Former UFC fighter Bryan Battle has released his first statement after parting ways with the promotion.
Battle was recently cut from the UFC after missing weight twice, the most recent being his scheduled bout with Nursulton Ruziboev, which was ultimately cancelled. Despite his repeated weight issues, Bryan Battle believed he would be given another chance with the organisation.
“So I definitely knew that it was a possibility, you know what I’m saying?” Battle told MMA Fighting. “I definitely thought it was something that could happen and it was justified. It’s not something that I’m going to bitch and moan about at all, but I’m not going to lie, I did think that they weren’t going to cut me, you know what I’m saying? I didn’t think that that was going to happen, but that’s what happened. That’s a result of my own actions.
“And so now, we’re on to the next thing. I’ve been quiet. There’s been a lot of things I could have said over this whole time. I haven’t been making posts or anything besides collaborating with Dirty Boxing and other pages on different things, and one of the things I’m most excited about with this opportunity is it gives me a chance to let my actions do the talking show my remorse, show that I’m better with my actions.
“One of my favorite things one of my coaches used to say was, ‘I hear better with my eyes,’ and so I’m just really looking forward to going out there, making weight, whooping ass, and f*cking just, you know, I don’t got to say it. Y’all can see it. So, that’s what I’m most looking forward to out of all of this.”
Bryan Battle is making the most of his time at a long fight camp by searching for new opportunities in the combat sports world.
When asked about a possible return to the UFC, the past winner of The Ultimate Fighter believes it is possible if he can show consistency moving forward.
“I think at this stage, it’s really just kind of all on me,” Battle said. “Like, everyone knows I’m f*cking nice with it when it comes to fighting, and so now it’s just time to clean up all the other things and show that I can be a professional, you know what I mean? That’s been one of the big words a lot of people have been throwing around, show that I can be a professional.
“But one thing at a time. ‘The Butcher’ is still a little bit of a commodity. So there are people asking about me in different places, but I will say the end goal is, just because I feel like I have one in this business, my end goal is to get back to the UFC and f*cking show out. But one thing at a time. I gotta start with making weight this Thursday, winning this fight on Friday, and then I can worry about the next step after that.”
Bryan Battle admits he’s made mistakes, but he refuses to dwell on regret. At 30 years old, he says he still has much to prove, not just to himself, but to the MMA and combat sports community as a whole.
“I mean, it’s definitely tough, but in life, I don’t think you can regret any decisions you made,” Battle explained. “You can learn from them. I think that’s the best thing to do. But to regret? Our decisions, our history, make us who we are, you know what I’m saying? I’m just trying to be the best version of myself.
“So, obviously, I’m not happy with how things went. I would do things differently if I could have gone back, but that’s me now. … And I’m better now. I don’t care what the people in the comments are saying, what people over here are saying, what the people over there are saying. I know me, I’m better now, you know what I’m saying? And I’m going to be better from this. It’s hard to really regret anything. I’ve learned from this.
“It’s humbling, things have been hard. Would I have liked to have fought and would’ve liked to have gotten paid? For sure, 100 percent. But everything in life happens for a reason, and I’ve lived my life by that, and I’m not going to stop now.”
Despite his release, Bryan Battle is scheduled to face de Freitas at the DBX 3 promotional debut. This new fight marks a fresh step in the right direction on his long road back to the octagon.
“The last two or so weeks, the last couple of months, the last year has been chaotic, man,” Battle said. “It’s been non-stop. It’s been one thing to the next, and these past couple of weeks have been among the hardest, you know what I’m saying? It’s been very sobering and humbling, you know what I mean? But you can’t keep a good man down. We’re back to work, we’re back climbing, back grinding.
“So I feel very blessed to have this opportunity, and I fully intend on making the most out of it.”
