John Moraga Knew His Job Was On the Line at UFC 216

John Moraga discussed his win at UFC 216, saying he knew his job was on the line in the fight. Moraga defeated Magomed Bibulatov at the event. You can see highlights from the interview below, per MMAjunkie):

On picking up the win: “There’s a lot of relief. I’m just glad I was able to go out there and perform. I don’t really even pay attention (to the odds). I knew I was fighting a tough Russian, and I was just ready for a war. At this level, we’ve got to just expect to go in there and fight our heart out for 15 minutes and be hurt and still keep fighting. That’s what I was preparing for.”

On his emotional state: “I’ve got a lot of stuff going on in my personal life leading up to this fight. I was on a three-fight losing (skid) not long ago. And something hit me in there and it was a big relief off my shoulders.”

On considering what would have happened if he lost: “At this point, it’s a rough sport. If I’m not going to be able to do it at the highest level anymore, if I was to get cut, I don’t see why I’d put myself through that. I’ve got kids. I’m focused on my kids. I do this for my kids. I’m trying to buy a house and put them through college. That’s my only purpose for doing this. I don’t really care about anything else. I’m not really good on the microphone. I don’t really care about taking pictures or being around people. At that point, that was what was going through my head. I do (enjoy the sport). It’s fun. What else would I be doing? This is me. But at the same time, you want to make it worth it, too. There’s no backup plan.”