Mitch Raposo met the media Saturday after his win over Azat Maksum at UFC 321.
Raposo (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) put together a dominant performance as an underdog for a unanimous decision win over Maksum (15-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) on the prelims at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
It was his first victory in the UFC after two split decision losses in the promotion. He also lost a fight on Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and lost to Jake Hadley on DWCS four years ago in another attempt to get into the big show.
At 0-4 (0-2 officially) in the UFC and adjacent, he said confidence was an issue coming UFC 321, and as a 4-1 underdog, he had a tough task against Maksum in territory that was friendly for his opponent. To make matters worse, Maksum missed weight by three pounds.
But with the upset, now he has the confidence to push forward.
“I want this,” he told the UFC after his win. “I’ve been doing this my entire life, and I’m coming for the top 10, top five and that belt. I just had to prove it. I just had to get it done one time and now people are going to see it. Now, the confidence is there. It was hard to be confident being 0-4 in UFC appearances, regardless of if I felt like I won some or not.”
Check out Raposo’s post-fight interview in the video below.
