Kennedy Nzechukwu says he panicked in UFC debut, feels less pressure going into UFC Newark
NEWARK, N.J. – Kennedy Nzechukwu has moved past his first career loss, a performance he described as “horrifying.”
Nzechukwu (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) looks to get back to winning ways when he takes on Darko Stosic (13-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 5 in Newark, N.J.
Nzechukwu dropped his UFC debut to Paul Craig at UFC on ESPN 2, in a fight where Craig was able to come from behind and secure a third-round submission.
Despite being up on all three judges’ scorecards going into the third round, it wasn’t Nzechukwu’s finest showing. He admits he felt a lot of nerves going into his promotional debut, which he believes hindered his performance.
“For the last one, the adrenaline dump on that one – but I think that one helped me get the jitters out the way,” Nzechukwu told MMA Junkie. “I feel excited for this one.
“I never fought in front of that many people, and I don’t know, it just slowed me down, had me panicked,” Nzechukwu added. “I just didn’t know what to do in there. I threw no punches. I still marched forward in there, but it had me stagnant in one place, so I’m happy for this one. I feel less pressure. I feel ready to go.”
Fortis MMA product Nzechukwu was told by his team to rewatch the fight, but he left that to his coaches. He has no desire to look back at the loss, and he hopes to show what he’s capable of come Saturday.
“I haven’t even watched that fight – I’m terrified of watching that fight, Nzechukwu said. “It’s not me, man. It’s definitely not me. They keep telling me to watch it, I was like, ‘Nah, I can’t watch it,’ because I might have nightmares thinking of that fight. It was just a horrific, horrifying performance, and I’m just ready to go.”
No longer undefeated, Nzechukwu is not concerned with his record, he just wants to perform to the best of his abilities.
“My record doesn’t really matter, just my performance,” Nzechukwu said. “Win, lose or draw, I just want to perform, perform to what I know I’m capable of doing, so I don’t really care about the record. I just want to perform how I know I could, that’s all.”
“I know I’m good, better than most of these guys. I just have to show it. It doesn’t really matter what you say, just what you do in the cage.”
And what can we expect from him this time around? A more composed version of the “African Savage,” according to Nzechukwu.
“Great performance, a more cool, calculated guy,” Nzechukwu said. “A guy that marches forward and uses his pace to wear down his opponent and take him out.”