Klose has that potential. He won three straight in 2018-19, and was on the verge of stopping Dariush before getting caught and finished in a wild UFC 248 bout that would have won Fight of the Night honors on any other card than the one that saw one of the sport’s greatest bouts between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
“I was mad,” he laughs. “I was like, ‘Why did they have to be on the card?’ But you know what really bothers me? They always post that Beneil fight every year, the same day, two days before my birthday, so I always have a bad birthday.”
Klose chuckles, and despite all the craziness and questions of the last year, he’s in a good place. He’s got Kingston, he’s got his lady, fellow UFC fighter Cortney Casey, and he’s happy in the gym with his MMA Lab squad after a short break from the John Crouch-led team.
“John Crouch and (former UFC lightweight champion) Benson (Henderson) and all them, they were there since Day One,” said Klose. “They got me to the point where I’m at, and I kinda turned my back on them. But I had to man up and apologize and I realized that. Some men, they think they’re too strong and they can do everything on their own, but I had to admit to Crouch that I was in the wrong. You live and learn, and as I get older, you realize things. I’m happy and I’m in a good spot right now. And whatever happens in fighting, I know it’s gonna be good because I got my family back in my life.”
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This weekend, he finally gets to throw hands again. And that’s what he missed the most.
“Competing is something I did my whole life,” Klose said. “Just getting in there with another person and seeing who’s the best, that’s what I really missed. When I’m done with this, I don’t know what I’m gonna do with myself because I’m so addicted to competing. I compete with Cortney every day about the smallest things around the house (Laughs), so that’s what I missed – getting in there and showcasing my talents.
“And I’m glad that there are a lot of people supporting me,” he continues. “When I step in that cage, I always think about everyone and the people who helped me get to where I’m at, and I just can’t wait to go out there and show them that I’m a good guy to support and just leave it all on the line for them and put on a good show.”
On Saturday. Not Friday.
