“I need this win,” said Ronson. “I go back to Troy Lamson, when I had lost my two PFL fights: I said, ‘If I lose this fight, I’m retiring, and I’m not ready to retire, I’m not ready to give up, so losing is not an option.’
“Sean Shelby did me a favor. I get that win and then this happens, so it’s like, ‘How much **** is this guy going to put up with?’
“Being 36, if I go 0-1 and one no contest, that might be it, so I need to win this fight because I need to keep this going. I’m not done yet. I’ve got a lot more to go.”
Which brings us to this weekend and Rafa Garcia.
The 27-year-old arrived in the UFC with a perfect 12-0 mark with three consecutive wins over former or current UFC fighters. After dropping decisions to Nasrat Haqparast and Chris Gruetzemacher in his first two outings, he notched his first victory last November, out-hustling newcomer Natan Levy.
Despite acknowledging he feels like a caged lion ready to spring on its prey as soon as its gate is opened, Ronson also knows that he can’t rush into things carelessly against Garcia. Instead, he intends to be calm and calculated, while expecting his opponent to be the one trying to chase down an early finish.
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“The weaker parts of my game when I first got signed to the UFC were the mental aspects,” said Ronson, reflecting on his growth over the years and how it impacts Saturday’s matchup with Garcia. “It’s like, ‘You worked your whole life to get to the UFC; you’re here’ and I had no plan of what to do, so this is the kind of stuff that I’ve been working on.
“My Fight IQ is higher than ever. I know I need to be calculated and smart, because Rafa Garcia is a wild guy, he does have power and, according to Cub Swanson, he’s the strongest guy he’s ever grappled with, but he’s no Michel Prazares, I tell you that much.
“I think he’s going to be the guy trying to take it to me. He’d be very stupid to take this fight slow because then I will absolutely dissect him and it will be disgustingly bad for him. I think he’s going to come out and try to blast me because I’ve been off for 20 months; I’m the older guy.
