Las Vegas, NV — After posting a 1-3 record in his first stint with the promotion and exiting off a severe knee injury, light heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas is 2-0 since making his return earlier this year.
At UFC Vegas 75 on Saturday, Bukauskas (15-5) went the distance with TUF alum Zac Pauga, earning a unanimous decision win.
Despite judging being what it is in the sport of mixed martial arts, Bukauskas was confident he had done enough to win the fight, he told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the UFC Apex.
“I felt like I definitely had the more damaging shots,” the Lithuanian-born Brit stated. “I knew he’d landed a couple of good ones, as you can probably see on my face.”
“I definitely felt I had the upper hand. Especially in the first round, when I was very close to finishing him at the end. I know obviously got the takedown, but I know damage plays a big part now at the Apex, whereas before it was about cage control. I just felt like I landed the more damaging shots. Although he did get a couple of good shots on me, I felt like I controlled it a bit better.”
“At the end, I was like, ‘it should go my way,’ but you never know,” Bukauskas added.
Asked whether the way he exited the UFC the first time around weighed on him at all ahead of the bout, Bukauskas replied “Not really. I feel like I’ve already battled that demon ages ago, when I was coming back into the cage, when I was sitting there wondering ‘oh when’s my next fight, what am I gonna do?'”
The 29-year old took the time, he added, “to really try and focus on my skill sets and learn as much as I could and do as much— and not focus so much about fighting, focus more about improving myself.”
“Just going back in my head, replaying these situations, I’ve almost become numb to it.”
Rather than the past weighing on him, Modestas Bukauskas feels like he’s been given a fresh start.
“I feel like this is almost a new beginning. When I came back to the UFC for the second time, this is my new beginning. It was more a rush of positivity than it was negativity. Coming back here obviously, there was a lot of demons from that particular injury, but I knew I’m a completely different fighter, I had a whole different energy. I’ve tapped into my ancestral traits, and things like coming back from war, and Lithuanians defending their lands. So all of these things were overbearing and overpowering over the bad thoughts that were coming from that last defeat.”
“This is my chance prove myself, like I say, this is my chance to flip the script,” added Bukauskas, “and I’ve definitely done that.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 75 post-fight press conference appearance by Modestas Bukauskas above.
