Bantamweight fighter Brady Hiestand made it to the UFC in 2021. It appeared he was on his way towards building the next stage of his career, but an injury late in the year put those plans on hold.
A severe knee injury kept Hiestand on the shelf for a year, forcing him to not only overcome the physical challenges with such an injury, but the mental ones as well.
“There was a lot of ups and downs to that year,” Hiestand told MMAWeekly.com. “I spent most of the first part of the year recovering from ACL, meniscus, and MCL surgeries. After The Ultimate Fighter, I had to get surgery and then spend pretty much the whole year recovering.
“The hardest part is that I’m a really active person and I’ve been training since I was like 14. So to not be in the gym and not being able to train was different. It was hard on me. To take a step back and watching everyone train and compete was hard, but it was good for other parts of my life.”
Hiestand was able to recover, and thanks to added skills he picked up during his recovery he was able to defeat Fernie Garcia at UFC Fight Night last November via unanimous decision in his return.
“Once I was easing back into it I adjusted a lot of my striking,” said Hiestand. “I implemented a lot of new stuff in my striking to help my grappling. I became a more well-rounded mixed martial artist in my time off.”
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Brady Hiestand faces Batgerel Danaa at UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes
On Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hiestand (6-2) attempts to pick up his second straight win since his return when he takes on Batgerel Danaa (12-4) in a preliminary 135-pound bout at UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes.
“I think it’s very similar to the Fernie Garcia fight where he’s a very strong counter-puncher with good hooks,” Hiestand said of Danaa. “I think he hits a little bit harder and is more athletic (than Garcia). He has a lot of experience. It’s another good step up against another good striker/puncher.
“I see myself beating him everywhere and getting him out of there in the second or third round.”
Now that he’s back, Hiestand wants to make up for the lost time he’s had and be as busy as he possibly can be in 2023.
“I’m definitely trying to stay active,” said Hiestand. “Maybe after this fight I can have a quick-turnaround, hop on a flight and go fight in London (in July) and then after that keep active. I want to climb these rankings.”
Brady Hiestand overcoming injury, climbing the UFC ladder