The LFA 125lbs belt is one of the most, if not the most, prestigious regional title out there. The belt has been worn by UFC champion Brandon Moreno, challenger Brandon Royval, and a slew of other UFC talent. While it seems like a logical stepping stone for any fighter on that path, LFA 176’s An Ho isn’t really all that interested.
While he recognizes the value it has brought to others, he’s interested in a different kind of value.
“It’s not that important for me, to be honest. It seems cool walking that path and getting that belt,” Ho said. “But I’ve been in this game for like 10 years now. This is my 10th year of grinding and not getting paid. And I literally fought 14 or 15 fights, just for free.”
And that’s the portion of his career he’s looking to change at this point. Having spent so much time trying to ‘make it’, the LFA flyweight is ready to take that next step.
“If you know anything about fighting, the hardest part is the poverty part, the beginning, the grind,” he said. “My goal this year is to get into the UFC and I want to start making some real money.”
While making a living is at the top of his list right now, it isn’t all about money for him. There are obviously other things he hopes to achieve as well.
“I don’t want to make it seem like money is all I’m after. Of course I’m after legacy as well,” Ho said. “But right now I feel like I need to be able to provide for myself and be a full-time fighter.”
The next step towards reaching those goals comes this Friday at LFA 176. Although it may be one of the biggest tests of his career, Ho isn’t worried about the challenge of facing Miguel Sanson.
“I know how good I am. Everyone around me and everyone at the gym knows how good I am,” he said. “This is just another opportunity for me to showcase to the world how good I am – that I’m ready to take that next step.”
You can catch his bout with Sanson as the co-main event of LFA 176. That fight card begins at 10pm EST on UFC Fight Pass.
You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 27:41.
