Modestas Bukaukas admitted he was overcome with emotion when the UFC called for him to fight Tyson Pedro on less than three weeks' notice.
Bukauskas, 28, was cut by the UFC just a month after suffering a severe knee injury in his September 2021 loss to Khalil Rountree Jr. The Lithuanian-born Brit went 1-3 in the promotion, with his lone win coming in his debut as he knocked out crafty veteran Andreas Michailidis. Bukauskas was then stopped by Jimmy Crute in his next fight and lost a controversial decision to Michał Oleksiejczuk before facing Rountree Jr.
Since the knee injury that ended his first UFC stint, Bukauskas has won two fights in Cage Warriors and reclaimed his light-heavyweight title for the promotion last December. The 28-year-old was about to sign a contract to defend his belt in March, but that's when the UFC called for him to fight Tyson Pedro in Australia on February 11.
Who wins at UFC 284 - Modestas Bukauskas or Tyson Pedro? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
"I was on my way home from training, it was around 10:30 at night," Bukauskas told Mirror Fighting. "There is a spot near my house that you lose phone signal and I get a call from my manager right as I went into that spot. I swerved over to the side of the road to answer and he asks what my weight is like. I said 'I'm not fat, weight is ok' and then he said 'Well, you are fighting in two weeks in Australia for the UFC'"
"I was just full of raw emotion, I was crying and screaming, going mad. I was all over the place, told my dad and step-mum that we are back in the UFC. Loads of emotion, it's been a long road and everybody thought I was done, it's crazy. I've got a bit of a chip on my shoulder and I think that's a very powerful tool going into this fight.
Bukauskas is a considerable underdog against Pedro, but he isn't phased by the odds and plans to win emphatically in his UFC return. The Brit admitted his fairytale comeback story is meaningless unless he gets his hand raised and Bukauskas promises fans they will see a new version of him second time around
"I've got to go and prove myself, I didn't do it the first time around in the UFC but this time is going to be very different. The comeback story doesn't really come alive until I go into the UFC and win impressively. I'm going out there to finish Tyson, to win and win big so it's going to be an explosive matchup for that reason," he added.
