Jordan Rinaldi Discusses His Huge Fight at UFC on FOX 27

Jordan Rinaldi recently spoke to reporters in a media scrum this week (via MMAjunkie) ahead of his upcoming UFC on FOX 27 bout against Gregor Gillespie. The fight is set for the main card on FOX later today in Charlotte, North Carolina. UFC on FOX 27 will be broadcast live on FOX, and prelims will be shown on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. Below are some highlights.

Jordan Rinaldi on the pressure of fighting as the underdog at home: “Pressure is there, a little bit. But me being a huge underdog kind of takes the pressure off. I’m not supposed to win this fight. And when I go out there and shock everybody, I’m going to love it even more. The pressure is there, fighting in front of the friends and family, you’ve got to make sure your mom and your wife and your dad, everyone doesn’t see you get murdered or anything. But, at the same time, it’s just great to have the opportunity to fight here. And, like I said, being the underdog really helps.”

Rinaldi on fighting at home: “A lot of people that know me – I mean, my closest friends know how much I work and everything like that. But the ones that might have known me a little bit in high school, maybe in college knew me, acquaintances and stuff, they don’t really know how much hard work and time I’ve put in this. I’ve been in this sport for over 10 years now, and it’s been a brutal journey along with injuries and losses and good things and bad things. It’s going to be great for them to see the culmination of my hard work.”