Athletes
Bryan Battle Only Needs A Little Bit Of Hope
Bryan Battle Is Always On The Lookout For An Opportunity To Make Magic Happen And Wants To Find That Chance At UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
Bryan Battle loves to fight. So much so that when he got a call for a short-notice assignment against Rinat Fakhretdinov last December, he was all-in, no questions asked.
“That was cool up until it wasn't cool because it was like, okay, boom, we're here, we're fighting now,” said Battle, who lost a three-round decision to Fakhretdinov, his first loss in the UFC.
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When did it go from cool to uncool?
“Man, not very long after I took the fight,” he said. “It’s one of those crazy things. I didn't say too much after the fight because I didn't want it to come across as an excuse because Rinat was just a monster, and he would've been a monster with or without the problems I had before the fight. But about 10 days out, I sustained an injury that was pretty debilitating for the fight. I just didn't know how to deal with it, and so that was tough. If that was just an isolated thing, then I could have dealt with it, but as soon as I got to Vegas, I got a really bad stomach bug and I couldn't eat, I couldn't drink, and the weight cut was terrible because I had no energy.”
So you want to be a fighter? Battle still does, regardless of what happened in his most recent bout.
“That was the first time I walked in the cage and didn't feel like the best version of me,” he said. “And I didn't realize how important that was until it was happening. But I wouldn't change anything because it was important to my overall development as a fighter. So, it wasn't fun, but it was necessary.”
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It’s key to point out that the 28-year-old is just 11 fights into his pro career, and when you’re growing up in the UFC, there will be growing pains, like the last bout and this upcoming one with Gabe Green, where Battle came in at 173 pounds for the welterweight scrap. So while he’ll lose a portion of his purse, at least the TUF 29 winner will get to compete in his hometown of Charlotte on Saturday, and that’s a big deal to him.
Bryan Battle Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
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Bryan Battle Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida
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“I'm not someone whoever really lacks motivation, especially when it comes to the fight game,” Battle said. “I can be lazy about other things, but when it comes to fighting and preparing for the fight, I never really lack a whole lot of motivation. And it's weird how certain things can happen in life that make you realize how much more you can put in.
"After my son was born, it took me to a different level that I didn't know that I had. But when I got the fight, I went into full war mode. For me, that's always been a dream. You’ve got the people who believe in you and the people who didn't believe in you, and then not only to be fighting, but to be fighting at the highest level in front of your people is really special. Just daydreaming about that got me through some hard times when I was still working my way up. So, this is it, this is magical.”
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All that’s left is for Battle to produce some magic of his own once the Octagon door shuts. And he’s prepared to do that, whether it’s finishing Green, dominating him over three rounds, or having to pull a rabbit out of a hat in the final round. It’s the wonder of MMA, the idea that you never know what’s going to happen until it happens, and if you need an eight-run homerun or a 20-point touchdown, you can get it.
Bryan Battle Lands Head Kick KO In 44 Seconds Against Sato | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
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Bryan Battle Lands Head Kick KO In 44 Seconds Against Sato | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Hill
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“That’s the beautiful thing about the fight,” he said. “It only takes one thing to go right. You could be getting your ass whooped the whole fight, but one punch lands on his chin, you win. You could be getting your tail whooped the entire time, then you slip something in real slick and you can still win the fight. You always have that little sliver of hope that no matter how bad it's going, you can still somehow pull it out. And if you don't have that, then you won't be able to compete at the highest levels because you're going to have to go to that where things aren't going your way. You need to capitalize on that little bit of hope.”
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Almeida took place live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on May 13, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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