Athletes
The Comeback Was Just The Start For Modestas Bukauskas
After Successfully Returning To The Octagon, Modestas Bukauskas Knows He Can Really Show Who He Is At UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier
I was 15 minutes late, the perils of falling asleep at the same time your granddaughters do, but Modestas Bukauskas wasn’t just gracious about me missing our interview time (which happened to be 10:30pm in England for him), but willing to chat right then and there.
You might say this patience is something reflected in his day job, as well.
Before, you could hear it in his voice; this was a young man in a hurry, willing to take on the world…yesterday. Jon Jones, Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka? All on the same night? Let’s do it.
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But in this sport, young men in a hurry often get punished for rushing things, and after making it to the UFC in 2020 after just 12 pro fights and getting a Performance of the Night knockout of Andreas Michailidis in his Octagon debut, the Lithuania put on the brakes…unwillingly…after a trio of losses to Jimmy Crute, Michal Oleksiejczuk and Khalil Rountree Jr. got him his release from the promotion.
Modestas Bukauskas Wants To Flip The Script | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier
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Modestas Bukauskas Wants To Flip The Script | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier
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Throw in a severe knee injury, and Bukauskas had no choice but to take a more measured approach to his fighting career. He knew that some who get cut from the UFC never return, but he wasn’t going to be one of those casualties of an unforgiving business.
“I remember the one thing that I was thinking of when I was sitting in bed with my knee battered was, this story can't end here,” said Bukauskas.
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It didn’t. Bukauskas healed up, got two wins in the Cage Warriors promotion in late-2022, and when Aussie prospect Tyson Pedro needed an opponent to step in on short notice and face him in Perth in February, “The Baltic Gladiator” raised his hand. He was nearly three years removed from his UFC debut and so much had happened in that time – good, bad and ugly – but he wasn’t concerned about the pressure, the flight, or fighting an Australian in Australia.
“I'm not the person was when I was 26,” he said. “That's only three years ago. I'm a completely different person.”
And a completely different fighter. That was evident even before the Octagon door shut for the UFC 284 bout. Bukauskas was always confident, but this time, it was more than that.
“I really felt a good energy,” he said. “And even fighting in front of a crowd was a completely different experience. I've never fought in front of a crowd in the UFC. It's always been behind closed doors. So that, in itself, was amazing. But yeah, I knew I could beat this guy. I knew I was better than him.”
He wasn’t the only one.
“When I was standing there, looking at the crowd when they played the video of the two fighters, kind of introducing them, before we'd done our walk, I saw a flash of light out in the crowd and I swear to God it was the weirdest experience. But I could see my dad's parents. They've both passed away, and even though my Lithuanian wasn't really amazing, there was so much love and care that they, especially my dad's mom, used to give me, and I just felt a massive energy and presence. I felt like I was given strength in a way.
“I literally shook my dad on the arm and I said, ‘Dad, grandma and gran are looking over us right now. We're going to go and smash it.’ And I could see his face. He was like, ‘Bloody hell, what the hell's going on over here?’ (Laughs) But it was in a good way because it maybe even gave him a bit of confidence. Because my dad's always very stern whenever I fight, but he looked very calm, more so than he he's ever done.”
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Whether it was talent, determination or divine intervention, Bukauskas got the job done. Sure, he wondered whether the judges would lean in Pedro’s direction, but when he heard a 30-27 score read aloud, he knew he had secured the biggest win of his career. If this was a Hollywood movie, you end it right there in the Octagon at RAC Arena.
But this isn’t Hollywood. And Bukauskas has more work to do.
“I talk to people and that they think of it as a massive achievement being Cage Warriors champ two times and getting re-signed to the UFC, but, to me, that's not even half of my list of achievements that I want to unlock,” he said. “My goal is to become a UFC champion. That's the main thing. That's where the combat comeback story would really make waves. That's when people really care about it. Right now, for me, this is just a continuation of the comeback story. The comeback story means nothing really, even at this point. It's like, ‘Oh, he came back and got to the UFC; great, but what is he doing after that?”
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He's fighting Zac Pauga on Saturday, and if you think getting up for this fight after the emotions attached to the last one will be an issue, think again. This is no longer a young man in a hurry; this is a young man on a mission.
“This is my chance to go out and perform,” said Bukauskas. “And that's what drives me. That's what makes me get up for this fight, is that this is my chance to really shine and show myself. He is tough, he is skillful, but he's not better than me. And that's what really drives me and makes me hungry to go and go and put this man away.”
UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on June 17, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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