Guido Cannetti knew something needed to change.
The 42-year-old UFC bantamweight entered Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 203 on a three-fight losing streak and winless since 2018. Cannetti (9-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) was undergoing his worst career stretch, as he prepared to face a tough Kris Moutinho in the preliminary card of the night.
The Argentinian managed to turn his career around in impressive fashion, stopping Moutinho (9-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the first round of their contest. It was a much needed win for Cannetti.
“This sh*t needed a win and I needed to win in a good manner,” Cannetti told reporters in Spanish at the UFC Fight Night 203 post-fight press conference. “All my life I did it (wining), and after joining the UFC, I wasn’t able to do it anymore. And I didn’t know why. I put a lot of pressure on myself and I would eat less and train more and I was doing things so poorly that I ended sabotaging myself trying to do something better.
“Today I feel much better. I trained less and ate more. I felt strong. I felt with more energy since the moment I left Argentina until I got here and got in the cage. I told my self, ‘This is me.’ This is how I need to fight. Why didn’t I do it before?’ It was a time of learning and being able to let go and let other people help me like my nutritionist and coach. … I did so many thing so that my body could do better and so my mind could be better too. They ave to work together.”
Although he’s 42, Cannetti has no intentions of retiring at the moment. The Argentine wants to continue fighting and keep earning victories for his home country.
“The truth is that I don’t have anyone in mind,” Cannetti said regarding who he’d like to face. “They can put whoever they want in front of me just as I’ve done my entire career. I don’t think on anyone else, I just think about me and preparing well and giving the fans a good victory for Argentina. … I feel very good. I expect to have more victories coming, and I hope I make a lot of money.”
Guido Cannetti relieved with TKO at UFC Fight Night 203: ‘I needed to win in a good manner’