Quang Le: 'I Can Knock Him Out'

That was until he received a call from the UFC asking if he could step in to face Chris Gutierrez at UFC Fight Night: Tybura vs Spivac 2. According to Le, he got the initial call on Friday but didn’t receive a contract to sign until Monday of fight week.

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“I was super excited; I was shaking for 30 minutes,” Le said when he got the offer to step in on a week’s notice. “I accepted right away. It was crazy. I manifested this for a long time.

“It’s like a dream come true.”

When the UFC said the name Chris Gutierrez, Le initially didn’t even know who he was. Since he was already in a fight camp and close enough to the 136-pound bantamweight limit, Le was always going to accept this once in a lifetime opportunity, regardless of the opponent.

“I didn’t even know [him],” Le said. “I’m like, ‘Who’s that?’ I just don’t know the name a lot, I don’t remember. But they said he KO’d Frankie Edgar and I’m like, ‘Oh, I know that guy. Wow.’ It’s a big opportunity.

“I knew I had [a Contender Series fight] two months ago, so I’ve been training pretty hard for the last two months,” Le said. “But I’ve trained the whole time since my last fight.”

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With very little recollection of Gutierrez’s mixed martial arts career, you’d think Le and his coaches would’ve binge watched film over these last few nights to get a gauge on what to expect once the Octagon door shuts. With this short notice move, however, he’s only had the chance to inspect Gutierrez’s most recent bout, a five-round main event clash against No. 8 ranked bantamweight contender Song Yadong.

“I watched [film] one time last night,” Le said during his fight week interview with UFC.com on Wednesday. “That’s it. I didn’t have time to watch. The last couple days were crazy with paperwork I have to do. I didn’t have time.”

That one fight was all Le needed to see to give his rather critical assessment on Gutierrez’s skills inside the Octagon.

“When I see his fights, I think he’s not that impressive,” Le said. “Dangerous, he’s tricky, sneaky with kicks. His leg kicks are a dangerous weapon, but I have better hands, and I can take him down whenever I want, too.

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“He’s more experienced than me, but that’s all, pretty much.”

While fans will need to wait until Saturday to see how accurate his evaluation is, Le’s confidence in his hands is justified. Le’s put on impressive striking displays in his last two outings, finishing his two opponents on the feet in 1:05 and 2:47, respectively. Prior to the knockouts, a vicious head kick and a picture-perfect left hook, Le’s power was noticeable with every strike he landed. Le’s confidence in his striking abilities led him to make a bold prediction ahead of fight night.

“I’m well-rounded; I can wrestle, I can defend takedowns, I can stand up and fight striking, I have the power to knock my opponent out,” Le said. “Last two fights: knockout with kicks and one knockout with a punch so I have the power, too. I think I can knock him out.

“He will try to set up his kicks, for sure, try spinning kicks. He kicks a lot. I think I have better hands. When I get inside, I’m going to let my hands go and if I catch him, he’s going to feel my power.”

When Le makes the walk to the Octagon, he will be the second UFC fighter to represent his home country of Vietnam. Le’s dreamt of this moment for 10 years, and he ensures fans he will do everything in his power to make the most of this opportunity.

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“This is the dream from 10 years ago. It’s the motivation to push me every day, and now I know that I can do it on Saturday. It’s very emotional, but I have to focus on the fight. It’s going to be crazy after the fight.

“He’s a big name. I took it on seven days’ notice. [I] take him out, people are gonna know a lot about me. It’s going to be an exciting fight. I’m not going for running around and a boring fight, for sure.”