Phumi Nkuta has long been considered one of the top prospects outside of the UFC but despite his best efforts he never got the call to join the promotion.
Of course competing at flyweight gave Nkuta limited options because other major organizations like the PFL don’t even have his division. The UFC has the deepest 125-pound division in the sport but the matchmakers just didn’t seem interested in signing him as a free agent, a short-notice option or even competing on The Contender Series to earn his way
to a contract.
But Nkuta got great news just recently when he was asked about replacing Muhammad Mokaev on the upcoming Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card when the UFC veteran couldn’t secure a visa in time to travel to the United States for the event. Despite the disadvantages of competing just days after the fight offer was made, Nkuta didn’t blink, especially with the chance to face someone as experienced as former ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes.
“You don’t got to ask me twice,” Nkuta told MMA Fighting. “I’ve been itching for a fight for a little bit. I’m on a mission to fight the best competition in the world. This is a guy that beat ‘Mighty Mouse’ [Demetrious Johnson]. I want that name on my record. So of course, I had to say yes.
“I think it is the perfect scenario. You want to know why? Because if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be happening. I’m locked in at the gym. I was sparring before this. I was training anyways helping Alex Perez get ready for his camp and he’s fighting May 30. I just probably fought maybe a month ago, a month and a half ago so it wasn’t like I was out of shape or I was just fat eating Twinkies and Cinnabons. I was in the gym, locked in and ready.”
Hardcore fans should already know Nkuta’s body of work where he’s put together a perfect 11-0 record in his career. Everybody else watching the Rousey vs. Carano card on Saturday might be introduced to Nkuta for the first time and he’s anxious to show why somebody should have bet big on his potential long before now.
That said, Nkuta never let it bother him too much that he hadn’t received an offer from the UFC and it all worked out in the end thanks to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
“I think if I was younger then I might be frustrated but for me it wasn’t really that frustrating because I love my life,” Nkuta said. “I’m at such a good point in my life. I’ve got good people around me. If I’m ever in a bad situation, I have so many people I can hit up on the phone and talk to. I have so many close friends. I have a close, tight knit circle of people who I know have my back and have my best interests at heart.
“For me, I was just taking it one day at a time. I was just helping my boys like Alex Perez get ready for their fights and it keeps me in shape, too. I love martial arts as a whole. So as long as I’m getting better everyday, that’s all that matters. Frustrated? No, but now that I got this fight is it rewarding? Absolutely yes.”
The opportunity to compete on one of the most talked about cards of the year is one benefit but the other comes from the financial offer he received to take the Moraes fight on short notice.
Nkuta’s entire career has been spent traveling to one regional show or another and local promotions definitely can’t break the bank when it comes to payouts.
But with MVP paying fighters a flat wage versus the show and win money offered to the vast majority of fighters in the UFC, Nkuta couldn’t be much happier with how everything turned out.
“This is the biggest paycheck I’ve ever received in my entire life,” Nkuta said. “The money for this fight is already life changing. I’m just super thankful not only for the platform that they’re putting me on. For the matchup to get to prove myself against the best in the world but to also be financially compensated what I’m getting compensated and I’m allowed to have sponsors in there.
“It’s almost like a dream come true even before the fight. But now it’s time to work.”
He’s getting paid and he’s got a chance to make a huge impression on a massive card but Nkuta also appreciates all the people who supported him on this journey.
That includes friends, family and even just fans who were celebrating his signing with MVP when the rumors first started swirling.
“It made my heart swell up,” Nkuta said. “To see all those comments, those reposts, a whole bunch of people reaching out to me just telling me ‘this is what you’ve been working for, you’re finally getting your shot!’ It’s crazy. I was just at the gym and I had a whole lot of people telling me ‘finally! Aren’t you excited?’
“To see how happy they are and how excited they are that I’m getting my opportunity means a lot to me. A lot of people have been invested in my career. It’s really awesome. Now it’s time to work.”
