Guido Cannetti is confident there’s a lot more left in the tank and better days are ahead in his fighting career.
The 42-year-old Argentine feels he’s at his best having undergone some major training changes amid a tough losing streak that had him on the brink of retirement. Cannetti (9-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) was on a three-fight skid, as he geared up to take on Kris Moutinho at UFC Fight Night 203 on March 12.
With his back against the wall, Cannetti delivered arguably his best performance in the octagon, putting away Moutinho with a violent combination in the first round of their bantamweight contest. The TKO win marked Cannetti’s first finish in the UFC and also his last fight on his UFC contract.
“None, I have no fights left,” Cannetti told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “They signed me for one fight because they gave me another. The fight with Mana Martinez he had missed weight and I still fought, but I told them (UFC) I wanted to fight again and they honored my request.
“That’s why when the fight was over (with Moutinho) I thanked Sean Shelby for believing in me and giving me another opportunity despite having three losses. He knew inside that I was capable of doing this at some point and they stuck by me. So I have to thank him, Dana White, and the UFC.”
Cannetti is confident the UFC will have him back given his impressive win. “Ninja” says he was not managing his dieting and weight cutting correctly, which is why he wasn’t able to perform at his best in previous performances. But now that he’s made some adjustments, Cannetti has put all retirement thoughts on the back seat for now.
“I was going to retire if I didn’t turn things around,” Cannetti explained. “I really want to continue, I want to return. I didn’t take any damage or anything in the fight, so surely I’ll be back soon in the cage. I truly felt great. I was able to achieve the change in all aspects and it’s a way to congratulate myself because after all of this sacrifice how can I retire just like that? I want more and I want to return in this same form. I want the next rival and I want to destroy him. I want to do everything I wasn’t able to do in these last few years.”
Cannetti left unscathed from his bout with Moutinho given the short nature of the fight. Ideally, he hopes to return in July.
As far as the feeling of being able to turn things around in his career at 42 years of age, Cannetti can’t describe what this win meant for his career, and beyond that, his life.
“I can’t explain to you the feeling, it’s unexplainable,” Cannetti said. “I think today if I wouldn’t have done what I did, I don’t think I would’ve ever been able to sleep in my life again and my life would’ve been completely different.
“The work that I put in to get to this fight and be as prepared as I was – I was more prepared than I thought I’d be. And being able to get a win like that after three defeats in the UFC and also it being my first finish in the UFC, also setting a record at bantamweight for the first 42-year-old fighter to win a fight, I think it relieved me tremendously.
“My life moving forward is different. The confidence that I have is different. No matter what happens, I made it and I know I can aspire for more. In this form, I’m a dangerous fighter.”