Athletes
Hyder Amil Has His Foot On The Gas
Featherweight Hyder Amil Is Eager To Make The Most Of His Time Each Time He Steps Inside The Octagon
Hyder Amil admits that, at one point before he got the call from Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, he was considering walking away from the sport.
“When you're over 30, it's kind of a gamble,” said the 34-year-old Amil, who faces William Gomis on Saturday at the APEX in Las Vegas. “But then I just gave MMA one more shot and here I am, undefeated, and honestly, I feel like I'm just too good and too entertaining a fighter for me not to give it a full shot. And it's hard to quit when you've been undefeated with all these great fights. So I want to see how far this goes, and whatever happens, happens.”
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So far, it’s been perfect for the Cebu City native who now makes his home in Northern California. From his spotless 10-0 pro record to the two knockouts he’s scored since joining the UFC roster, things couldn’t be going better for Amil. In fact, his only complaint thus far is that he hasn’t had the opportunity to show his wares to fans in a packed arena.
“I've been wanting that,” he laughs. “I feel like if I did my last performance in an arena, I'd be a superstar. I don't know if you saw my 38-punch combo that went viral. If I go viral again, I'm going to lose my mind.”
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Oh, I saw it, and so did the world, as he fired punch after punch on JeongYeong Lee in July en route to a 65-second knockout win. It was a sequence straight out of a video game, and when you add in Amil’s second-round stoppage of Fernie Garcia in February of last year, Amil has quickly become must-see TV. Now he wants to be the featherweight you pay your hard-earned cash to see in person. Another big win over Gomis might do the trick for a young man who fights like he’s double-parked, which may come down to the reality that in fighting terms, at 34, he is kind of double-parked, even if doesn’t feel that way.
“I feel like I'm 25,” Amil said. “I feel young. A lot of people don't. When I was 21, I had more white hair than now; I think I might have one. (Laughs) And, at my age, because I've done all these jobs and done all these things and figured out myself a lot more and stuff like that, I feel like I can handle the things that come with the fighting aspect outside of the fighting a lot better, and put out a better message to people.”
That message? Don’t sit back and wait for life to come to you; attack it and chase whatever it is you want, no matter what conventional wisdom might be.
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“I am 34, and some people would say to slow down,” he said. “But I think that's false. I think the reason why most people my age won't make it is that they don't have the support or the athleticism or they just got into being an athlete later in life. But if you've been an athlete and you've been taking care of yourself and you don't have that many miles - and again, you need to be talented, no matter what, and hardworking - I think you could totally do something in MMA.”
Amil is doing something in MMA, and he’s prepared to do even more. All he needs is the opportunity, and then “The Hurricane” takes over.
“I know what it's like to be at the bottom,” he said. “And, you know what, this MMA thing has already given me so much back that it's amazing and I can't wait for the future. I can't wait for this fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Almabayev took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 1, 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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