John Makdessi has put together two straight wins thanks to a potential Fight of the Night at UFC Calgary. What’s next? Who’s next? Who ever it is, it needs to be a quality opponent.
Calgary, AB — John Makdessi got Canada on the scoreboard at UFC Calgary. On a night where the Canadian contingent went 0-2 to start, Makdessi was able to shift momentum (at least temporarily). Beyond the nationalistic angle, the east-coast fighter, who’s been training with Duke Roufus of late, also managed to remind fans that he’s one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC’s lightweight division.
Going three rounds with Pearson in what included an all-out war in the third, Makdessi pulled off a unanimous decision win over the former Ultimate Fighter winner. That improves his record to 16-6, and puts the Canadian on a modest two-fight win streak.
Reflecting on the win post-fight, Makdessi said that “fighting for me is like a dream come true. Since [I was] a kid, I started martial arts at six years old. Taekwondo, Karate, Kickboxing.” In essence, “my whole life, martial arts was kind of my identity.”
He had a simple approach to his match-up on Saturday. “Go out there, be happy, and let everything go.”
“I don’t think the UFC puts with with the top strikers for no reason,” Makdessi later added. “I believe with my heart that I’ve fought the top fighters in the lightweight division. Relatively, I’m not the biggest guy in the division, but I always try to hold my ground, I always try to give the fans excitement.”
So what comes next? Makdessi told Cageside Press that for him, “it’s all about being smart, being healthy.”
“I want quality fights. It’s not about the quantity, it’s about the quality,” he told us post-fight. “I want the fights that make sense. In the past, I’d fight a guy who was a big name, then they’d give me a newcomer. I want, for me, I’m 33 years old now, I want to get to title contention by 35. I want to fight the guys who will get me to the top ten.”
“I don’t want to fight no more newcoming guys.”
