Theo Pino, the future doctor who aspires to be the next Ilia Topuria: "Many people do crazy things with their weight, and you have to take care of your health."

Do you think your rivals notice that confidence in fights?

Yes, they want to hide it to show they're stronger, but then, when the cage closes, what there is is what there is. I'm pretty strong for my weight, so I apply that pressure. People who've had good fights or many rounds, I've won later, and I've won easily or it hasn't been that hard for me. Although he initially said he's going to beat me and that I'm very bad, in the end it shows and they end up proving me right.

How do you feel about the WOW 21 fight?

The truth is, it's been very good. I've had the best preparation to date. I've been with Enrique Wassabi (the second Spaniard to compete in the UFC) this past month in Seville. I'm going with the best preparation, I don't think it can go wrong.

You also participated in Dogfight Wild Tournament, Jordi Wild's event. How has this benefited you in terms of visibility?

I was telling some friends about that fight on the bus to university, and people were like, 'So, you fought Jordi Wild?' People who don't know anything about MMA appreciate that. Maybe they don't value your fight in WOW as much because they say, 'Oh, a fight,' but the fact that you're fighting at Jordi Wild's event is like, 'Wow.' A lot of people have talked to me, but it's not really the kind of audience where you have to get the win. It works well; they pay you in advertising. I finished in the second round, and my views and followers on Instagram have increased quite a bit.

How is Ilia Topuria's success influencing you?

Ilia shows incredible confidence in him, and the best part is that he follows through. He does everything he says he does. That's super difficult. It's admirable everything he's achieving and how he's done it. Sometimes it's not what he achieves, it's how he achieves it. Then you try to copy him, but it's very complicated. I hope I can gain that confidence, like how he's doing in the fight.

What do you think is the key to your success?

I think it's the work he puts into it that gives him that confidence, and also helps him throw his opponent off balance because, after all, you're watching someone claiming he's going to beat you. It drives you a little crazy. That confidence comes from his work, and also a bit of a psychological role to play against his opponent. So far, I think it drives everyone crazy.

He's been very confident, and like Topuria, he takes winning for granted. Do you see yourself achieving something similar to him in a few years?

I can't say for you right now. It's going to be a matter of work. I'm going to do everything possible to achieve something similar, but with my feet firmly on the ground. I still have to have at least seven professional fights to be able to say I'm going to be there. The work will be focused on getting there.

How do MMA fit in with medical studies?

It's my decision to take it this way. I set out as a project to reach a major MMA league and become a doctor. Every day I wake up with that goal, which very few people have achieved. It's very hard because it involves four hours of study, two hours of training, two hours of getting there, eating, a little rest, and then studying and training again. It's like that every day. There comes a time when you end up exhausted, but hey, it's a dream.

What is a full day in the life of Theo Pino like?

I get up at 7:30 a.m. At 8:00 a.m. I start studying until 12:00 p.m., with a short break to eat something. Then I train physically until 2:00 p.m., usually at the gym or whatever. Then I eat, shower, get some sleep if I'm really, really tired, and then I head off to my internship at the hospital or university. If I don't have any, I take advantage of the opportunity to study again. At 7:00 p.m. I go to training until 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., then I come back, eat, and go to sleep. This is the same every day, except during exam time, when I have to study a little more and I cut in for a solo workout.

As a medical student, how does your knowledge of health influence your sports career?

To avoid doing crazy things. Sometimes I see too many crazy things that seem to be approved by people who do MMA. A large percentage of fighters do crazy things with their weight, not to mention doping... You have to look after your health. You also have to take care of yourself because you want to have a long career and not have, so to speak, earthly or cardiovascular problems. People say, 'Oh, I dope and I do so much of this,' but on a cardiovascular level, it's incredibly risky. And weight loss, with so much water loss... Phew. Kidney failure has to be the order of the day in a few years for those people who do such extreme things. Maybe I won't have that in the future. You also have to accept the consequences, but I don't think I'll make such crazy weight losses because I don't see them. I think you do have to lose weight, but carefully.

Have you not faced those weight losses yet?

In the amateur category, no. Since you weigh in on the day of the fight, you can't make such a significant cut. I have considerable muscle mass. I'm currently fighting at 77 kilos; I don't think I'll go down to 70, maybe 73, but there's no set weight. I'll have to make the agreed-upon weights in the pros, or when I get to a major league, try to get down to 70, but more gradually and without such extreme dehydration.

What do you think should be done to put an end to this weight-related madness?

I think you should fight at your natural weight. In the Jordi Wild fight, I fought at 81 kilos. I was 83. I lost about two kilos naturally and arrived strong, I felt good. If your opponent weighs 81 kilos, also naturally, there's no problem. Weight cuts cause you to drop down a weight class, but the person above you drops to your weight class, and you drop to the person below you. If these weight cuts didn't exist or weren't allowed, the person above you would stay at your natural weight. I don't know why they do that. I would be happy if you fought at your natural weight and showed what you're worth without all the weight cuts and nonsense.

Are you open to changing categories in the future to win?

Time will tell. I'm still 22, and every year I'm getting a little heavier, and it would be increasingly difficult to cut weight. If one day I see that I'm already too heavy, maybe I'll move up a weight class. That's still a long way off.

Where do you want to direct your career as a doctor? Is it related to sports?

This year I'm going to move up to fifth grade, and I've almost passed everything. When I take the MIR, which I plan to do, it will be in 2028. After that, I want to take a leave of absence to dedicate myself exclusively to sports for at least two or three years to see how much we can unleash our full potential. I'll be quite strong, more physically mature.

If I see that sport isn't giving me the results I expect, my idea is to become an orthopedic surgeon and end up working in a sports clinic. With the athletic resume I'll have then, being a good orthopedic surgeon, and being very methodical and a perfectionist, I dare say I'll be a good surgeon. I think I'll be able to help athletes who have been in my situation.

And what do you think about the controversial blows received in MMA?

Obviously, one hit isn't good, but if you watch an MMA fight, there aren't as many hits as in boxing. Lately, the focus has been on mixed martial arts, but perhaps in boxing this is worse, but anyway, those traumas ultimately generate micro-injuries. It's true that there are studies that say it increases the likelihood of Alzheimer's, but I think in this sport you also have to accept the consequences when you decide to practice it at a good level. In any case, I find it very difficult for it to cause significant brain damage if you take care of yourself, wear your helmet, because I don't think you'll end up so bad in the long term. There may be cases, as in everything, but I wouldn't say more than in boxing, where it can happen to you because you take hits every day. I don't take them every day because I do wrestling, grappling... On those days you don't suffer.

• MMA fighter. 22 years old. Cádiz

What is your opinion on the ban on head injuries in youth competition?

I don't understand it. It's not real to go to a competition and see MMA hitting people to the body. You train and don't compete. I don't see the point of that fake competition. It's true that psychologically it can help you, but it's not at all the same as whether hitting people in the face is okay or not. I have a 17-year-old friend at my gym who trains by hitting people up high, but when he goes to fight, he's not allowed to hit, even if he wants to and his parents authorize it. What's the point? Besides, it doesn't seem real to me.

Have you ever had to use MMA in your daily life?

No, no, I'm a good kid. I'm not a street kid, a brawler, or anything. (Laughs.)

Sports editor for '20minutos'