Dustin Stoltzfus: 'It's Now Or Never'

“It’s now or never,” he added. “If I’m going to really make a run in the UFC, show what I can do, and really make a name for myself, now is the time to do it, so I’m trying to grab that opportunity and really run with it.”

That “now or never” nature of things isn’t something most competitors are quick to acknowledge, let alone speak about in detail. Most will tell you that success is just around the corner, and even if there have been multiple missteps or setbacks, the next fight is always the one that is going to kickstart the march to the top of the division they were always meant to embark upon.

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But just as he was honest and open with his assessment of how things have gone to date, Stoltzfus was frank about the reality of his situation heading into Saturday night, correctly recognizing and clearly acknowledging that a win over Gastelum could, in fact, be the victory that gets the ball rolling for him, while silently making clear that he knows the potential downside of another defeat.

As someone that has admittedly struggled with nerves and anxiety throughout his UFC career, I asked the middleweight with a Master’s degree in translation how he’s been handling the weight that comes with being in the position he’s in right now.

“It’s that dichotomy that we sort of mentioned,” began Stoltzfus, who earned Performance of the Night bonuses in each of his last two wins, first-round finishes of Punahele Soriano and Marc-Andre Barriault that came on either side of a loss to Brunno Ferreira. “I can either let it pressure me and put me under additional stress, like I had been doing earlier in my career, or I can see it as a privilege and just think, ‘What an amazing opportunity I have to be here — the biggest show on Earth — competing against a guy like Gastelum that has been in the company for so long, done such great things.’ And to know in my heart of hearts that I can go in there and win, so what an amazing opportunity.

"I’m just trying to see it like that and move forward, stay positive, and really go in there and have fun again.”

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So how does Stoltzfus steer his mind away from the former and towards the latter?

“I suppose I’ll tell you when I get there,” he said with a laugh and a smile. “It’s a work in progress. It’s different every time, you’re a different person every time — I can feel great on fight week, and then all of a sudden those nerves come and I’m like, ‘Where did this all come from?’ It’s often just in that walk-out whether those nerves go away or not.

“I don’t think there is a simple answer to it,” Stoltzfus added in regard to addressing the nerves and seeking to avoid those nights where they limit one’s ability inside the Octagon. “I wish I could give one, for myself and for people who are coming up in the sport. I wish there was an easy answer, but it’s hard.

"It would be nice if there were easy answers in life, but usually there aren’t.”

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Ironically, there was an easy answer for Stoltzfus recently, and it came when he got opportunity to step in with Gastelum this weekend.

“It’s the reason we took the fight,” he said when asked about sharing the Octagon with the recent UFC Hall of Fame inductee. “I have a lot going on right now in my personal and professional life outside of the UFC, so I was not looking to fight for another couple of months, but when they put Kelvin Gastelum on the table in front of you, it’s ‘This is a big name, this is a good fight — a winnable fight — and something you can’t ignore.’

“We jumped on it: threw everything to the side and had a flight booked for two days after that; just dropped everything and started preparing.”

In an interesting twist, audibling on the timeline they had in mind for a return to action and quickly diving into preparations for Gastelum have — to the point of our conversation — kept Stoltzfus fixating on anything other than getting ready.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” began Stoltzfus. “It wasn’t what we expected, it wasn’t the timeline we were planning on, but I think we’re ready. I think it’s been good. It’s been a nice change from where maybe the long camps have been too much.

“Up to this point, it’s been great — it’s not given me too much time to ruminate over things, stress over things. The fight’s a couple days away and I still feel like, ‘Oh, I’ll fight eventually.’ It’s around the corner now, and I feel a lot lighter, a lot more relaxed, so that’s nice.”

He paused and chuckled to this himself before adding, “Though, at this point, I probably should start ruminating a little.”

Whether the rumination comes or it doesn’t, the tenured middleweight heads into the weekend focused on having the kind of performance that showcases his entire tool kit and allows him to exit the Octagon happy with his efforts, regardless of the result.

Not that he’s thinking about anything other than getting himself back into the win column and handing Gastelum a second consecutive loss.

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“I’m more of a training-focused person in general, so it’s always super-disappointing when you know you did all this work and the results are not showing up. So, for me, every fight is let’s go in there and show what I can do, what I’ve been working on, and if I can do that, I’m happy, win, lose, or draw. So that’s the main thing: go in there and do what I know I can do, what my coaches know I can do, what my training partners know I can do.

“A win and a finish is always what I’m looking for,” he added, shifting his focus specifically to Saturday night and the man that will stand across from him. “I feel confident everywhere. It’s no secret that I’m a grappler, but my striking has been getting a lot more competent, which is what was holding me back a lot. I feel like I can hang with him on the feet, and if it goes to the ground, he’s in trouble.”