Las Vegas — Nick Galanti knocked out Carlos Petruzzella in just 35 seconds on the Contender Series on Tuesday, the culmination of a dream come true.
Expanding on that dream post-fight at the Meta Apex on Tuesday, Galanti (8-1) told media outlets including Cageside Press that “I visualized this for so long. And the fact that it’s actually happening, it’s crazy. When you really have a dream and pursue it, crazy things happen.”
In his UFC debut, whenever it might come, Galanti added that “I just want to prove that, I want to be the best. I want to continue to progress and be the best fighter I can be.”
“I’m very real with myself,” the New Jersey-based middleweight stated. “I want to keep evolving: get better at grappling, better at striking, and just become more dangerous everywhere.”
In terms of the division and where he sees himself, “everyone in the UFC is good obviously,” stated Galanti. “I’m not going to be the type to be like ‘oh I want a top 10 guy.’ You see people talking like that, and they get slept their next fight. So you just focus on one fight at a time, and continue to grow and progress and get better.”
Galanti previously said he walked away from a six-figure income to pursue fighting and make it to the UFC. That news was something of a shock, given the miniscule pay entry-level UFC fighters collect. Galanti expanded on the career switch after his win on Tuesday.
“I used to do concrete and cement in high rises in New York. I did that, and I had a landscaping business with my cousin,” he revealed. Galanti added that he had nothing against the working life, but it led to him being late to the gym, and sleeping as little as three hours a day at times. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing against that life it just wasn’t for me.”
Watch the full Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, Week 3 post-fight press conference with Nick Galanti above.
