UFC bantamweight Kris Moutinho has opened up about his UFC debut loss against Sean O’Malley, saying he struggled to watch footage of the fight.
In July, Moutinho was plucked from obscurity and, on ten days’ notice, thrust onto the limelight of UFC 264—the second-most watched PPV in the promotion’s history—to face one of its biggest stars in O’Malley.
Moutinho captured the hearts of fans worldwide for his otherworldly ability to remain conscious despite sustaining a phenomenal amount of punishment. The 29-year-old relentlessly stalked O’Malley and casually absorbed his best strikes—230 to be exact—the second most for a three-round fight in UFC history.
The bout was mercifully ended with just 27 seconds left. And despite Moutinho losing, and his face post-fight “looking like roadkill,” as described by commentator Joe Rogan, it was truly a UFC debut for the ages.
Kris Moutinho Keen To Prove He’s “Not Just A Punching Bag” In Second Fight
Moutinho is now set to return to the UFC octagon against Aaron Phillips on October 23. And while the Massachusetts-native says he’d prefer to fight at the end of the year, he’s appreciative that this time, he’ll have more than 10 days to prepare.
“I didn’t plan on coming back so quick,” Moutinho told MMA Junkie. “I planned on maybe the end of the year, maybe next year, but you can’t really say no in these situations. It’s a good fight. It’s a tough kid. They’ve given me two months to prepare. I didn’t have many injuries. My toe was a little banged up, and everything else was pretty good. I healed up pretty quick, and I’ve been training non-stop, so there’s really no reason for me to say no. If I start saying no now, who knows what they give me next time? I’m just ready to go out there, have a good camp and show everybody that I know how to move my head. I’m not just a punching bag.”
Kris Moutinho Reflects On O’Malley Fight
Moutinho more than made a splash on his UFC debut, and has received adulation accordingly. While the 29-year-old is appreciative of the praise, he says the O’Malley fight is one which he can no longer bear watching, and that he wants to make a new impression on fans in his next bout.
“I gotta win fights first,” Moutinho said. “That’s the most important part. Get these wins and show everybody I’m worth more than just what they saw the last fight. I’m glad everybody enjoyed the last fight, everybody loved it, but it still hurts me. I can’t even watch it anymore. I watched it a couple of times, and it was too much. I don’t want to be known as the guy who just takes ass whoopings. I’m a fighter. I’ve been fighting for a very long time. I put on shows, and y’all are gonna see it,” said Moutinho.
What do you think? Will we see Kris Moutinho victorious in his second fight?
