Alex White knows that he had a slow start on Saturday at UFC Wichita, and reflected on the fight with Dan Moret, and his “headstrong” tattoo post-fight.
Wichita, Kansas — Featherweight Alex White snapped a two-fight losing skid at UFC Wichita against newcomer Dan Moret. Improving his record to 13-5, the win was key, and possibly saved White’s job. 0-3, after all, is not where you want to be in the promotion. Yet while he took home the win in the end, it was a slow started, and one that certainly left him bloodied up.
“I got six [stitches], could’ve got seven but the doctor said he didn’t want to put too many in,” he told media members including Cageside Press after the fight. But that was no doubt a small price to pay to secure his spot on the roster.
“I try not to think about that [pressure to win]. I feel like if I did, I’d hesitate too much,” he explained backstage. “Which in the first round, there was a slow start. That’s on me, that’s something I need to work on, and it’s something that I will work on. But in the second and third round, I tried to put more pressure on.”
What caused that slow start? “I was just rusty, I don’t know. It’s just something I need to work on. To me, it seemed like I hadn’t been in there in a long time. But I’ve trained in the ring with other fighters. I don’t know, maybe an adrenaline dump or something in the first round.”
White did come close to a finish at times, despite the fight going to a decision. On that count, he recalled that “I think on the second [guillotine] he started to gurgle a little bit. I couldn’t cinch my hands fast enough to lock it.”
As for the cut that ended up being stitched show, “At first, when [the cut] happened I didn’t think it was that bad. Then blood kept going and going and I thought, ‘oh man, maybe I need to watch this and try not to get hit there anymore.'”
What’s next is always the immediate question after any fight. In White’s case, he’s looking to stick to the UFC’s home base in Vegas. “I like fighting in Las Vegas, that’s always cool. As far as an opponent goes, when I went out to California, I stayed with my manager, and I feel comfortable with him picking whoever for me. He’s a good guy, he knows what he’s doing. I’m just going to leave it to him, he’s been doing it long enough.”
White also addressed his “headstrong” tattoo. “It was inspired by the song [by the band Trapt]. I was young at the time. I was 18, can’t hold that against me. I’ve always liked the song and it’s how I felt at the time. I always wanted to push myself, and a year-and-a-half later, I got in the gym.”
The lightweight finished with a message to St. Louis (White is a Missouri native): “I appreciate the support. The more the merrier. They can always follow me at Alex “The Spartan” White on Facebook or Instagram @SpartanWhite155. Without the hometown, where would I be now? It’s thanks to them.”
