Athletes
Austin Bashi Believes In All His Work
After Securing His First UFC Win, Austin Bashi Knows He Just Needs To Keep Grinding Away To Reach All His Goals
Austin Bashi hasn’t had a summer vacation, and he’s okay with that.
You might say he earned a little break after earning his first UFC win over John Yannis earlier this month, but after a week off following the August 2 bout, he was back in the gym.
“I'm waiting for the call, but I would love to be back,” he said. “November would be perfect.”
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It’s the way people like the 23-year-old are built. Fighting isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle. So when Francis Marshall was removed from the August 2 bout and it was up in the air whether the Michigan native would fight in the APEX or not, he didn’t skip a beat.
Austin Bashi Submits John Yannis In Round One | UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park
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Austin Bashi Submits John Yannis In Round One | UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park
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“My mindset was that I'm fighting August 2nd and that was my mindset going into that whole entire year, fight camp, fight week - I'm fighting August 2nd,” he said. “If it happened, I was ready for it, and if it didn't, it is what it is. But I'm glad it happened and mentally I was ready, and physically I was ready.”
He showed it. Newcomer Yannis stepped up on short notice, but it was a short night for him, as Bashi submitted him via rear naked choke at 3:39 of the opening round. It was the win he needed after dropping a decision to Christian Rodriguez in his UFC debut in January.
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“It was a big win for me to show my comeback,” said Bashi. “I feel like after people lose, they either come back better or they never come back the same. So, for me, getting the win the way I did was pretty big for me.”
And now, he truly feels at home.
“Honestly, sometimes it’s still kind of crazy to believe I'm in the UFC,” he said. “It's something I dreamed for my whole entire life, and being here, it's what I've always worked for, but for it to actually be reality and me actually being in the UFC is still a crazy feeling.”
It does feel like destiny, though. A well-rounded standout on the regional scene, Bashi used his ground game to defeat Dorian Ramos and earn his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September of last year, and nearly a year later, he’s waiting for this third bout in the promotion and working with UFC Noche headliner Diego Lopes in Mexico. In short, he’s come a long way in a year, and as the Contender Series’ ninth season ramps up, watching it as a fan is a different experience for him than it is for most.
“It was kind of crazy to watch because you were just saying I was on it one year ago and watching it yesterday and being in the show, it was cool to watch and kind of crazy.”
There’s a relief also, because on DWCS, you just can’t win and get a contract. It’s how you win that matters, making it the most important fight of a young fighter’s career.
Austin Bashi Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park
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Austin Bashi Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park
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“Honestly, for me, Contender Series is a little more pressure because you got to go out there and really make a statement,” Bashi said. “And in order to get that contract, you got to be impressive. You can't just win to win; you got to go out there and really show that you belong and show to Dana that you want to win.”
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Bashi impressed the boss, and now he’s in the big show, coming off an impressive win, and looking to impress some more later this year. Sure, it’s pressure, but remember, Austin Bashi is built for it.
“I've been training since a young age, I've been in this game for a while now and all my mental toughness honestly comes from just training in the gym all day, every day,” he said. “And I believe in my coaches, I believe in my team and I believe in my training. I think the biggest thing about me is that I put in a lot of work and I just fall back on my work. That's where all my confidence comes from.”