Ateba Gautier tasted defeat for the first time in his UFC career.
Gautier (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was a big favorite when he was TKO'd by Roman Kopylov (16-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in the first round of Saturday's UFC 332 main card opener at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Many fans reveled in the Cameroonian's loss by calling him an overhyped middleweight prospect, and Gautier noticed all the comments. He took the loss well in a statement he released on his Instagram.
"Hey everyone ❤️I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that I’m doing well, especially to everyone who has been worried about me and has been sending me messages since last night.Last night simply wasn’t our night. 🥊All credit to my opponent. He was better than me last night, and I respect
that. 🤝🏾Of course, I’m disappointed. I wanted to win, as always. But that’s also part of our sport. There are days when everything goes your way, and there are days when things don’t go the way you imagined.I fell, yes. But I’m going to get back up. And I’m going to start again as many times as it takes until I reach the goal I’ve set for myself. ❤️🔥A sincere thank you to everyone who has been sending me messages of support and motivation. I read your messages, even though I can’t reply to everyone, and believe me, they mean a lot to me. 🙏🏾As they say in our sport: sometimes you make the highlights… and sometimes you ARE the highlight. 😂🥊And thank you to those who are celebrating my loss. I don’t hold it against you. Everyone is free to feel however they feel. I’ll simply use all of this as motivation to keep working.And above all, thank You to the Almighty Lord, Creator of Heaven and Earth. 🙏🏾I’m grateful to Him for this loss. Maybe today I don’t fully understand everything this defeat is meant to teach me, but I know it will be part of my story.I fell last night.But my story doesn’t end here.I’m going to get back up. ❤️🔥I’m going to work. 🦾And I’m coming back.Thank you all for your support. ❤️."
The loss to Kopylov snapped 24-year-old Gautier's 10-fight winning streak. Nine of those 10 wins came by knockout.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ateba Gautier vows to use those celebrating his UFC 332 loss as motivation
