Athletes
Modestas Bukauskas | Embrace The Chaos
He May Have A New Opponent For Fight Night, But ‘The Baltic Gladiator’ Is Ready To Showcase His Skills, And Determined To Bounce Back
It’s fair to say that Modestas Bukauskas has endured his fair share of setbacks during his career, and suffering those tough moments has helped him deal with his more recent difficulties.
After a defeat to Nikita Krylov earlier this year, Bukauskas will look to bounce back Saturday night when he returns to action at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa. But even his matchup offers an unexpected challenge, after the fight week news that his opponent, Rodolfo Bellato, had been forced off the card.
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Bukauskas picks up the story: “On Tuesday morning, I wake up, I'm having breakfast, you know, thinking (about) going through the weight cut. Obviously, you're trying to drop your weight down, and then slowly get into the swing of things. And then the next thing, your manager messages you and says, ‘Oh, your opponent's pulled out.’ And I'm like, ‘Oh my God.’”
For Bukauskas, who had completed a full training camp and then made the journey over to Las Vegas from the United Kingdom, all the hay was in the barn. The prep was done, he’d flown over, and he was nicely settled in town, ready to start his usual fight week prep. But there was a very real concern that he wouldn’t get to fight at all, especially with him being a light heavyweight.
“The thing is, on a Tuesday, for most light heavyweights, they tend to walk around a little bit heavier, so they take their time and due diligence to make sure that they get their weight down,” he explained.
“So I was just worried. I was like, how are they going to find someone on Tuesday to make weight by Saturday? And obviously, with me traveling all the way from London to come out here. So I‘ve got to give a big shout-out to my manager, Jason House, for finding me a credible opponent.”
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That opponent is Christian Edwards, a former Bellator vet who is stepping in on short notice for his UFC debut. It’s a very different opponent, with little to no time to adjust to his fighting style. But, despite the challenges a late-notice change brings, Bukauskas is thanking his lucky stars that he is still able to fight, and plans to deliver, regardless. He’s even seeing the positives from the change.
“Obviously, it's at catchweight now, which means I don't have to cut any weight, which is perfect for me,” he said.
“It means a bit more food, a bit more energy. So in that way, it just couldn't have worked out any better, you know?
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“And I’ve got to give massive respect and credit to Christian Edwards for stepping up to the plate, to come in on such short notice, getting flown out, I think on the Tuesday or the Wednesday. So, fair play to him.”
Edwards isn’t just a different name for Bukauskas; he’s a completely different fighter. The Oklahoma native, who trains out of Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, stands three inches taller than Bellato and will step into the Octagon with a 78.5-inch reach. His fighting style is markedly different, too.
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“From watching his film, he's a very different striker to what Bellato is,” Bukauskas concurred.
“Obviously, he's a lot taller, body shape’s a lot different. We're both going to be coming in a bit heavier now, and stuff like this. So it is a different fight, but it doesn't take anything away from my skillset and what I have to do.
”Ultimately, I'm a fighter. I'm a mixed martial artist. I'll go out there and put my full capabilities on show, no matter who I fight. We're fighting in the UFC. These are the best fighters in the world. So it doesn't matter who you have in front of you, you've got to go out and get the job done, be confident, and let loose. And that's exactly what I plan to go out and do.”
Bukauskas is keen to fight not just to ensure there’s a payoff to his preparation, but also to bounce back from his January defeat to Nikita Krylov. The pair faced off at UFC 324, with Krylov earning a buzzer-beater TKO finish with just three seconds left in the fight.
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It was a defeat that took a little while for Bukauskas to process and get over, simply because he knew he didn’t do himself justice with his performance.
“In all honesty, it was tough because I know I'm much better than that,” he admitted.
“Fair play to Krylov. He had an amazing performance, but it just shows you the differences in training camps. Him completely isolating himself, away from everything, fully focused on the fight. And don't get me wrong. I trained hard. I did everything that I could, but going from my own little personal struggles, it made it hard for me to unlock my full self in there. And that's the thing that was kicking myself about, was that I know I'm much better than that, and you know, ultimately, it's down to me to go and correct that.
Modestas Bukauskas Knocks Out Rafael Cerqueira In Round 1 | UFC Seattle
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Modestas Bukauskas Knocks Out Rafael Cerqueira In Round 1 | UFC Seattle
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“I did go for a bit of a dark period afterwards, but again, that was all part of the process, and I understand that. And then it's funny, because when you come out the other side, you look back on it and think, ‘You know what? I'm actually so happy I went through that, because now it's going to make me the athlete that I know that I am ready to be.’”
Bukauskas has dealt with his fair share of setbacks over the year. Most notably, at the end of his first UFC stint, when defeat to Khalil Rountree ultimately led to his release from the UFC, and he needed major knee reconstruction surgery. But he battled back to fitness, then won back-to-back fights for top European promotion Cage Warriors to earn another crack at the big show.
Since then, “The Baltic Gladiator” has gone 6-2 in the UFC, and knows that his ability to rebound from setbacks has made him even more resilient, inside and outside the Octagon.
“It's not nice having setbacks. But ultimately, I feel like that's where all of my lessons have been learned,” he explained.
“Some people learn their lessons through wins. But you know, everyone's journey is different. And my journey, obviously, I had to go through some really, really bad times, you know? Some dark times. But mentally, I've overcome a lot of things, and I've learned a lot.
“The main thing is, if you just stay stuck, if you kind of had the setback, and then you don't change anything, you don't realize what you did wrong or whatever (and) you just keep doing the same thing, that's just insanity, you know? So the thing is, I've learned so many lessons, and I'm so grateful to have those lessons, because it's made me who I am today, and it can only make me better, not only as a fighter, but as a human in general.”
As a result, Bukauskas has been able to adopt a refreshing approach to his career. The twists and turns, and the peaks and valleys, will come and go, but the constant is his own attitude, and rather than bemoaning his bad luck or poor fortune, he’s decided to accentuate the positives, even during the tough times.
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“You’ve got to enjoy this process. You got to embrace the madness,” he said.
“Every fight is chaotic, you know? You can go in thinking one thing, and something completely different happens. And I think that's through maturity, that's through the growing process, learning from every fight, going from fight to fight, and stuff like that.
“So I think it's always just about staying calm, being patient, trusting in my skillset, being confident in what I know that I can do and what I'm capable of, and just letting things come naturally. You don't have to force anything in this game. You just let it come to you. And the thing is to have that confidence in your own skillset and a strong mindset you can do anything out there. And it's just like, I say another thing is about embracing the chaos as well. And yeah, I'm fully set on doing that.”
That positivity also applies to his goal-setting, too. Bukauskas still has his sights set on the light heavyweight top 15, and plans on bouncing back into the win column with victory over Edwards this weekend. From his standpoint, the opponent may have changed, but the mission remains exactly the same.
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“The goal doesn't change. I'll go out there, do my thing, put on my best performance, stick it on him and get the win,” he stated.
“That’s all that’s in my head, to get the victory. So it doesn’t matter who is in front of you, you adapt, you overcome, and I'm here to fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!