Athletes
Jimmy Crute | Back And Better Than Ever
After More Than A Year Away From Competition, Jimmy Crute Makes His Return At UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 With A Rejuvenated Outlook On The Sport
The allure of a tantalizing young prospect is a universal draw. Whether it’s an athlete, actor, academic or otherwise, everybody can’t help but perk up at the potential Next Big Thing, and mixed martial arts is no different.
However, for a variety of reasons, fighting is much less forgiving to its up-and-comers. With athletes in other sports, they have teammates to take some of the pressure off or another game or match to play the next week or month. In fighting, a loss means stewing on what went wrong for months at a time before they get to roll the dice again. For all the momentum that can build with a handful of wins, the fall from grace can go from a slip to a stumble to an avalanche. For Jimmy Crute, the only way to catch his breath was to step away from the sport in a real way.
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When Crute earned his way into the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series as an undefeated 22-year-old in July 2018, he seemed like the next great Australian fighter. UFC CEO Dana White became a quick fan, once scoffing at the notion that an Australian-set card was light on star power by responding, “Ever heard of Jimmy Crute?”
Crute did his job in making sure people heard his name often. The light heavyweight prospect opened his Octagon account to the tune of back-to-back finishes over Paul Craig (a submission, no less) and Sam Alvey, and he even bounced back from his first professional loss with a couple more first-round finishes, including a brutal finish of Modestas Bukauskas in October 2020.
That victory was Crute’s last. The next four-plus years would fill with injuries, a draw and a trio of losses. His most recent outing, a second-round submission defeat to Alonzo Menifield, left Crute dejected in T-Mobile Arena. Soon after tapping out to a guillotine choke, the then-27-year-old Crute threw his gloves to the center of the Octagon, prompting the commentary team to wonder whether he was retiring.
Crute didn’t hang it up that night, instead releasing a statement a few days later to explain his next move on Instagram.
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“I’ve had a bit to process. that reaction after the fight just shows how unhealthy my relationship has gotten with this sport,” Crute wrote in a now-deleted post. “I have been obsessed with being in the UFC since I was 12 years old, and it has been my entire identity since I made the decision to chase this dream. I have a lot to address before I think about stepping back in there. Truth is, I don’t even know who I am (without) all of this. I am going to take the time to find myself, do the therapy and get myself right.”
Nineteen months later, Crute puts that work on display as he makes his return in Sydney at UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2.
The now-28-year-old Crute returns with a more “positive” point-of-view on the sport, but he does find the task of explaining all that changed in the last year-and-a-half a bit difficult.
“The media is like, ‘Tell us about this last 12 months or 16 months,’ (and) I'm just like, ‘I can't tell you because so much has happened that I can't pinpoint one thing that I know how to sum up the last however long,’” Crute told UFC.com.
“It's fun, I guess.”
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Fun — the part of any sport that fades quickest once things like competition, money, obligations and more get involved. Even in a sport as serious as fighting, there is plenty of joy to be had, and Crute feels like he found that again.
Part of that rediscovery was shrinking the crowd around him. When asked about who was most crucial to his rejuvenation, Crute first points out his faith. Then, he singles out a trio of men who’ve been with him on the journey from the beginning: his father, Gary, and his coaches Sam Greco and Stewie Moulden.
“I keep a small circle,” he said. “I think it's super important. I think the more people you let in, the more leaks you can have. I've got my career, I've got my team, and when you can trust the people that are around you, it's a very good feeling.”
He takes that good feeling and small circle into battle with him in Sydney, where he faces Rodolfo Bellato, a hulking 6-foot-3 Brazilian who, like Crute, earned his way into the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series.
Bellato smashed through his Octagon debut, scoring a second-round finish over Ihor Potieria in December 2023, and Crute knows he has a tall task in front of him.
“He's a big fella,” Crute said. “He's a pretty big unit. I'm just going to fight him. I just want to get in there and have a scrap. I think he's going to see a new level.”
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It’s all a bit of wait-and-see for Crute right now. As someone who is “big into visualization,” Crute allowed his mind to wander in anticipation of the walk, but he isn’t holding tight to a certain kind of performance or a certain kind of feeling.
He just wants to get back in there, perform to the best of his abilities and let everything else take care of itself.
“I'm going to enjoy it,” Crute said. “I'm just going to be present, walk out and just enjoy what I do.”
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia on February 8, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!