LAS VEGAS – It won't overwrite his record, but Kai Kamaka III hopes UFC Fight Night 290 can at least wash the sour taste out of his mouth.
At UFC 329 in July, Kamaka (18-8-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) was finished by surging Brit and Paddy Pimblett teammate Luke Riley. Kamaka, like some viewers, didn't agree with referee Kerry Hatley's stoppage.
"As a fighter, I'm obviously very disappointed as far as let me go out on my shield," Kamaka told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday at Meta APEX. "I'll live by that. I feel like I fell down. I made every progression to get a little bit more of a shot from getting to my feet and slowly getting my balance back. But as a martial artist, I'm grateful for it. This game can move by so
quick. As a martial artist, if you're not sharp, that's what happens. I have only myself to blame. That was the next test. I did not pass the test. As a martial artist, I've got to get back in the gym and be real with myself. Obviously there's holes. I've been doing this for so long, that kind of stuff can kind of happen. That's me to blame. As a fighter, I wish I got a little more time."
Kamaka had a chance to try to fill those holes during training camp for Saturday's event, where he takes on seasoned veteran Andre Fili on the main card. While Kamaka is coming off a loss, Fili comes off two. Both men have an added sense of urgency to get back in the win column.
"I hate to sound like a broken record with things you might hear from the fight game for a long time, but I think if I just fight my fight, my style of fight, it favors me," Kamaka said. "I think that we have opposite styles of fighting. We have similar attributes, similar ways of approaching the game, but our tactics are way different. I think if I be myself, I should be OK."
In 2021, Kamaka departed the UFC after a 1-2-1 stint. It took him five years to work his way back. His position is not one that he takes for granted, and he hopes the perspective of adversity leads him to greater heights than ever befor.
"I'm human. I'm a father. I'm a husband," Kamaka said. "So everything that everyone in this world would think ran through my head. At the same time, my wife, she told me, 'You've been doing this all your life. If you're not going to be doing this, what are you going to be doing? You'll still be working and trying to find a job anyway.' I just did what I knew would do anyway, show up to the gym, be in the gym, and whatever happens happens. I just appreciate the journey."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kai Kamaka hopes UFC Vegas 122 erases bitterness of last stoppage loss
