Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Scott Holtzman admits he lost sight of his game plan against Nik Lentz, but says it’s really hard to stay on track.
Scott Holtzman admits he has a real mental hurdle to overcome if he plans on making a statement in the UFC.
“Hot Sauce” was burning up the promotion’s lightweight division before running into Nik Lentz at UFC Phoenix in February. Holtzman reflected on that loss when speaking to Bloody Elbow ahead of his UFC Newark fight vs. Dong Hyun Ma.
“I just let a good opportunity slip away. I got caught up in the moment and made some mistakes that you just can’t make against a guy that wrestles at a high level. I got carried away and went away from the game plan and started fighting like the old me,” he confessed. “That stings.”
Holtzman admitted it’s hard to reel himself back once he reverts to his brawling tendencies. “It’s real hard. The problem that I have in fights is that I’m such a competitor, when the going gets tough I naturally go forward and try to fight harder,” he said. “It’s not always the right thing to do. Sometimes the right thing to do is to step back and take a breath,” he continued. “I got away from that and got back to the old me. Just wild and aggressive, loading up and trying to take his head off. It’s hard. Those lights are bright and that crowd is loud. You want it to be exciting but sometimes you risk your own personal goals trying to do that.”
“Hot Sauce” definitely has one of the more recognizable nicknames in the UFC. Funny thing is he never wanted a nickname to begin with. “I never wanted a nickname. I’m not ‘Pitbull’ or anything weird like that,” he shared. “I was willing to do ‘Hot Sauce,’ I was willing to settle because it’s legit.” The downside, however, is he now has a reputation to live up to. “When I’m in public, people are like, ‘oh, you’re not going to put any hot sauce on it?..’ Don’t forget about all those bottle of hot sauce he gets for gift-giving occasions.
Holtzman (12-3) fights Ma (16-9-3) at UFC Newark on Saturday, Aug. 3. He is anticipating a rare submission win — something he hasn’t done since his UFC debut in 2015 — against Ma. The event is headlined by Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler and also boasts Jim Miller vs. Clay Guida.
Timestamps are included below for the video above.
0:05 – What it’s like being on a trading card?
1:50 – How MMA has changed Scott Holtzman’s life
4:02 – Biggest takeaway from Nik Lentz loss
5:13 – How hard it is to follow a game plan on fight night?
6:37 – Biggest advantage over Dong Hyun Ma
7:40 – Biggest challenge facing Holtzman
8:22 – Should Urijah Faber skip the cue at bantamweight?
10:38 – Hot Ones with Sean Evans
11:35 – What is the hottest hot sauce Holtzman has had?
13:20 – Prediction on outcome of UFC Newark