Staying healthy also opens the door for more time spent in the gym and perfecting your craft. For Pauga, that’s improving both his striking and wrestling, making him a completely different fighter than the one Usman is so familiar with.
Despite walking into the APEX with UFC President Dana White’s eyes fixed on you for the most important 15 minutes of your life, these improvements have removed all doubts and settled all his pre-fight nerves.
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“You know, there’s always pressure,” Pauga said. “There’s more pressure [this fight], but every fight I’ve had has been the most important fight of my career. So, yes, there’s a lot riding on this fight, but I’ve done the preparation. I’ve done the work. So, I’m not nervous. I don’t have any butterflies.”
Along with this confidence came a chilling message as he signed off to make final preparations for the biggest fight of his career.
“On Saturday, at the end of the night, when this fight’s over, I will have dragged Mohammed to deep water, and while he’s gasping for air, knock him out.”
