Angelo Trevino expecting a bloody war against Gilbert Urbina in Combate Americas 48 main event

For welterweight Angelo Trevino, his July, 2018, loss to Austin Vanderford at Dana White’s Contender Series not only cost him a potential shot at the UFC, it also ended up costing him over a year of his career.

Going into the bout, Trevino had been dealing with knee issues, and he believes the fight with Vanderford exasperated the issues and made it so he would require surgery, from which his is just now returning.

“I got an ACL reconstruction about two months after my last fight,” Trevino told MMAWeekly.com. “I always had problems with my knee, but I’m sure I really, really, injured it in that fight.

“I had a great rehab program here in Sacramento. From that time I really got to know myself and really put the focus on my new family, and just really figure out what I was fighting for.”

Not only did Trevino use his time out to solidify his motivation for fighting, he was able to make changes in his career that will help him moving forward.

“I was always wishy-washy and jump from coach to coach, but now I have one that’s pretty permanent,” said Trevino. “I just have everything put together now. Going through this process this last year I grew a lot as a man and a lot as an athlete.

“I just know that I’m as prepared that I can be. I’m just ready to go in there and push and grind. I’m not really thinking about winning or losing, I’m just looking forward to performing how I always wanted to perform.”

This Friday in Garland, Texas, Trevino (7-3) returns to fighting against Gilbert Urbina (5-1) in the 170-pound main event of Combate Americas 48.

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“He’s a grinder,” Trevino said of Urbina. “He pushes all the way through the fight to the third round. I just know I’m going to be in for a war. I’m ready to go in there and get bloody if I need to get bloody, keep pushing, and keep fighting through anything he has for me.

“I’m not going to go to Texas to lose. I didn’t sign the contract to lose.”

Considering how his recent past has played out, Trevino approaches his future with a bit more caution than before.

“I had a little plan in my head, but I kind of let that go because nothing goes as planned,” said Trevino. “I had the two ACL surgeries. I’ll take it step by step, be patient, and that’s when I feel I perform my best.”