Louis Smolka hopes UFC on ESPN 19 win helps kickstart goal of buying family a new home

Heading into next year, Louis Smolka’s goals are a little less about himself.

Smolka (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC), who has talked in the past about turning his life around after battling a drinking problem, has gone 2-2 since rejoining the UFC roster in November 2018.

He returns Saturday against Jose Quinonez at UFC on ESPN 19 and is looking to enter 2021 with some momentum. While he has aspirations of becoming a top-ranked bantamweight, Smolka wants to take care of his family first with a new house.

And he knows the win bonuses will definitely help him fulfill his goal.

“I would hope to win this fight, and probably win two or three more, and buy a house,” Smolka told MMA Junkie. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I want to buy a house for my kid and my wife. That’s pretty much the only plan that I have for my future. That’s like my main focus. The belt would be great. Getting to the top 15 would be great. Getting to the top 10 would be great. But really, I’m trying to win and get them a house.”

Smolka will try to get back in the win column when he faces Quinonez (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC), a matchup he admitted he’s not too thrilled about stylistically.

“He likes to move around a lot – that’s the biggest thing,” Smolka said. “He’s not like a stationary pocket fighter. He likes to move around a lot. It looks like he uses his footwork a lot. That’s not really like the most fun thing for me to fight, honestly. But it’s a tricky style, and I have to try my best to overcome it and come up with a game plan to beat it.”