Luke Riley finally got the performance he had been chasing.
After stopping Kai Kamaka III at UFC 329 on Saturday night, the surging featherweight brushed aside criticism of the stoppage while making it clear that his confidence comes from honesty, not delusion. With three UFC wins under his belt and another statement performance on one of the promotion’s biggest stages, Riley believes he’s only getting started.
“Unbelieveable. Look, I’m a happy man. People who watched my past two fights have been very harsh on myself. This one I can go back and just be happy,” Riley told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.
“Started off Qatar. First time in the UFC being Qatar in me first fight. Second one, co-main my second fight, which I don’t know if that’s ever been done. Now third fight on McGregor card. It’s pretty big. It’s been a crazy ride. It’s only chapter one in the book which is crazy.”
Riley believes confidence is essential in this sport, but says too many fighters mistake it for blind confidence. He prides himself on staying realistic about where he’s at, insisting that being brutally honest with himself is what will eventually lead him to a UFC title.
“What it is with fighters, I feel there’s a very, very thin line between confidence and sort of delusion. There’s fighters who are very delusional, I’m not one of them, I know what needs to be done. I know I want to win a belt in this division. I know what I need to do,” he said.
“I’m not delusional about myself. When I show a bad performance I’ll call myself out on it. I’m my own worst critic and that’s going to pay off in the end.”
Riley had no patience for the criticism that followed the finish. While some fans, fighters, and even analysts like Joe Rogan, questioned whether the referee stepped in too soon, he believes the outcome was obvious and that the stoppage prevented unnecessary damage.
“They f*cking lost their minds. Two more seconds he would have been face down on the canvas, honestly,” said Riley.
“That’s baffled me a bit that one. I don’t even know what to say about it. If you think that was sort of a early stoppage then I feel like you shouldn’t be watching fighting, but it is what it is.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Luke Riley above.
