Athletes
Ignacio Bahamondes Wants To Prove He’s ‘The Ultimate Finisher’
Chilean Lightweight Is Excited To Be A Part Of UFC 306 And Plans To Light Up Sphere With His Brand Of All-Action Fighting.
Twenty fights into his professional MMA career, Ignacio Bahamondes has a well-earned reputation as one of the most spectacular finishers in the UFC. Now he plans to showcase that ability on the most spectacular event of 2024.
Bahamondes will take on Mexico’s Manuel Torres on the preliminary card of Noche UFC at UFC 306. It’s an assignment he manifested from the moment the event was announced, so his involvement on the card came as no surprise when the call came in from the UFC’s matchmakers.
Order UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili
“I kinda always knew,” he smiled during a conversation with UFC.com.
“I always had that little (thought) like, 'OK, I'm gonna be there.' So I put it on my mind, and I just was training and thinking like I was gonna fight there. And so whenever it happened, it was like, I already knew.”
The last time we saw Bahamondes in the Octagon, he delivered an emphatic bounce back performance as he knocked out Christos Giagos with a head kick in the first round at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2 back in April.
It was the perfect way for Bahamondes to get his mojo back after suffering the disappointment of defeat to Ludovit Klein in his prior outing in Nashville.
“For fighters, losing a fight is the worst thing that is gonna happen to us, because we work hard every day to go compete and win, so whenever that doesn't happen, it is the worst for us,” he admitted.
“So getting that taste of the win again is beautiful. It's the best sensation ever.”
Highlight: Ignacio Bahamondes Earns Wheel Kick Knockout | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Gastelum
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Highlight: Ignacio Bahamondes Earns Wheel Kick Knockout | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Gastelum
/
Bouncing back from that loss gave Bahamondes even more determination and focus in his training. And, after working with his team for so long, the Chilean star says he and his team are really starting to click, and people will start to see the results inside the Octagon in his next few fights.
“Me and my team, we always knew what we had, and that's my fighting style, and we've been working for so long. But I think we're just getting so much better at it,” he explained.
“I feel blessed. I have a good team, I'm getting better every day, everywhere in my fighting style. So, these things, these knockouts, I know they're coming, and there's a lot more to come, because I keep training and I keep getting ready for the best.”
Despite his crowd-pleasing style, Bahamondes’ next assignment has cast him in the role of spoiler. He’ll face Mexico’s Torres on Mexican Independence Day weekend on a fight card that UFC CEO Dana White described as a “love letter to Mexico.”
As a former lightweight champion in the Mexican fight promotion Lux Fight League, Bahamondes knows what it’s like to share the cage with Mexican opposition, and he knows all about the fighting spirit that has become the hallmark of Mexican fighters over the years.
“Mexican people are tough. I've been fighting Mexicans for a long time now in my career. And they're tough. You've really got to put them out,” he stated.
“He's strong, he's fast, and that's why I'm excited for this fight, because he is a good fighter. He's undefeated in the UFC with a lot of finishes. I'm a finisher, too, so I'm excited for this fight.
“He's pushing me a lot to be better, to train harder and be better in every aspect of my gameplan. So I'm excited for this fight, it's going to be a big one, and let's see who's going to be 'the ultimate finisher.'”
The added factor for this fight is the venue itself. The state-of-the-art Sphere in Las Vegas is a unique experience to visit, let alone fight in. Bahamondes is expecting a raucous atmosphere and said that he’s already mentally preparing himself for the wall of sound that will greet him and Torres when they step into the Octagon.
“It's gonna be tough. In the Sphere, the tension is gonna be crazy,” he said.
View Bahamondes' Athlete Profile
“It's a small place, and everything is gonna be really tough. So I've gotta be ready for that, and it's gonna make fighters just want to punch each other harder!
“It’s just two Latinos fighting in the middle of the cage and let's see who's tougher, who's stronger, who trained more, who wants it more … it's going to be a great night. It's going to be historic.”
It may be a historic event, but Bahamondes is keeping his eyes on the prize. His fight is just another step on the way to his goal, and he wants to use this unique platform to deliver a statement to the UFC’s matchmakers and prove that he’s ready to make the step up and start to face some of the best lightweights on the planet.
“I think this is the last time they are testing me. 'Let's see what you got. And now, OK, now we're going to give you a challenge. Let's see if you can keep climbing.’” he said.
“I just want to show the UFC that I'm ready. I'm ready for this, and more. I have the best team to train (with). I'm training every day. I live this. This is my life, and I'm ready for anybody, whatever, whenever. I'm ready!”
UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili took place live from Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!