Kris Moutinho returns to the UFC on Saturday after he turned 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 dropping that struggle after which dropping yet one more 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 type contained in the cage, the now 32-year-old bantamweight was in a really darkish place in his private life.
“I went via a extremely unhealthy time with relationships, with every thing 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 discuss an excessive amount of about it however it was a foul time. One of many worst occasions 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 acquired the possibility to struggle within the UFC beforehand, Moutinho admits most likely wasn’t in the correct head house to search 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 finally 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 possibility to return again with a struggle booked in opposition to prime prospect Malcolm Wellmaker on Saturday.
“I really feel like I’m the place God put me, the place I’m speculated 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 via 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 in opposition to 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 take pleasure in it extra when I’m in there and when I’m coaching and when I’m preventing. I acquired again to what I did after I began these things. Mixing the sport.
“I acquired slightly too punch loopy and I needed to throw punches and get hit by punches and I loved it slightly an excessive amount of, didn’t pan out nicely after I was right here the final time. I’m simply opening my recreation up slightly 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 nearly a carbon copy of his first struggle with the promotion as a result of he’s as soon as once more taking a brief discover alternative in opposition to a extremely touted prospect.
As a lot as he appreciates the love he acquired after the battle in opposition to O’Malley 4 years in the past, Moutinho is understandably hoping for a a lot totally different consequence this time.
“It’s slightly 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 individual 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 believe Malcolm’s an important fighter. He’s 9-0 for a motive. He’s a strong man, has energy in each arms, he appears to counter rather a lot. He would possibly change, he might do one thing fully totally different this time however once more a variety of his fights, he counters and appears for the large hooks and he can wrestle, he can grapple, he can do every thing. I anticipate what I do very nicely is put strain, management the tempo of the struggle and use my wrestling right here and there and do what I’m speculated to do.”
With a stoic, targeted look on his face as he kicked off struggle week, Moutinho doesn’t take as a right that he’s getting a second likelihood at a primary impression however in some ways he looks like that is his actual introduction to the UFC.
He might sport an 0-2 report within the promotion however Moutinho expects to indicate a a lot totally different aspect 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 struggle. “I’ve been saying this to myself, I’m inevitable. My time is inevitable. I’m right here for a motive. I acquired again for a motive. There’s no stopping me.”
