Joe Soto Discusses Overcoming a Bloody Cut to Get His Win at UFC Fight Night 106

Speaking to reporters in a post-fight media scrum after his win at UFC Fight Night 106 (via MMAjunkie), bantamweight fighter and former Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto discussed his win over Rani Yahya. Yahya scored his third straight win over Yahya after beating him by unanimous decision on the prelims.

For Soto, he’s rallied and turned things around as of late. He started his UFC career with an 0-3 stretch, despite one of those losses being a last-minute title replacement bout against Joe Soto in 2014. He overcame a nasty and bloody cut in his fight with Yahya last night to score the victory. Below are some highlights from the scrum.

Soto on his cut during the fight: “It’s the first time I’ve been cut like that really bad. … That one was dripping in my eye,” Soto said. “It’s mental. You just don’t let it affect you. I don’t think it did affect me too much. It’s a little bit of blood, just feels like water all over your face. Blood, sweat and tears. That’s what we put into this thing. That’s my sacrifice, is my blood, for this victory.”

Soto on getting a win over Rani Yahya: “I knew Rani would be tough. I thought I would do a little bit better of putting things together offensively. My defense was really good; I just got caught with the head butt. But I expected a tough fight. He’s a ranked fighter, a veteran. … I knew it was going to be a hard war in his home country.”