UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis will take place this coming Saturday night, January 28th from the United Center in Chicago, IL. The main card will be featured on the FOX network while the majority of the undercard bouts can be found on Fuel TV, including a potential show-stealing lightweight bout between Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz.
Lentz replaces Paul Sass who was originally set to fight Dunham on the card, but had to pull out due to injury.
After a seven-fight streak in the Octagon where he went without an official loss, Lentz finally fell victim to the smothering wrestling of Mark Bocek at UFC 140 this past December. The loss came by a unanimous judges’ decision, but “The Carny” was not convinced that the right decision was made.
“I was the one doing all the damage and he was pretty much just holding me down,” Lentz told Bleacher Report MMA. “I think that damage should be number one when it comes to judging criteria. I think the only time when it shouldn’t be is when the damage is equal. So if damage is equal, then you go to the other criteria like ring control or things like that.”
Damage is not specifically listed under the unified rules of MMA, but the numbers certainly favored Lentz, who out-struck Bocek despite spending the majority of the fight on his back.
“I never knew just how much the takedown meant for judges,” said Lentz, who intends on learning from his game-planning mistake against Bocek. “Before every fight I have now, I’m going to ask the ref, ‘What do I need to do if I’m on the bottom and I want it to get stood up?’ Then he can tell me.”
After only taking what he described as a singular scrape on his face from his previous fight, Lentz was back in the gym the following Monday, preparing himself for his next fight. He didn’t have to wait long before the UFC gave him a call, offering the fight against Evan Dunham at UFC on FOX 2.
“I’m going to go out there and just prove to the world that the last fight was a fluke,” Lentz said of the upcoming bout. “I’m taking this fight on short notice and I’m going to make an example out of him.”
One of Lentz’s biggest advantages going into this fight is his relationship with his teammate at The Academy, Sean Sherk, who earned a victory over Dunham in his most recent Octagon appearance.
“I think, stylistically, Evan kind of fits in with the style of fighter that I want to fight,” Lentz said, noting that both he and Sherk believe that this is a very winnable fight. “I’m not much for trash talk, but I am going to say that I’m better than Evan Dunham because I am. It’s not really trash talking, that’s just the truth.”
Despite training with one of the more interesting personalities in all of MMA in Jacob Volkmann, Lentz’s approach to making a name for himself lies within his ability to win fights and simply be himself in the media. That won’t necessarily stop him from making his own political statement should he find himself standing next to fellow Ron Paul supporter, Joe Rogan, in the post-fight victory interview.
“Almost all politicians now are hypocrites, but Ron Paul is one of the few guys who you can go through his record and he’s always done what he said he was going to do,” Lentz said. “I might give a shout-out to him if I win.”
However, despite a new-found confidence in his ability to not be dominated in any fight and a belief that he will be victorious, Lentz is taking this fight more seriously than he ever has in the past.
“This fight is do or die for me,” he said, regarding his future with the UFC. “I’m going to win, whatever it takes.”
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