Athletes
CJ Vergara Wants To Show A New Level Of Maturity
After A Thrilling Comeback In His Home Town, Flyweight CJ Vergara Hopes To Deliver A Eye-Opening Performance At UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
It’s not going to be easy for CJ Vergara to top what he accomplished in San Antonio earlier this year.
Vergara, who is from San Antonio, was amped to deliver the performance of a lifetime in front of his home crowd. But things didn’t start the way he imagined. The budding flyweight was dropped multiple times in the first round of his bout with Daniel Lacerda. He was somehow able to make it to the bell and to the second round.
“In between round one and round two my coaches were talking to me and snapping out of that state of being completely out of it,” Vergara told UFC.com. “It’s a pretty burned-in memory.”
Order UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
The 32-year-old came out in the second round and poured it on Lacerda en route to a TKO finish. It was a truly remarkable display of heart and toughness from Vergara, and he and the Brazilian earned Fight of the Night honors for their back-and-forth battle.
Although the fight didn’t play out how he wanted, Vergara believes that night was a turning point in his MMA career.
“On the surface, it shows that I can take a beating and find a way to come back,” Vergara said. “But when I evaluated what that really meant for myself as a fighter, it let me know how deep I’m willing to dig inside of the fire. There are certain situations you just can’t train for.
“The Fight of the Night was an incredible milestone of this mixed martial arts journey. That was great, and fighting in San Antonio was such an incredible experience. I hit a bucket list [item] as a fighter, fighting out of San Antonio. Now just being a part of 291, it feels like the ceiling keeps getting higher and higher.”
How To Watch UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
At UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2, Vergara will fight fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alum Vinicius Salvador.
UFC 291 is stacked with fighters that are known for putting on thrilling performances. While Vergara would be more than happy to have his name mentioned alongside the Dustin Poiriers, Kevin Hollands, or Stephen Thompsons, he’s just focused on sticking to his gameplan and beating Salvador.
CJ Vergara Stops Daniel Lacerda In The Second Round | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen
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CJ Vergara Stops Daniel Lacerda In The Second Round | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen
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To do that, Vergara had to have a short memory and put his win over Lacerda in the rearview mirror. He absorbed the win, reflected on it, and dialed in on how he can get a dominant win and be cerebral against Salvador.
“Vinicius makes for a really messy fight. It’s hard to really know what to expect because he’s the kind of guy who goes out there and breaks all the rules,” Vergara said. “It makes for a messy situation. I saw his fight versus Victor Altamirano and Victor is kind of the same way, so it was like one of those Looney Tunes fights where you just see a cloud of dust, but it poses a new level of danger.”
See What Rankings Are On The Line At UFC 291
It's in those moments that Vergara doesn’t want to let Salvador pull that primal mode out of him. He knows it’s there and he can rely on it when the gameplan hits the fan, but he’s hoping that he won’t need it on Saturday night.
“In my last fight, I feel like I was in a really bad spot in front of a really big crowd, at home, and was able to survive and adapt to that situation,” Vergara said. “Now I’m looking to show a new level of maturity.”
A clean performance would show that Vergara is ready for the next rung on the flyweight ladder.
And he’s confident that he will prove that at UFC 291.
“[A win] would put me over .500. I’m at 2-2 right now, so it would put me at 3-2. Having that winning record in the UFC changes everything. Every win in the UFC puts you at a new level. It would put me one step closer to Top 15 contention. As well as putting on an incredible performance in front of the guys I’m fighting alongside, it will overall boost my marketability, and everything around being on the roster will change after this fight.”
UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2 took place live from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 29, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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