LOS ANGELES – Jamie Varner has been to the top of the mountain before. And to hear him tell it, he didn’t handle it very well.
The former WEC lightweight champion struggled down the end with that promotion before it merged with the UFC, and it was more than just a matter of losses he believes got him a pink slip rather than an invite to the big dance in the octagon.
“Humble in victory, gracious in defeat” is not something Varner understood then. It took hitting the bottom for him to understand his own desire to get back to the top – and appreciate it more the second time around.