Athletes
Mansur Abdul-Malik Is Building Up His Callouses
Middleweight Prospect Talks First Loss, Return To Action At UFC 330
Mansur Abdul-Malik isn’t someone that is going to provide you with a laundry list of things that went wrong in his last fight with Yousri Belgaroui, which resulted in the first loss of his career. It’s just not his style.
What’s done is done, and those who need to understand what transpired are always fully aware of the situation. But everyone else?
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“I don’t feel that it’s necessary because no one truly cares; no one truly cares,” Abdul-Malik said. “They’ll forget about the wins in a week, and they’re forget about the losses in a week, and it’s really something internal where in my mind, I’ll think, ‘Okay, what truly matters?’ I know what I did wrong, but that matters to me. I don’t need to prophesize that to the world and give every single reason as to why something happened because one, it diminishes something in you for future performances, and two, it literally takes away from the glory of someone else beating you. This is a sport and it go both ways — sometimes things go your way, sometimes they go the other way… I lost because someone was better than me on that night; it’s as simple as that and that’s as far as it goes. He mentioned me by name when he was speaking to a reporter — he said ‘opponent,’ and then he said my name, and that’s something I truly respect. That felt as good as a win to me. You show that respect back, you reciprocate that, and then you let it go.
“But it has to go both ways; it has to go with the wins too,” he added, smiling. “It’s the same way I don’t glorify success either. Just leave it be. There are much more important things to focus on — the weight cut, the next fight, your life in general.”
The University of Maryland product has always been thoughtful and introspective, so it should come as no surprise that he’s taken his March loss in Seattle as a grand opportunity to sit back and reflect on the adjustments he needs to make going forward. As he approached his fight with Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC 330, he also sought council from others about navigating this new experience coming off a loss.
Losses are inevitable in this sport when you’re competing at the highest level. They are crucial building blocks for less experienced competitors like Abdul-Malik, who has 11 professional fights. You don’t want to lose so much that it becomes common, but you need to know how to navigate everything that comes with it, which is how he ended up having a handful of meaningful conversations with former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.
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“I can draw inspiration from anything — I can draw inspiration from the grass growing — and I’m always trying to seek improvement, but I sort of neglect that feeling of when something goes wrong,” he said. “ I’ll push it to the side and think, ‘I’ve got to do this, and this, and this,’” admitted Abdul-Malik. “He was expressing to me that when things happen like this, it’s alright to feel what you’re gonna feel. That doesn’t mean some disaster is gonna happen if you bask in that feeling a little bit… Not be sad or depressed or push it onto other people, but to feel that emotion — allow it to be, don’t push it to the side, don’t neglect it. Feel it, allow it to pass, and move forward. It’s important to get familiar with that feeling.
“There is a lot of beauty in the emptiness you feel when something doesn’t go your way, and then you can move forward from it… It’s a beautiful thing when you truly take the time to acknowledge it. Not say, ‘I’m moving forward,’ and then you don’t ever really invest into that emotion and that experience. I did, and I feel great.”
As he spins it forward to this weekend, the middleweight prospect is clear on how to get things moving in the right direction again.
“To be much more free, to be myself,” Abdul-Malik said. “As a man that speaks about being myself and having self-expression, I didn’t do that last fight. I can literally count on one hand the amount of techniques I used… There is a lot of falseness in trying to be perfect and calculated — it freezes you and puts you in a box, and if there were things I did wrong, that is one of the things I did wrong. I completely was not free. I was not myself. I was not fighting. I was a fraction of myself, and it was disgusting to watch. It burns my eyes to go back and watch, but those things happen, man. It’s a learning experience, you grow from it, you move on from it, and you become better.
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“The word that goes through my mind is ‘calloused,’” he added. “When things happen and you get rubbed the wrong way, things are a little rough and tough, but you stay there, you stay in it, allow it to be, you become more calloused. I feel I’m calloused, and I feel really good… I’m grateful and happy for the opportunity to compete and go out there and be myself. As soon as those lights are on me, I’m in that cage and the door is closed, I’m gonna have a smile on my face, take a deep breath — now I am here. Now I can create this art. Now I can use my paint brush on this easel and make something beautiful.”
Although he’s itching to feel the canvas under his feet again, the thoughtful prospect is focused on remaining present, keeping himself balanced, and getting through everything that needs to be completed makes the walk.
“Physiologically, anxiety and excitement are the exact same feeling: the increased heart rate, feeling irritated, feeling hot, but it’s always excitement for me,” he said with a grin. “In my mind, I have to bottle it up a little bit because I can’t let it go just yet. I’m focused on me, my energy, me performing. I’m focused on a good weight cut, good energy, on me controlling my emotions.”
But once the weight has been made, the warmup is done in the back and it’s him and Stoltzfus standing across from one another inside the Octagon?
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“Be free, open up my arsenal, and pull that trigger,” Abdul-Malik said. “I’m not gonna wait, I’m not gonna overly calculate anything. I’m gonna be free, I’m gonna be in that flow state, I’m gonna be present, and that’s when I’m at my best; when I’m there. You can be there and not really be there, but I will be there, and I will be present, enjoying that entire 15 minutes.
“I’m excited and I just want to control myself, wait until that moment comes, and then pull that trigger.”
UFC 330: Makhachev vs Machado Garry took place live from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 15, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!