Las Vegas, NV – Coming off a late-replacement bout against Damon Jackson in June, UFC bantamweight Dan Argueta is happy to finally be in the biggest MMA promotion on the planet.
Arugeta (8-1) stepped up on short notice to take on Jackson at the UFC APEX, but came away with a decision loss.
“It was amazing. It was exactly what I thought it was going to feel like. I’ve been working really hard just to get here. I know the work here’s going to get harder, and I’m just excited,” Argueta told Cageside Press at UFC X on Friday.
Argueta moved up to featherweight, one class up from his own, in order to fight Jackson. The natural bantamweight now looks to make an impact now that he’s on the roster.
“I always knew I was going to be a part of it. I knew I was going to be a part of it. Now it’s going to be, where am I going to make the most noise? We took the short notice fight at 145 against a ranked fighter, and I made some noise. Now I get to go down to my weight class and I was to see what everyone else thinks,” Argueta said.
“It won’t be easy but there’s a reason that weight class (135) is one of the toughest, and now I’m a part of it.”
Hardcore fans that have followed Argueta throughout his pro career before the UFC are used to his long hair in and out of the cage. With growth comes change and Argueta has already made some changes coming into the UFC.
“I’m not an advocate of haircuts. I get haircuts quite frequently. I wear button-up shirts, I wear jorts,” Argueta laughed. “Not much has changed in my everyday life. I’m still training everyday. I’m still being hungry, I’m studying, I’m watching myself. I think the only thing that’s changed is my personal life. My girlfriend and I now have a little bit of relief. She’s in dental school.”
“I was trying to make it to that list to be up there with the top guys on the planet, and we’re here.”
Watch the entire interview and Dan Argueta playing a round of “Heads Up” above. UFC X continues in Las Vegas leading up to Saturday night’s UFC 276.
