Rhys McKee entered his fight against Daniel Frunza at the UFC Apex on Saturday night with his back against the wall.
Having lost four fights over two separate stints in the UFC, McKee (14-6-1 MMA, 1-4 UFC) was fully aware that he was entering the last-chance saloon at UFC Vegas 105. After securing both a TKO victory and a $50,000 bonus, "Skeletor" could be forgiven for taking a moment to savor the victory in the wake of Saturday’s win.
"Four times I've been here in the UFC, four times I've had to get the bus home early", the Irish welterweight told reporters at Saurday's post-fight press conference. "I always wanted to come to this table, so to be here is a relief, but it's not a job done, it's a job started".
"I Just Believed In Myself"
McKee lost his UFC debut to Khamzat Chimaev on just a week's notice back in 2020. After being outpointed by Alex Morono in his next fight, he was released from his contract.
A trio of stoppage wins (and a world title) in his old stomping grounds at Cage Warriors led to a UFC recall. However, after losing two narrow decisions to Ange Loosa and Chidi Njokuani, it seemed like the writing was on the wall for the 29-year-old.
"To be honest, I thought my UFC opportunity had slipped away", said McKee. "When I got the shout of another fight, I said, 'this is my golden ticket. This is the time where it all changes', and I just believed in myself. My coaches believed in me in the days I didn't believe in myself. Sometimes I didn't even get why they believed in me.
"And I was able to, you know, get on the horse, go again, and just put my head to believe that I can do it, and tonight was the result of that mindset".
"This Was A Crucial Win"
Saturday's fight came just over a year after McKee's last loss inside the Octagon. However, rather than letting the long layoff and the uncertainty surrounding his career weigh heavily on his shoulders, McKee and his coaches at Fight Academy Ireland used it as motivation as he prepared to face Frunza.
"We knew this was a must-win fight", he said. "If I lost, I would probably have had my release papers by now, you know what I mean? This was a must-win. And guess what the next one is? A must-win. It's no different. So we rid the pressure. We brought the pressure with us. We talked like this could be the last one.
"We were in the UFC facilities all week, which is unbelievable. And we said, 'This is too good to give up. You cannot lose this fight, or you lose all of this. This will not be here if you don't win this fight'. So this was a crucial win, and we got it. But now it's the next one. It's even more crucial".
