Kyle Prepolec: ‘Every Fight Is A Boss Fight’

Following the contest, the Canadian was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a potentially life-threatening condition where skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly, causing muscle weakness and pain, an irregular heartbeat, and even kidney failure. A few months later, as the COVID pandemic kicked off, he was released from the promotion and forced to spend more than two years on the sidelines without competing as regional promotions pressed pause.

Four wins in five starts, including three straight first-round stoppage wins, showed he still had plenty to offer once everything kicked up again, and when Joel Alvarez was unable to make the trip to Montreal last May to face Benoît Saint Denis, Prepolec got the call.

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That fight didn’t go his way — Saint Denis earned a second-round submission win — and neither did the next one, a back-and-forth battle with Drew Dober in Vancouver last October that earned the duo Fight of the Night honors, which means Prepolec heads into Saturday’s contest with Rebecki still searching for his first UFC win.

“Obviously, everyone wants to win, but everyone only sees what they see.They don’t see behind the scenes of you’re in the gym all the time, you’re doing this, doing that. He’s not drinking, going to parties, missing special events. People don’t see that, and you don’t know how hard that guy works, how long it took to get there; there are no overnight successes.

“The win is super-important, but the experience and the journey — it’s not always the start or the end, but everything in between that’s very important,” he added. “The win is very important, the experience is very important, and with the losses I’ve had, I’ve always come out better, and I feel like as a human, as a person, the gratefulness and appreciation of everything in life overall has grown thanks to those losses, which makes you even more grateful for those wins.”

That journey has been a massive part of what has allowed Prepolec to separate himself from his results and the weight some athletes carry when it comes to wins and losses, the way they see themselves, and the way they believe others view them.

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“Some people take losses really hard, which is good because it means you care, but I think that’s also that you’re worried about what everybody else thinks and you’re not worried about the ones who love you, care about you, or even yourself,” Prepolec said. “After the fight is done, you may get a couple people on the internet that say s*** here and there, but beyond that, you walk around, and it’s ‘there’s that guy that fights in the UFC.’

“It’s not as cruel as people think,” he added with a laugh. “Maybe it is on the internet, depending on who you are, but turn the screen off — don’t read the s***! Who cares? These people aren’t in your life, paying your bills, helping you, so who cares? The less you worry about the outside voice, the better.

“It all pieces together: the wins, the losses, the hardships; the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It just depends on your mindset and how you wanna take it and understand it. I was fortunate enough that I got to learn a little earlier than later in life, which is way better, and it’s why I am the way I am.”

It’s also why he’s approaching Saturday’s contest like any other, rather than turning the matchup into something so much bigger.

Yes, he’s dropped two straight and has yet to get his hand raised in four UFC appearances between two stints, but the days of “lose three straight, and you’re out” are long gone, with Rebecki standing as a clear example of that, having dropped each of his last three and four of his last five heading into this weekend’s meeting with Prepolec.

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The way you fight and the type of performances you put forth carry a tremendous amount of weight, and though the results have yet to fall in his favor, “Killshot” always comes out looking to entertain, and he expects to do the same on Saturday.

“It’s just another day where I get to do something that not many people get to do or experience,” he said. “And if they do, it’s fantastic, and they’ll agree with me that it’s one of the greatest feelings. It’s ‘Go in, do your thing, fight, and be yourself, have fun, and enjoy the ride.’ In my division, there are no easy fights; every fight is a boss fight. If you play video games, it’s a boss after a boss, and then another boss, so it’s just go out there in fight; that part is in your hands, and the rest is in God’s hands.”

With Rebecki also having an allergy to boring fights, the chances are high that this lightweight encounter sets the Octagon alight this weekend, but Prepolec isn’t banking on things playing out any particular way.

“I go out there, be entertaining, and get the win in any way possible,” he said. “Whether he shoots and I take his neck or he wants to stand and trade, and we see where it goes from there.

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“For me, if we go in and he tries to throw some looping shot and I catch him — kind of like a McGregor-Aldo thing? Fantastic! If it’s fast and I get the win? Sick! If it’s 15 minutes of hell and he survives and we get Fight of the Night? Fantastic! If it’s somewhere mid-fight and they’re like, ‘Dang, that was a great fight!’ and it’s a Performance of the Night or maybe Fight of the Night because it was an intense five or 10 minutes? Awesome.”

He smiled, equal parts excited to make the walk again, keen on putting on a show, and proud that every time out, he knows he’s facing standout talents and delivering for the audience.

“I know he goes out, I go out, and we show out; that’s our style.”