Kris Moutinho is set to make his return to the UFC this Saturday. He first gained significant attention in 2021, becoming a viral sensation after stepping in on short notice to face Sean O’Malley in a wild fight that earned `Fight of the Night` honors. However, following that loss and another defeat eight months later against Guido Cannetti, he was released from the promotion`s roster.
Despite being widely appreciated and liked for his entertaining style inside the cage, the 32-year-old bantamweight was facing severe personal challenges.
“I went through a really difficult period with relationships, with everything else happening in my life, and I was just a mess,” Moutinho shared during the UFC Atlanta media day. “I was very close to ending this thing, putting an end to it all and being done.”
“I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it was a terrible time. One of the worst moments of my life. I found the girl I`m with now, my wonderful girlfriend; she saved me. She saved my life. She greatly helped me find God, and I`m now in a much better place,” he revealed.
While he is grateful for his previous opportunity to compete in the UFC, Moutinho admits he likely wasn`t in the right mental state to achieve success during that brief period with the organization.
After his departure, Moutinho reset his focus and began competing again on the regional circuit. There, he built an impressive record of five consecutive victories, with four coming by finish. He wasn`t actively campaigning for a UFC return, but when the call came, he quickly accepted the chance to come back for a fight against promising prospect Malcolm Wellmaker this Saturday.
“I feel like I am where God intended me to be, where I`m supposed to be,” Moutinho stated. “I feel like this is the person who should have been here in 2021. The guy who is mentally focused, who enjoys this again.”
He contrasted his current mindset with his past one: “[Back] then, I was just going through the motions, and I was happy to be here, but it was sort of just `happy to be here.` I`m not that person anymore. I don’t care. I’m coming to kill. I’m coming to knock him out. He will have to kill me to get me out of there.”
Moutinho`s perspective on combat sports has also undergone a significant transformation over the past few years, which he believes will be evident in the octagon upon his return.
For both of his prior UFC fights, Moutinho said his main concern was putting on an entertaining show, but those memorable battles ultimately resulted in back-to-back losses. Now, he intends to correct that with his performance against Wellmaker, although he still has a natural tendency for creating exciting fights.
“This sport, over the 12 or 13 years I’ve been involved, has taken a lot from me,” Moutinho reflected. “I guess I care less about this sport and less about what I’m doing, and somehow that has liberated me to enjoy it more when I am in there, training, and fighting. I went back to what I did when I first started this. Mixing the game.”
He added, “I became a little too focused on just striking and wanted to exchange punches and get hit, and I enjoyed that a bit too much. It didn`t work out well the last time I was here. I`m just opening up my game a bit, I`ve worked on the weaknesses I had last time, and I`m a more complete fighter now.”
In a peculiar twist of fate, Moutinho`s return to the UFC feels remarkably similar to his initial fight with the promotion, as he is once again accepting a fight on short notice against a highly-regarded prospect.
As much as he appreciates the positive attention he received after the intense fight against O’Malley four years ago, Moutinho is understandably hoping for a significantly different outcome this time around.
“It’s a bit of déjà vu,” Moutinho commented. “It’s pretty much the same situation as last time. I’m fighting a tall, lanky, skilled striker on nine days’ notice. It feels quite similar. However, I am a different person than I was then. I’m much older, much more at peace with myself and where I am in life. Hopefully, it will be a better performance.”
“I think Malcolm is a great fighter. He`s 9-0 for a reason. He’s a powerful guy, has power in both hands, and looks to counter frequently. He might change his approach; he could do something completely different this time, but in many of his fights, he counters and looks for big hooks. He can also wrestle, grapple, and do everything. I expect to do what I do very well: apply pressure, control the pace of the fight, use my wrestling occasionally, and do what I`m supposed to do,” he explained.
Appearing stoic and focused as he began fight week, Moutinho doesn`t take for granted this second opportunity for a first impression. In many ways, he feels this upcoming fight is his real introduction to the UFC.
He may currently hold an 0-2 record in the promotion, but Moutinho expects to showcase a completely different version of himself when he faces Wellmaker on Saturday.
“You are in my way, and I have to put you down, and that is the only way this is going to be,” Moutinho said about his upcoming bout. “I have been telling myself this: I am inevitable. My time is inevitable. I am here for a reason. I got back for a reason. There is no stopping me.”
