Throw in a severe knee injury, and Bukauskas had no choice but to take a more measured approach to his fighting career. He knew that some who get cut from the UFC never return, but he wasn’t going to be one of those casualties of an unforgiving business.
“I remember the one thing that I was thinking of when I was sitting in bed with my knee battered was, this story can’t end here,” said Bukauskas.
MORE FIGHT NIGHT: Check Out This Week’s Fighters On The Rise
It didn’t. Bukauskas healed up, got two wins in the Cage Warriors promotion in late-2022, and when Aussie prospect Tyson Pedro needed an opponent to step in on short notice and face him in Perth in February, “The Baltic Gladiator” raised his hand. He was nearly three years removed from his UFC debut and so much had happened in that time – good, bad and ugly – but he wasn’t concerned about the pressure, the flight, or fighting an Australian in Australia.
“I’m not the person was when I was 26,” he said. “That’s only three years ago. I’m a completely different person.”
And a completely different fighter. That was evident even before the Octagon door shut for the UFC 284 bout. Bukauskas was always confident, but this time, it was more than that.
“I really felt a good energy,” he said. “And even fighting in front of a crowd was a completely different experience. I’ve never fought in front of a crowd in the UFC. It’s always been behind closed doors. So that, in itself, was amazing. But yeah, I knew I could beat this guy. I knew I was better than him.”
