Athletes
Hyder Amil | Couldn't Be More Excited
Featherweight Hyder Amil Can't Wait to Preform On the Highest Level In His Upcoming Bout Against Jose Miguel Delgado This Saturday At UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
There is a rumor floating around that fighters get dropped into the Octagon on fight night, do their thing, then get airlifted to fighter nirvana, where there are no bills to pay, no personal issues to deal with, and nothing but injury-free training to be conducted.
That rumor is false. Fighters, while doing extraordinary things within the eight-sided cage, are ordinary people outside of competition, so everything that happens in “real” life during a training camp will carry over into the fight.
Hyder Amil knows this all too well, and he dealt with it intimately in the lead-up to his March win over William Gomis. And while some fighters may have just found a way to pull out of the fight, regroup, and move on to the next one, Amil showed up at the APEX, not just for himself, but for the students in his Hurricane Athletics and Combat gym in Marin County, California.
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“I own a gym, and I have to always lead by example,” Amil said. “My last fight, I was injured the whole time. The last six months before my last fight, my best friend, my dog and my dad died. There were so many things happening before and I had to stay strong. I didn't tell anyone because it doesn't matter what I'm going through. I'm the leader of El Nino in my gym. I have to show everyone that, no matter what, I can still get the job done. I did speak to a therapist after the fight and he told me I needed to take a vacation and he said, no matter whatever you want to do, you have to go full out. He said, you have to learn to de-escalate with the stress. So I think after everything, that's when I'll do that. Behind closed doors, I’ll have my fun and stress relief. Other than that, I keep it very professional until I get the job done.”
Amil got the job done against Gomis, winning a three-round split decision over his fellow featherweight prospect. It wasn’t as spectacular as his first two UFC wins, knockouts of Fernie Garcia and JeongYeong Lee, but it proved that “The Hurricane” was no front-runner, and that he could gut out a three-round win against an equally talented foe.
That was March, and here he is in June, skipping vacation to face Jose Miguel Delgado on the UFC 317 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’s Amil’s first arena fight as a UFC fighter, and as someone who has long lobbied to hear the roar of the crowd in the Octagon, he couldn’t be more excited. Some would say this is better than vacation.
I” told them, you put me in front of a crowd and, if you've seen all my other fights, I've made the roof explode in every one of 'em,” he said. “So I can't wait until UFC 317 to show the crowd what I really can do and light up the whole arena.”
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Briefly linked with Nathaniel Wood and Danny Silva, Amil wanted a fighter with a “name” or a higher ranking for this bout, but instead, it was Delgado who stepped up. And though Delgado doesn’t have a name like Wood, he’s coming off an impressive UFC debut, and he can fight. So Amil has prepared accordingly.
“It's kind of frustrating because he is a newer guy and no one really knows who he is, but he's also a more dangerous opponent,” said Amil. “There's still upside; I still get a payday and still get to fight on UFC 317, but it's more danger with less upside in terms of my ranking and notoriety because no one really knows who he is. However, he is more dangerous, so it should be a more exciting fight.”
And let’s be honest, for the unbeaten (11-0) Amil, excitement trumps all.
“It brings this kind of energy going into the fight. I remember fought this one world champion jiu-jitsu black belt and I had a bad cut, so I wasn't performing very well and the guy got me in a rear naked choke,” said Amil. “And I just remember looking down at the crowd and seeing my girlfriend and my friends looking at me and the guy had it fully sunk-in, arm in the back of my head, black belt world champion. And I reached behind my head, I pulled his arm out from under me because I wasn’t about to lose in front of my friends and family. And I don't know why, but when I see them and hear them and I know I’m right in front of them, it brings something out of me even more. Get ready to see fireworks.”
RELATED: Significant Stats | UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
The 35-year-old has plenty of family and friends making the trip to Vegas. Spoiler alert, he’s not handling ticket requests – that’s his sister doing that for the family. And this fight does have the potential to take Amil’s rising star higher, even though there’s a nice buzz already about his future in the Octagon.
“I certainly hope so,” he said. “But I want to stay humble. I definitely have my aspirations for that, especially to represent the Philippines and the rest of Asia and maybe make UFC bigger in Asia. One of my dreams, is to make the ‘Thrilla’ in Manila’ number two and be the main event in Manila. I would love to bring that over there. I also want to be a really good example for people and speak for the community, not just in the Philippines, but throughout the world and in the Bay Area. I represent the Bay Area and the Philippines a lot, and I just want to represent everyone. A lot of people have been telling me that they do see a very nice upward trajectory for me. I feel like a lot of fans and people, however, do count me out because of my age. I am 35, but I was going to post this picture from 10 years ago. I looked way older. (Laughs) I had way more white hair, and was all stressed out. And I'm telling everyone right now, I have that Benjamin Button thing. Things are turning around for me.”
They certainly are. Could Benjamin Button have handled what’s to come when he was the stressed out 25-year-old kid with white hair?
“Absolutely not,” Amil says without hesitation. “Honestly, I would not have been able to handle it. I would not have as much appreciation for where I'm at and for all the things I've gotten through. If you see me face off, I might be the only fighter with a smile on my face. Everyone's trying to look hard, and the reason is, I just can't get intimidated by someone, even in a face-off, because the guy's never really done anything to me and I've been through so much confrontation and hell in my life. But also, I'm so happy and appreciative to just be here, in general. I can't help but be happy.”
UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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