It’s next to impossible to top a classic fight.
For UFC 160 fighter Dennis Bermudez, his next bout on paper will be an attempt to pick up his fourth straight win inside the Octagon. In reality, however, fans will undoubtedly look at his bout against Max Holloway as a chance to produce another epic battle with fists meeting flesh in a 15-minute slugfest.
In Bermudez‘s last trip to the cage, he and opponent Matt Grice put on a Fight of the Year-worthy performance while attacking and countering each other for the better part of three full rounds. The two featherweights were applauded loudly by the crowd in Anaheim, Calif. as part of UFC 157’s undercard and were rewarded with a Fight of the Night bonus by UFC President Dana White.
As spectacular a moment as it was for Bermudez, he admits as he comes back for his next fight there’s probably no way to try and top that performance, so it’s not worth pursuing that kind of perfection again.
“I mean ultimately the goal is to go in and get the win as fast as possible. I do feel like that was such an epic battle that it would be super hard to beat. It’s almost like I’m playing horse if you will against myself,” Bermudez explained when speaking to Bleacher Report ahead of UFC 160. “I make an amazing shot and then I’m up again and I have to make another amazing shot again.”
The expectations to go out and put on another action-filled fight could weigh on the minds of many fighters, but not Bermudez. With a new baby at home that he’s had to spend weeks away from to concentrate on preparing for this bout, Bermudez knows there are bigger things on the line now than ever before.
His goal is to go out and put on the best fight possible that earns him the win. If it happens to be a knock-down, drag out classic, then that’s what it is. But Bermudez isn’t gunning for another fight like he had against Grice.
“I feel like a lot of my fights are exciting. I’m not too worried about it. I feel like if I go in there and do what I do, everything will turn out alright,” Bermudez said. “There’s no secret. I go out into every single fight with the same mindset, the same mentality, with the same game plan. To get in the guy’s face, put constant pressure on him and just make it so he can’t breathe. He’ll be so tired he’ll either quit or he gets knocked out or just gives me a submission. Ultimately, just grinding guys out until they are nothing.”
Bermudez may not like to talk about surpassing his last performance because of how that fight will be remembered, but he’s capable of topping it even if it’s not the foremost thought on his mind. Through four fights thus far in his UFC career, Bermudez has taken home three post-fight bonuses—an impressive feat for any fighter in the promotion.
The bonuses he’s won have allowed him to become a full-time fighter, provide for his new baby and allow him the financial breathing room to only think about the next opponent in his way.
Still, as great as the monetary compensation has been, Bermudez only wants to acknowledge one factor that plays the biggest role in his fight career—get the victory at any cost necessary.
“It’s exciting to think about, and it’s great to have,” Bermudez said about the UFC bonuses he’s earned. “It’s made it so I didn’t have to work a second job and if I head to the healthy store I don’t have to think about the price. I don’t go crazy and buy fancy cars or anything like that.
“Going into the fight I don’t think ‘oh I have to put on a show to get a bonus.’ It’s go out there and win—win ugly if I have to.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.
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