Austin Bashi spoke to the media on Saturday following his quick victory over Carlos Calderon at UFC Fight Night 293 in Las Vegas.
A Fast Submission at the Meta APEX
Bashi improved his record to 15-2 in MMA and 2-2 in the UFC by securing a quick win over promotional newcomer Calderon on the preliminary card at the Meta APEX. Calderon accepted the bout on just four days’ notice after Bashi’s original opponent, Lucas Brennan, withdrew from the event. Entering the matchup as a heavy favorite due to the late-notice replacement, Bashi forced Calderon to tap out via a rear-naked choke in only 67 seconds.
Post-Fight Comments and a Callout
Reflecting on his performance, Bashi explained that he prefers to adapt on the fly rather than rely strictly on a pre-fight strategy. “I’ve been fighting my whole life. At the end of the day, whoever is in front of you at that night – a game plan is great to go in with, but sometimes those game plans don’t even work. Coming in here tonight, I was like, ‘All right, I’m just going to read him, see what he brings to the table and go from there.’ I’m always trying to finish the guys and come fast and hard,” Bashi told sports.yahoo.com.
The bantamweight fighter expressed a desire for a busy schedule moving forward, noting that he would gladly compete three or four times annually if given the opportunity. “I like being active. If I could fight three, four times a year, I would love to. On the regional scene, I was fighting four times a year and that was great. If I could do that over here, I would love that, as well. Whatever they give me, tell me who to fight, and I’ll fight them,” he stated to sports.yahoo.com.
During his media session, as reported by sports.yahoo.com, Bashi used the platform to challenge a potential next opponent. “(Tommy McMillen is) doing great over here, but I’d love to fight that guy. That’s one guy I’d love to fight, for sure. … Every fight, I’m getting better and better starting from my pro debut to now,” Bashi said.
