mma / News

Humberto Bandenay Has Felt He Was Ready For the UFC For a While

August 20, 2017 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Vicente Luque Curtis Millender UFC on FOX 27 UFC Logo - UFC Shanghai - UFC Fight Night 115 Image Credit: UFC

Humberto Bandenay spoke with MMAjunkie following his win over Martin Bravo at UFC Fight Night 114, discussing his training in the USA and more. Highlights are below:

On getting called for his UFC debut: “I was very calm and content throughout the whole experience, even when I first got the call. pretty young still, but I’ve felt for a while that I belong at this level, so managing my emotions wasn’t an issue. I’m very confident in my training, my skills and the people around me.”

On training in America: “I knew that I’d have to come to America if I wanted to fight in the UFC and truly live up to my potential in the sport…It’s been difficult at times only because I miss my family. And I know they miss me.”

On not being able to see his family while training: “I was very sad not being able to see my dad. He was my No. 1 fan. We’ve always been very close. It was my goal to make it to the UFC – and, just as important to me, it was his goal to see me make it to the UFC, too. I knew that it’s what my dad wanted, and I know he was there with me in the octagon. My training and experience helped me stay focused throughout the experience. I knew this was an opportunity that I had been waiting for, and nothing was going to stop me. I know my dad was with me, and I wanted nothing more than to win for him.”

On his family’s reaction to his career choice: “It was very strange to a lot of my family members and friends. A lot of people didn’t understand it because the sport is not very popular there [in Peru].”

On his goals: “I don’t feel pressure when I compete or when I think about the future. It’s very motivating, absolutely…I have goals of being a champion and as going down as one of the all-time great fighters. But, for right now, I’m just taking everything one fight at a time. I would like to fight Dooho Choi or Artem Lobov. Though I’m more than happy to fight any featherweight in the world.”