PHILADELPHIA – Mansur Abdul-Malik will enter the octagon for the first time following a loss.
The highly touted middleweight fighter suffered the first loss of his career earlier this year against Yousri Belgaroui, who finished the fight in the third round. Abdul-Malik (9-1-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) took time to reflect on what that loss meant and whether he should make any big changes as he aims to rebound. Ultimately, Abdul-Malik discovered that being himself is the best way forward.
"Maybe early on after the fight happened, of course it's like the mental perspective like you want to change everything – you want to change your lifestyle, you want to change your habits, but then I looked at my lifestyle and looked at my habits, I'm like what is there
to really change?" Abdul-Malik told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday's media day. "I don't party, I don't drink, I don't go out, I don't have many friends – so it's like, you know, what is really to change? And the thing to change was to be myself.
"I was going out there, that last fight, trying to be way too perfect, and there's a lot of flaws in trying to be perfect. So, my intention is just to go out and be me, and to fight like me – to be aggressive, to be playful, have a smile on my face. I feel like I was way too serious if anything, but all those things are secondary. I lost to a fighter that was better than me, period, point-blank – but this time around, I have a new opportunity in front of me, and I'm excited to just perform."
Abdul-Malik will have the chance to gett back on track on the main card of UFC 330 (Paramount+), which takes place Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. His opponent is Dustin Stoltzfus (16-8 MMA, 3-7 UFC), who enters this fight on a two-fight skid.
Tabbed as one of the biggest favorites on the card, Abdul-Malik feels no pressure in the days leading up to the fight. He also said that losing his undefeated record didn't come with any relief, because he never felt pressure to keep alrighty zero in the loss column. He's felt a difference in how people have treated him since no longer being an undefeated fighter, but that was an expected change.
"There was never any pressure and never not any pressure, if that makes sense," Abdul-Malik said. "I've never thought about fighting like that. That's not my first time really losing. I've lost in wrestling. I've lost in life in way heavier ways than a fight could ever hit me. So, it never really hit me like that. If it hit me in a certain type of way, it was like, that's not me. I didn't feel like that was the truest expression of myself, and every time I compete, I want it to be the main thing for me, to just express myself and be free, and I didn't do that. I have an opportunity to do that this weekend."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 330: Mansur Abdul-Malik plans major rebound from first career loss
