Issue 189

April 2020

The UFC flyweight on finding new ways of winning, but sticking with the old car.

At UFC 246 you dominated up-and-coming prospect Maycee Barber. You outstruck, outgrappled, outwrestled and outworked her on your way to a unanimous decision victory. What are your thoughts on your performance and how happy are you with your seemingly constant growth as a fighter?

That’s exactly it. I feel like I leveled up. I felt it at the gym. I just needed to go out and prove it to myself and everybody when I got into the Octagon. I felt like my footwork was smoother. I felt like my strikes were more powerful. My jiu-jitsu game was on point. I felt very accomplished with my performance. It is all coming together. 

You sat down with coach Mike Pyle after the fight. What did you take away from that session?

I believe that I can grow from a win or a loss. We were watching it and I was saying OK, this happened, so what should I have done here? He was like ‘Yeah. That was good.’ ‘Yeah. That was good. ‘Yeah. That was good.’ I guess I did pretty well. He did show me a few tricks that I am going to implement moving forward. 

There has been a lot of talk since the fight. What are your thoughts as you hear these comments from Maycee’s father, her camp or Maycee herself that, in a way, detract from your outstanding performance?

I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. At first, her father came out with a statement and it was like, he, her father is supposed to be biased. I’m not going to let it bother me. I was not upset that there was publicity around it because people are still talking about our fight instead of forgetting about it and moving on. I thought that was cool. Then she came out and said that the injury happened in the first ten seconds of the fight. I really, truly believe that I would have won that fight anyway. She was moving pretty well in the fight in the beginning. Her strikes were powerful. Even in the last round when she Superman punched me it hurt. On the ground she was still a game opponent. She still reversed me a few times. I had to dodge her elbows. I thought it was a really competitive fight. I still feel like I would have won regardless. I feel technically superior to her. I’m trying to be nice. She is a warrior and she has a lot of good things in her future. Man, when you lose it haunts you. I fought fighters who were over weight and I’m sure they didn’t feel bad about beating me. I’ve gone into fights with injuries and I’m sure my opponent didn’t feel bad about it. I just have to try to not let it all bother me and just be proud because I know I leveled up. I know how much good it did in that fight. I am going to wish her the best. She is suffering and I feel compassionate about that. In the MMA game you have to step on other fighters to reach your goals. That’s just the way it is. I got the win. I am pumped. I am really happy with my performance. I have developed weapons and traits that I haven’t even got to show yet. I hope everybody looks forward to my next fight!

You said recently that you want to win fights without inflicting pain on your opponent. Can you tell us more about that philosophy?

I think that came from when I was a teenager. I used to do Tae Kwon Do and Kempo Karate and striking sports. I had an epiphany. My heart changed. I wanted to be able to beat people without causing them pain. I just decided this. That’s why I started judo, jiu-jitsu and the grappling arts. I think it’s the epitome of skill and mastery of the art. To be able to tap someone out and make them give up just knowing that they lost. I think that is so cool. Even when I started doing striking sports again, kickboxing for MMA, I have to punch somebody to do the sport. I am resigned to that, but I still think it’s the ultimate mastery to be able to do that. It has always been my mindset in training and in the gym, too. It’s hard for me to go hard and hit people hard. I think that contributed to the actual performance in the fight, too. Yeah, I’ll elbow you but the ref will stop it. I didn’t want to truly hurt someone. I will try my best to make them lose, though.

What are your thoughts on the underdog role that you seem to find yourself in more often than not in your fights?

I never really realized that I was an underdog until recently. When I go into the fight I don’t think I am going to lose! Other people are saying I am going to get beaten up. Anyone can think whatever they want. It doesn’t really bother me. Now, it’s funny, I realized that in every fight I am always the underdog. Based on statistics and betting odds, I was one of the three biggest underdogs in UFC history in this fight. I wrote the other guys down. One guy was +750, which is really bad. I’m tied with two other guys at +650 or something like that. Pretty cool, man.

Your dad has wanted you to get a new car ever since you made it to the UFC but you haven’t made the purchase. What is it that you like about that 2008 Toyota so much?

He’s my boy! He has always been loyal. He carries me around everywhere. I sit in his lap. He’s my boy. What can I say? His name is Lee, by the way. It’s a Toyota LE. We call him Lee.

After this win, you did splurge on a bathmat and toothbrush holder with your earnings, right?

Yes. I decided to spend a little money. I had to do it.