It seems Ignacio Bahamondes won’t be competing at the same weight at which he put the MMA world on notice.
The Chilean fighter plans to drop to the lightweight division for his debut in the UFC. Bahamondes (11-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) made headlines when he punched his ticket to the promotion earlier this month with a wild knockout over Edson Gomez at Dana White’s Contender Series 34 in Las Vegas. The kick KO quickly became an Internet sensation.
And though Bahamondes impressed many fighting at welterweight, the 23-year-old expects an early 2021 return a weight class below.
“We don’t have an exact date, but we hear of maybe fighting in February. So that’s what’s most likely, toward the end of February,” Bahamondes said in Spanish on Monday’s episode of Hablemos MMA. “We just need to find an opponent and do a few tests to see what weight class we’ll compete at, but I think most likely we’ll end up at 155, the lightweight division.”
Bahamondes’ past two fights have been at 170 pounds and were two bouts that gave him again some momentum and allowed him to bounce back from his third professional defeat.
The VFS Academy product said he took those bouts because of the opportunity and the potential upside.
“The opportunity was there,” Bahamondes said. “The previous fight before Contender Series, I took it short notice with like two weeks. So due to the weight cut, it had to be at 170. And for this, this was the only opportunity they gave me, so I wasn’t going to wait for an opportunity to come at 155. I took it and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Bahamondes feels game at welterweight, but thinks his optimal weight is at 155 pounds for now.
“It’s a a weight I feel very comfortable at,” Bahamondes said. “I’m a very big 155er and I can make the weight well with no complications. I do it step by step. I think the most intelligent move here is to make the most of 155 until my body allows me. Naturally, I’m going to have to go up to 170 because I’m just 23 years old and my body is not 100 percent developed. For sure, I’ll end up at 170. But for now, we’ll raise terror at 155 for a year or two and then go up to 170.”
