UFC lightweight Trey Ogden believes a loss this weekend at UFC Vegas 82 will see him released from the UFC.
The 34-year-old made his promotional debut in April 2022 off the back of winning the Fury FC lightweight championship.
He is currently 1-2 under the UFC banner and is scheduled to face Nikolas Motta inside the UFC Apex this Saturday. However, ‘Samurai Ghost’ thinks anything other than a win against the Brazilian will mean he leaves the UFC.
He said: “I do think that if I lose, they’ll probably release me, or choose not to re-sign me.
“These aren’t conversations that have been had with anyone, or that have been brought to me or anything. I’m just focused on my job.
“Obviously I want to win for more reasons than just getting resigned, but I don’t really think about it. I don’t know why I don’t think about it.”
Ogden Promises to Silence the Critics With His Performance on Saturday
Ogden’s career prior to the UFC was one full of submissions under big promotions such as Bellator and LFA. But, since signing for the UFC his fights have self-admittedly lacked that ‘kill-or-be-killed’ factor he once showed.
The Missourian has vowed to bring this back to his game this weekend on a card that is filled with other finishers with the likes of Paul Craig, Michael Morales, and Joanderson Brito all competing.
He said: “Traditionally it hasn’t been my style (point fighting), I feel like I fought [in the past] very Samurai, you know, kill-or-be-killed, always prioritising the finish.
“I quit competing in jiu-jitsu because guys were manipulating the point scoring thing and running away, getting an advantage and running away from you. I come all the way to California to try to see who can choke who, who can submit who and they don’t wanna do it!
“So I was like ‘I need to be able to punch people to expedite this if they’re stalling’. You can’t stall in MMA!
“But, in the UFC I have been a point fighter and I did get labelled [as] a point fighter, and I think they do view me as a point fighter. That was brought to my attention and it was the single most offensive thing that has been said about me. It’s the worst thing my ears have ever heard and they won’t say that after my next one.”
Trey Ogden Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch the full interview with Trey Ogden below:
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