 'lost a step'

Douglas Lima gets why you might think he's on the decline.

The former three-time Bellator welterweight champion has lost three fights in a row - his first losing streak since he competed on the regional circuit in 2009.

Even Lima himself has wondered if it's true that, at 34 years old, his best days are behind him. But upon looking at his recent losses a little closer, he reached the conclusion that he still has what it takes to be the best in Bellator.

"It's just little things I have to adjust," Lima told theScore on Monday. "But I feel good."

Lima's last three fights were decision defeats to then-middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi, current 170-pound king Yaroslav Amosov, and Michael Page, who earned a somewhat controversial call in his hometown of London.

Given the steep competition he faced and the nature of the defeats - one was up a weight class and the other was by a razor-thin margin - the Brazilian thinks fans are jumping the gun on the current state of his career. He'll have a chance to prove his case in the Bellator 283 main event when he takes on surging welterweight Jason Jackson on July 22.

"I still have a few more years in me, for sure, maybe even more - as long as I'm healthy and I'm training hard," he said. "I don't think I lost a step. I'll show people in this fight."

Lima isn't afraid to admit he's not his young self anymore and that training is getting more difficult. He used to work out twice per day with no issue, but in his last few camps, Lima said his body was "trashed" after only one session so he'd go home and rest.

However, he returned to two sessions a day ahead of the fight with Jackson, which he's counting on to be the difference-maker that gets him back on track.

"If I really want to do this at the highest level, if I want to get this belt back, I really have to push my body to its limit," Lima said. "So that's what I did."

However, Lima said he isn't feeling added pressure to snap his losing streak. He's regained the Bellator welterweight title twice and has no reason to believe he can't do it again. But he also acknowledged the importance of getting the win - because if he loses to Jackson, he might drop out of contention for good.

"Definitely there will be more urgency on my part this time," Lima said. "Losing right now is not an option for me. If I want to get this belt back, I have to show it in this fight."