Las Vegas, NV – The rush of a 17-second knockout victory had UFC flyweight Jesus Aguilar on a high following UFC 290 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
“I’m excited. It’s my day. Perfect for me and perfect for Mexico,” Aguilar told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.
“I’m feeling good.”
Aguilar (9-2) was the first of five Mexican fighters on the card and he kicked it off in style with a one shot knockout of Ross in 17 seconds. The pressure to represent was there as Aguilar knew he preceded Yazmin Jauregui, Edgar Chairez, Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez.
“Brandon Moreno is my friend. Before training with Brandon, training now with Yazmin Jauregui and Chairez, little pressure. It’s better for me. It’s good for me,” he said.
Prior to the even there was an Instagram post showing Aguilar being serenaded in his hotel room. The ballad or “corrido” was custom written by Ariel Macias. The song was a tribute to Aguilar, but also to a fallen friend who introduced him to martial arts.
View this post on Instagram
“His name is Ariel Macias. He wrote a ballad for me that’s called ‘No Es Coincidencia’ (It’s no coincidence) and that’s how it is. It’s no coincidence because I’ve worked very hard for this,” Aguilar told Cageside Press.
“He writes some great ballads. I’m not even a fan of ‘banda’ music, I’m more about rock and pop, but he puts a lot of heart into them. He interviews you then he writes you a ballad.”
The ballad, a tribute for Aguilar and his fight, was also a tribute to a fallen friend who Aguilar lost. The motivation to fight for his friend is something Aguilar takes very seriously.
“The song begins talking about a friend who passed away that was the one who introduced me to martial arts. He brought me into all of this, and we did business, we were very young. I’ve lived on my own since I was 13-years-old,” Aguilar told Cageside Press.
“He passed away. Unfortunately drug trafficking got ahold of him and he made some bad decisions, and I couldn’t save him. It’s something that I carry every single day. He’s my guardian angel. He was a great person, Alejandro Hernandez, and I know he’s my angel.”
* Translation by Cageside Press
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Jesus Aguilar above.
