Modestas Bukauskas was able to cause an upset ‘down under’ this weekend and beat Australia’s own Tyson Pedro via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). Not only was this win impressive due to Bukauskas flying from London to Perth on such short notice. But it was also his return to the UFC after such a rough time the first time around.
As you can imagine, Bukauskas was full of emotion after the fight. Here’s what he had to say to the media after his win at UFC 284.
Modestas Bukauskas Reflects on Biggest Moment of His Career
“Yeah, I mean especially considering what I had to go through to get to this point you know. After suffering one of the worst knee injuries in MMA, to be counted out and people saying I’d never compete again, then coming back to Cage Warriors, winning their belt for the second time, and getting signed to the UFC on two weeks’ notice to fight – what an absolutely spectacular competitor Tyson Pedro is, an absolute animal of a fighter. Great guy as well, very respectful but yeah I’m absolutely elated.”
“There were a lot of emotions afterwards when we were just chilling in the back there. Just because of what I’ve come through to get to this point, by no means are we finished, we’ve obviously got a lot of work to do, but to come back in such circumstances, in enemy territory – it was an amazing time.”
“I was hoping to catch him with particular shots maybe a bit cleaner, but I definitely felt like I landed one or two solid shots. I wanted to show my skill set more and show the switching of stances, which I’ve never done before, which I’ve been working a hell of a lot on since my knee injury. It’s harder because he’s got a heavy right kick.”
“Overall, it was a good performance, obviously there are things you can work on, but I’m glad I was able to neutralise the grappling at the beginning and then go out and do what I had to.”
Modestas Weighs-in on UFC Light Heavyweight Division
“It’s changed massively, you have Glover Teixeira retiring, and you have Jamahal Hill as the champion, who was a prospect at the time. It’s an exciting division, there’s a load of amazing fights. And I’m looking forward to competing and making my mark in the Light Heavyweight division.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
Bukauskas is eager for a quick turnaround after his win this weekend. In his post-fight interview, he called for an all UK match up with Paul Craig in London. Read more about this here.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
