Outside of very few exceptions, it seems as though any time a welterweight defends their title, it doesn’t take long for the “greatest of all time” rumblings to come out. After a second defense, it’s almost mandatory.
Champ in and champ out, there’s social media debates about why they’re the greatest fighter to ever hit the scales at 170 pounds. Kilmer feels that he’s already got the skillset to evolve into a major player in the debate.
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“As far as skill level goes, I think I’m pretty up there,” Kilmer said. “I’m still putting weight on. I actually fought at featherweight for most of my career up until February of 2021. I put on a lot of weight because of ADCC trials, and I realized that my next fight for Fury FC had to be in the lightweight division. Then I hit a growth spurt and got into bodybuilding for the first time in my life and I shot up another weight division.”
The natural 145er is chasing the ghost of his former favorite fighter, the one who jumpstarted his interest in MMA years and years ago.
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“My first fighter that I would watch was GSP,” Kilmer said. “I started watching him and that’s how it all started for me in MMA. I was a wrestler and then I started watching MMA and I got into that and wanted to be an MMA fighter. He defended the belt nine times. As far as title defenses go, I don’t think it’s up for debate. GSP had the most title defenses.”
As a wrestler turned BJJ stud who’s also finished half his wins with his hands, Kilmer is already ahead of the game for a 21-year-old, and he hopes to possess some of that magical “it” power that landed GSP in everybody’s Mt. Rushmore across all of combat sports.
“He was one of those guys similar to Jon Jones who was ahead of their time as far as skill level,” Kilmer said. “Even though they were winning in the younger generation of the sport, I feel like now if they were to compete they would be just as competitive with the guys now.”
At 4-1, he’s got a long way to go to reach GSP-level greatness, but Kilmer knows it’s not the destination, it’s the ride there.
Catch Sam Kilmer back in the Fury FC cage at Fury FC 71, Sunday, November 6, ONLY on UFC FIGHT PASS!
