Kris Moutinho returns to the UFC on Saturday after he grew to become a viral sensation again in 2021 when he accepted a brief discover alternative to face Sean O’Malley in a wild scrap that ended up incomes Combat of the Night time honors. Sadly, after shedding that combat after which dropping another to Guido Cannetti eight months later, he was launched from the UFC roster.
It seems whereas he was embraced and adored for his fan-friendly model contained in the cage, the now 32-year-old bantamweight was in a really darkish place in his private life.
“I went by a extremely unhealthy time with relationships, with all the pieces else in my life and I used to be only a mess,” Moutinho stated throughout UFC Atlanta media day. “I used to be very near ending this factor, ending all of it and being executed.
“I don’t need to speak an excessive amount of about it but it surely was a nasty time. One of many worst instances in my life. I discovered the woman I’m with now, my stunning girlfriend, she saved me. Saved my life. Helped me discover God rather a lot higher and I’m simply in a greater place.”
Whereas he definitely appreciates that he bought the prospect to combat within the UFC beforehand, Moutinho admits in all probability wasn’t in the best head area to seek out success throughout his transient stint with the promotion.
Following his exit, Moutinho hit the reset button and began grinding away once more on the regional circuit the place he ultimately racked up 5 wins in a row with 4 finishes. He wasn’t essentially banging the drum to get again to the UFC however when the decision got here, he was very fast to just accept the prospect to come back again with a combat booked towards prime prospect Malcolm Wellmaker on Saturday.
“I really feel like I’m the place God put me, the place I’m alleged to be,” Moutinho stated. “I really feel like that is the man that ought to have been right here in 2021. The man that’s mentally targeted, enjoys these things once more.
“[Back] then, I used to be simply going by the motions and I used to be comfortable to be right here however I used to be form of simply comfortable to be right here. I’m not that man no extra. I don’t care. I’m coming to kill. I’m coming to knock him out. He has to kill me to get me out of there.”
Moutinho’s relationship with fight sports activities has additionally dramatically modified over the previous few years and he believes that’s going to indicate within the octagon in his return.
For each of his earlier fights within the UFC, Moutinho says he was solely involved with placing on a present however these memorable wars finally ended with back-to-back losses. Now he plans to rectify that along with his efficiency towards Wellmaker, though he nonetheless tends to placed on ultra-exciting fights.
“This sport within the 12 years, 13 years that I’ve been doing it, it’s taken rather a lot from me,” Moutinho stated. “I care much less I assume about this sport and fewer about what I’m doing and that’s in some way freed me to get pleasure from it extra when I’m in there and when I’m coaching and when I’m preventing. I bought again to what I did once I began these things. Mixing the sport.
“I bought a little bit too punch loopy and I needed to throw punches and get hit by punches and I loved it a little bit an excessive amount of, didn’t pan out effectively once I was right here the final time. I’m simply opening my sport up a little bit bit, labored on the issues that I had final time and only a extra full fighter now.”
In a wierd means, Moutinho’s return to the UFC is sort of a carbon copy of his first combat with the promotion as a result of he’s as soon as once more taking a brief discover alternative towards a extremely touted prospect.
As a lot as he appreciates the love he bought after the battle towards O’Malley 4 years in the past, Moutinho is understandably hoping for a a lot completely different consequence this time.
“It’s a little bit bit déjà vu,” Moutinho stated. “It’s just about the identical factor that occurred final time. I’m preventing a tall, lanky good striker on 9 days’ discover. It feels fairly comparable. I’m a unique particular person than I used to be then. I’m rather a lot older, much more at peace with myself and the place I’m at in life. Hopefully it’s going to be a greater present.
“I feel Malcolm’s a terrific fighter. He’s 9-0 for a purpose. He’s a strong man, has energy in each palms, he appears to be like to counter rather a lot. He would possibly change, he might do one thing utterly completely different this time however once more numerous his fights, he counters and appears for the massive hooks and he can wrestle, he can grapple, he can do all the pieces. I anticipate what I do very effectively is put stress, management the tempo of the combat and use my wrestling right here and there and do what I’m alleged to do.”
With a stoic, targeted look on his face as he kicked off combat week, Moutinho doesn’t take with no consideration that he’s getting a second likelihood at a primary impression however in some ways he appears like that is his actual introduction to the UFC.
He could sport an 0-2 file within the promotion however Moutinho expects to indicate a a lot completely different facet to himself when he clashes with Wellmaker on Saturday.
“You’re in my means and I’ve to place you down and that’s the one means it’s going to be,” Moutinho stated about his upcoming combat. “I’ve been saying this to myself, I’m inevitable. My time is inevitable. I’m right here for a purpose. I bought again for a purpose. There’s no stopping me.”
