It’s been a long time since Douglas Lima has been able to do what he loves. In fact, almost a year has passed since he last unleashed his fists with brutal intentions.

That’s not to say Lima isn’t a well-intentioned person outside the cage—because he very much is—but once that chain-link door closes, a switch flips. He’s “The Phenom” for a reason, and has the track record to prove it.

Launching a comeback

Injuries and setbacks have plagued the former Bellator welterweight champion. It’s been a long stretch since Lima was 100 percent going into a fight.

He admitted the past few years have been filled with turmoil and challenges, but those days are now behind him.

“It feels amazing, man,” Lima said. “Especially with all the time off dealing with injuries. I feel happy and motivated to get back in there and fight again. There was a time when I wondered if I would ever get healthy again, but I kept my focus and worked hard to get back. I’m ready to fight and I can’t wait.

“It’s been a rough two years, but being able to get back to how I was before makes it all worth it. I missed training hard in the gym and coming home feeling tired and beat up. I love that feeling. Now that I have it all back and I’m going to remind people what I can do in there.”

Ready for the cage

The American Top Team representative is going into his bout with Chidi Njokuani at Bellator 156 with a clean bill of health. He's determined to bring back the brand of destruction he’s used to putting on display. Lima knows what Njokuani is capable of once things go live, and that’s exactly the type of test that has him fired up in his return.

“This is going to be a damn exciting fight and fans shouldn’t miss this one,” Lima said. “Chidi is a game opponent and a great striker. I can’t wait to match up with him. I’m going to look for the finish, give the fans something to get excited about and get a title shot. That’s a good night.”

While Lima isn’t looking beyond the challenge directly in his path, the 170-pound title he dropped to Andrey Koreshkov isn’t far from his mind either. Nagging injuries made Lima’s first go with Koreshkov an uphill battle, and he’s adamant things will be different the second time around.

“Everything about that fight with [Andrey] Koreshkov was bad,” Lima said. “The training camp was tough and I did the entire thing dealing with injuries. It was a bad and horrible fight for me, but all of that is in the past for me. Just being able to train hard again without pain is such a blessing, man. I was able to get a full camp for this fight and I’m ready to show people what I have.

“I’m coming back like the old days,” he added. “I’m ready to fight hard. I’m going in there to bang and throw some bombs. I’m looking to get this win and fight Koreshkov again. That’s what I want and that’s what I’m going to get.”