It's a strange feeling being on the verge of realizing a dream and knowing that the only thing standing between you and it is a single eventuality.

So close and yet so far away.

That's what Carlos Leal described when his team received a lifelong awaited email from UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.

The email said if Leal (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) wanted the UFC 308 opener against Rinat Fakhretdinov (23-2-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), then it would be his.

Obviously he wanted it. But there was a problem.

He was still under contract with the UAE Warriors. In fact, he had already flown to Abu Dhabi for Tuesday's event, which was scheduled to take place four days before the UFC tournament in the same city.

“Hey guys, here’s the situation,” All In Sports Management manager Lucas Lutkus told Leal and his team. “The UAE Warriors said you are free to leave as long as we can get a replacement. We have to find out something.”

Lutkus began going through his Rolodex of contacts to see which welterweight fighters might want to fly around the world to face Erkin Darmenov (13-8).

While this was happening, Leal's coach Rodrigo Cavalheiro's mind was spinning. He flew around the world to corner his student and a crazy idea popped into his head. But maybe it wasn't crazy after all.

“We knew my former opponent was having a little trouble making weight because we watched him train every day in sauna suits, etc.,” Leal told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I think he was struggling a little bit.”

Cavalheiro weighed 215 pounds and had only one fight since May 2022. He volunteered to fill in for his student if the middleweight fight could take place.

Darmenov and the promotion agreed to move the fight up a weight class.

To any outsider, this step was selfless. But Cavalheiro explains that the decision was actually self-centered.

“I didn’t hesitate at all,” Cavalheiro told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “If I had to save more weight, I would have had to try to save even more weight. Because it wasn't just about making your dream come true. It was also about achieving my dream of having him in the UFC. It was a dream of mine too. It was basically like asking me if I wanted to make my dream come true. Of course I had to say yes. To be able to help him achieve his main goal this year. Of course I couldn't say no. I always had to be there for my student.”

The 41-year-old Cavalheiro admits he is at the end of his career, has almost retired from competition and doesn't have much left.

Being outside the camp only complicates things. Cutting weight proved to be a much tougher battle than the fight itself.

“I wasn’t ready to come back at all,” laughed Cavalheiro. “I had just had surgery for a torn biceps four months ago. I didn't think about fighting. I even joked with Carlos when we got the UFC offer. I said: “Now I can finally retire.” Then Lucas says to me: “Now you have to fight.” My blood boils like a fighter. My mind still functions like a fighter's. I have the fighting spirit. Even though I wasn’t physically ready, mentally I was very ready to step into that cage.”

The scene with the weight reduction was quite dramatic, describes Lutkus. The team rolled onto the scales with a fraction of a pound left but less than 10 minutes before the weigh-in window.

However, with their sauna suits on, Cavalheiro and Leal made the most of the window's dwindling seconds. The two did intensive wrestling exercises next to the scales.

A crowd of UAE Warriors fighters and trainers, promotional staff and more gathered, literally cheering loudly and cheering Cavalheiro on to sweat out the last drops.

“Rodrigo steps on the scale at about 10:59, in the last minute,” Lutkus recalls. “The guy from the UAE Warriors organization said, ‘We can’t wait any longer. “You need to get on the scale right now.” Then he stepped on the scale and it didn’t stop moving between the exact weights, which were about 185 and 185.1. Then the guy said, “No, we have to wait for the scales to flatten.” His opponent's coach was also there, watching closely. He said it felt like an eternity because he was weak. When the scales flattened, it showed that he had reached exactly the weight he needed. He just let out a loud scream.”

The primal scream meant that two dreams were coming true – Leal's and Cavalheiro's. The most necessary part was over, but there was still a fight.

On Tuesday, Cavalheiro entered the cage facing an opponent 13 years his junior who trained a full camp. The odds were completely against him, but the MMA gods had his back.

As the clock passed the midway point of the first round, Cavalheiro hit Darmenov with a big left hook and followed up with punches that put the Russian fighter to sleep.

It was the icing on the cake of an already special fight week sundae.

“I'm not only Carlos' head coach, I'm also his main sparring partner,” Cavalheiro said. “I know I have to do my best. Because if I want him to become world champion one day, I have to give him a big challenge in the gym so that he continues to develop. I know that I have to keep getting better and better. … I also knew that with a few days' notice I could take a fight. I'm not sure I'll ever do this again unless I really have to. But it was nice to show myself that I could take people out during the international game, even if I wasn’t physically at 100 percent.”

Rodrigo Cavalheiro SLEEPS Erkin Darmenov with his left hand on the jaw.

With a week's notice, Cavalheiro replaced his student Carlos Leal, who received the call to face Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308. Crazy #UAEWarriors55 pic.twitter.com/dJPAMuJU9O

– caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 22, 2024

After Cavalheiro's fight ended, attention immediately turned back to the main target. It was the same destination they had in mind when they boarded their flight from Brazil to the United Arab Emirates, just with a different twist.

His coach's sacrifice was not lost on Leal. Now it's even more important for him to make an impact in his UFC debut on Saturday. Just as Cavalheiro viewed Leal's fight as a dream come true, Leal views a victory as not only his own, but Cavalheiro's as well.

“We really have a great bond,” Leal said. “Over the years he has had many opportunities to show me how much he cares about me. He did this over and over again. Every time he does something like that, I think it makes us even more in sync. I feel better than ever because of what I saw and what I saw him do. He showed me that anything is possible. I'm pretty sure I'll repay him for the sacrifice he made for me when I get in the cage and knock out Rinat on Saturday.”

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 308 event hub.