Bryan Battle’s MMA career is on the rise, but he feels public perception hasn’t matched.
The 27-year-old UFC fighter is only three years into his professional career and has achieved plenty in a short amount of time. Battle (7-1, 2-0 UFC) won Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2021, crowning himself champion at middleweight, and since has remained undefeated in the UFC through two fights.
Yet, despite being a TUF champion and still perfect in the octagon, feels the public still underestimates him and his potential.
“I definitely do feel people still underestimate me,” Battle told MMA Junkie Radio. “As good as I know I am and as far as I know I’ll be able to go, they’re underestimating me for good reason.
“I haven’t displayed any kind of insane talent or anything super scary. I’ve gotten the job done every time in the cage up to this point. But for anyone who wants to say something bad, there’s been plenty of bad spots that I’ve had in the cage that they can talk about and harp on.
“The problem is that I use that as bulletin board material. What I’m best at out of all my skills is just knowing how to win a fight. I might not be the best fighter in the cage, but I’m the one that knows how to fight the best. I know how to get the job done. …
“I definitely feel still like an underdog, but that’s Ok. I’m just going to keep on doing my thing until there’s no denying what I’m capable of and what I can do, especially being in the welterweight division.”
Battle returns to the cage on Aug. 6, as he makes his welterweight debut against veteran Takashi Sato. Battle is looking to make a statement in his first showing at 170 pounds and he’s doing everything possible to be ready for the new weight class.
“I did a test cut for 170 probably like three weeks after I fought Trey,” Battle said. “And I don’t procrastinate on these things. I’ve procrastinated on weight cuts before, and I’ve been the downsides of it, so I really do my best to try to get a head of the game because I want to feel my best when I’m training.
“If you’re having to stress because you have to cram a weight cut, that’s just not optimal for your best performance. I want to be recognized as one of the best in the world, so having to worry about my weight instead of developing my skills is not conducive to that goal.”
