Following a 14-month layoff due to a myriad of reasons, lightweight Trey Ogden returned to action last November and not only picked up a win over JJ Okanovich at Fury FC 53, but earned himself a UFC contract as part of the Looking for a Fight series.
In the months since it’s been a whirlwind of activity for Ogden which stands in stark contrast to how the majority of his 2021 played out.
“November was crazy, like the Looking for a Fight thing, having had all the adversity that lead up to in that in that year, it made that moment much better,” Ogden told MMAWeekly.com.
“After that we signed the contract, the excitement of that wore off and we got back to training and preparation for my UFC debut. I think like the main thing that I’ve been thinking about through this who period was who my first opponent would be, then I found out.”
Ogden believes he’ll be a better fighter in his UFC debut than he was in his last fight due to the fact that he’s always in the gym working on his game.
“I’m always in the gym,” said Ogden. “Even when I was injured I was in the gym; I coach fulltime, so I’m in the gym seven, eight hours a day. My process is continued to be refined, and I feel like I’m getting noticeably better every month.”
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This Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ogden (15-4) will make his promotional debut when he takes on Jordan Leavitt (9-1) in a 155-pound preliminary bout at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2.
“I think that I have the advantage everywhere in the fight, so if I minimalize my mistakes I should win the fight,” Ogden said.
While he might not be able to directly control when he fights, Ogden would like to be busy over the coming second half of the year and finish out 2022 on a winning streak.
“I have in my head that I would like to fight three or four times this year,” said Ogden. “You are on the UFC’s schedule and it’s just what it is.
“I got this fight on three weeks’ notice. I’m not opposed to doing (short notice fights) as well if that’s what it takes. But I’d like to get four in by the end of the year.”
Trey Ogden believes he has the advantage everywhere heading into UFC debut
