When Nick Ring took to the Octagon against Tim Boetsch at UFC 135 in September, the Canadian middleweight—after three rounds of action—claimed the first loss of his nearly decade-long professional mixed martial arts career.
Despite the fact that Ring is disappointed that he fell short against Boetsch, who is the proud owner of five victories in the UFC, he insisted he isn’t going to be making any profound changes to the way he approaches his career on the canvas.
“After a loss, I think it’s easy to say [that] I’m going to make a bunch of changes and that things will be different next time, but I’m not going to say anything cheesy like that,” Ring, 32, explained to Bleacher Report.
“The truth is, I made big improvements in certain aspects of my game leading up to that fight and as shitty as it is to lose, I have more in my toolbox now than before I started training for it. Regardless of the outcome, I am a better fighter.”
Although he argued that he is consistently improving in the cage, Ring doesn’t necessarily agree with the common assertion—cliché, perhaps—that you can take away more from a loss than a victory.
“Yeah, I would say that you can learn a lot from a loss, but you can learn just as much from a win,” clarified Ring. “I think it comes down to your attitude in general and your dedication to constantly improving yourself through experience.
“I’ve known lots of guys who lose lots of matches and never learn anything from it at all and I have also seen guys who never lose and they look better each time they fight. I don’t prescribe to the notion that losing is a good thing, but I will say it can be if you are dedicated to learning from your mistakes.”
Ring, who doesn’t have any matches set at the moment, is now looking to get back to his winning ways in the coming year.
Despite the fact that he will more than likely be pitted against a fellow UFC middleweight in his return to the Octagon, Ring seemingly has bigger aspirations in the sport.
“I want to be the first MMA fighter to have a match against an endangered animal,” Ring joked. “I’m kind of thinking like a snow leopard or a manatee or something. I’m still trying to get this one past the animal rights people, but I have made some surprising headway in the last year…I’m still crossing my fingers and I will keep you guys up to date.”
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