LAS VEGAS – Khama Worthy made quite the stir in his first two UFC appearances, but a 93-second loss this past September put an end to that dream start for “The Death Star.”
No matter, says Worthy. Such is the nature of the fight game.
“I definitely made a coupe of mistakes in the fight, and it’s some stuff that I have to fix with, but really it’s just the coin toss,” Worthy told MMA Junkie at a media day at the UFC Apex. “It’s what we do. We fight, and sh*t can go wrong.”
Worthy debuted in the UFC with a stunning “Performance of the Night” victory in 2019, shocking Devonte Smith for a massive upset. Worthy then followed that up with a submission win over respected prospect Luis Pena this past June. However, in September, he would fall victim to Ottman Azaitar in a frustratingly short affair.
Worthy said the nature of the loss made it difficult to pick up any truly valuable lessons on which to build.
“You can only really take so much lessons from a fight that’s like less than two minutes,” Worthy admitted.
But that hasn’t bothered him, he said. With nearly nine years competing as a professional, Worthy said he’s come to realize there’s only one thing you can control in MMA, and it certainly isn’t the result of the fight. It’s a lesson he says he took from former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
“Actually, Tony Ferguson said it best, and I’ve kind of been living by that for a while: He said the only thing you can control in the fight is your pace, and that’s very true,” Worthy said. “The only thing you can control is how in shape you are. Everything else is a coin toss.
“Yeah, I wish everything played out right. I had an amazing camp for that fight, and I didn’t do anything. It was just all backwards. It happens.”
Worthy (16-7 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns to action at Saturday’s UFC 260 event, where he takes on fellow lightweight Jamie Mullarkey (12-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC). According to the oddsmakers, Worthy is a slight favorite in the contest, but he really doesn’t concern himself with that. It’s one more thing that he simply can’t control, so he’s going to focus on what he can.
With that in mind, the goal for this one remains simple.
“In MMA, you’re only as good as your last fight,” Worthy said. “People will watch you win 10, 12 fights – you lose one, then everybody be bums making memes of you and stuff. That’s just the sport, and you can’t take it too personal. You have to know who you are and understand how you approach the fight game. So for me, it’s just come out here and get another ‘W.’”
Khama Worthy credits Tony Ferguson for career direction in ‘coin toss’ sport
