LAS VEGAS – Brunno Ferreira began his 2024 competition calendar exactly how he wanted.

Saturday at UFC Fight Night 234, Ferreira (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) bashed Phil Hawes’ face with brutal knockout blows en route to a first-round TKO victory. The relief of the victory for him can not be understated.

“I put a weight on myself,” Ferreira told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “This was a weight that was lifted off my back. To actually start the year like this and having the opportunity to start the year like this with a fight like this, it’s very happy. I’m very fortunate. … This is the way I wanted to start my year. This is the way the year is supposed to start.”

Immediately after the victory, Ferreira turned his attention toward the future – and another exciting up-and-comer in the UFC middleweight division.

“Everything has a why,” Ferreira said. “Everything has a reason. This fight was supposed to happen before and he’s already run away from me once at the end of the year. He didn’t fight me. At the end of the day, I have a brother. I have a training partner. I have a friend in Bruno Silva, “Blindado.” He welcomed him into his home. So we’d like to welcome him into our home. So ‘Shara Bullet’, we want to face him in Brazil.”

Magomed Sharabutdin, also known to fight fans as “Shara Bullet”, does not currently have a known fight on the books, though he has been rumored to return March 2 at UFC Saudi Arabia.

Regardless of whether or not the next step in 2024 is Sharabutdin, Ferreira hopes to remain as active as possible with an average fight count of one per quarter.

“My goal, if everything goes well, is actually to finish the year with four wins, to show people that I’m not just here. I’m here to show something. I’m here to grow. I’m here to be a champion. My goal is to have four wins by the end of the year. We started the year pretty well.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.