Issue 113

April 2014

Abel Trujillo was already considered one of the most vicious finishers in the UFC’s lightweight division and after brutally knocking out former WEC champ Jamie Varner at UFC 169 he’s put the entire 155lb weight class on notice

Ask any fighter in the UFC’s stacked lightweight division what they have to do to gain the attention of bosses like Dana White and Joe Silva, and their reply is: finish fights impressively. It’s not rocket science and it’s something every fighter knows. But with the level and depth of talent at 155lb it’s easier said than done.

But 30-year-old Blackzilian lightweight standout Abel Trujillo has taken that mantra and run with it. Every fight he’s won in the UFC has come via a ferocious knockout or TKO, with Jamie Varner the latest to fall victim to the hands of ‘Killa’ in February.

Varner started well enough, mauling Trujillo in the opening round of their clash at UFC 169, landing some big shots before taking Trujillo down and almost getting a submission finish. However, Trujillo rallied in the second and matched Varner punch for punch, culminating with the knockout that sent fans in New Jersey into rapture. 

Most ringside observers believed it was Trujillo’s tactics all along to try and suck Varner into a brawl with him. But Trujillo insisted post fight that’s not the case. “Honestly, I don’t have a game plan,” he said. “I just go in there to fight. I don’t try to fight to a decision, I try and fight to finish.”

After crushing Varner with the vicious knockout, Trujillo was asked who he wanted to fight next and the big hitter went straight for the division’s bigger names, asking UFC top brass to match him with Donald Cerrone or Nate Diaz. 

While he may have called on the UFC’s number five and eight ranked fighters, respectively, Trujillo was quick to explain he meant nothing by it: “I wasn’t necessarily calling them out. They asked me who I wanted and I just threw a couple of names in there that can help me get closer to the belt. I mean no disrespect.”

Not only was his night successful in terms of his fight career, Trujillo also gained a nice cash reward. Combining the whopping $75,000 bonus he earned for ‘Fight of the Night’ and the $50,000 bonus he received for ‘Knockout of the Night’, you’d think Trujillo would be looking to possibly buy a new toy or two; however, it seemed his mind was still very much on the fight.

“I’m not spending the money in my head, I’m not like that,” he laughed. “But I’m grateful for it.”