“Being rhabdo-free and having that figured out, I’m able to stay strong, stay explosive, stay athletic and be the complete mixed martial artist that I can be.”
And that’s someone who is capable of competing on the biggest stage in the sport.
“I was kind of hoping I would get a third fight just to prove that I was back and everything was good,” Prepolec said of his UFC experience. “There is always a chance to get back in there, and now I just have to prove that I’m worthy of being at that high level again.
“I just have to showcase myself and do what I need to do in order to prove to them — and also myself — that I am one of the best in the world and I do belong in the top leagues.”
Friday’s clash with Campbell and main event assignment under the Unified MMA banner are the kind of combined one-two punch that could potentially jumpstart that process.
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One of the cornerstone promotions on the Canadian mixed martial arts scene, five athletes have used Unified MMA as their launch pad to competing inside the UFC cage, including heavyweight Tanner Boser and middleweight KB Bhullar, who faces off with Strahinja Gavrilovic in the penultimate bout on Friday’s fight card.
Campbell logged one appearance inside the Unified MMA cage in the lead up to his five-fight stint on the UFC roster, but has become a fixture in the promotion since his release, posting eight straight victories for the Alberta-based outfit and becoming a main event mainstay.
“With Unified, everyone knows what Unified is,” said Prepolec, who previously competed for a host of different Canadian promotions, including Wreck MMA, the Score Fighting Series, PFC, and BTC before getting called to the Octagon. “Unified MMA is something that has been there and they’re still doing it, and only getting better. They’re one of those leagues where it’s like, ‘This guy has been fighting in our promotion, he’s gotten huge exposure, and you guys should sign this guy,’ and that’s for any big league, whether it’s North America or Europe or Asia.
“You fight for Unified, you know you’ve got eyes watching you,” he added. “I’m very blessed for this opportunity and I almost want to say it’s a privilege just because of how amazing the opportunity is, especially with everything going on, as I said. I’m really blessed and I appreciate it, big time.
