LAS VEGAS – It’s been a long journey for Jamal Pogues, who was victorious in his UFC debut.
Pogues (10-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) a Bellator and LFA alum, needed two wins on Dana White’s Contender Series to finally punch his ticket to the UFC.
He defeated Josh Parisian by unanimous decision in his octagon debut this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 219 at the UFC Apex, and was emotional when he soakd in the moment.
“I don’t have words right now, to be honest with you,” Pogues told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “(I’m) just kind of stuck right now – disbelief. But probably in a couple of hours I’ll let you know. But right now, (I’m) just living in the moment – can’t believe it’s real.
“Man, 14 years to get here, and I’m here now – so that’s the crazy part about everything. It’s a surreal moment. You can play these moments in your head a bunch of times, and now I’m like, ‘I did it,’ and I can scratch that off my bucket list so far.”
Watch the full post-fight interview with Pogues above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 219.
Jamal Pogues in ‘disbelief’ after 14-year journey to first octagon win at UFC Fight Night 219