Kris Moutinho is preparing for his return to the UFC this Saturday. He initially gained significant attention in 2021 when he stepped in on short notice to face Sean O`Malley, participating in a memorable and wild fight that earned Fight of the Night honors. Unfortunately, after losing that bout and suffering another defeat eight months later against Guido Cannetti, he was released from the promotion.
Despite being celebrated by fans for his exciting, aggressive style in the cage, the 32-year-old bantamweight revealed he was enduring a very difficult time in his personal life.
Speaking during UFC Atlanta media day, Moutinho shared, “I went through a really bad time with relationships, with everything else in my life and I was just a mess. I was very close to ending this thing, ending it all and being done.”
He continued, “I don’t want to talk too much about it but it was a bad time. One of the worst times in my life. I found the girl I’m with now, my beautiful girlfriend, she saved me. Saved my life. Helped me find God a lot better and I’m just in a better place.”
While appreciative of his previous opportunity in the UFC, Moutinho admits he likely wasn`t in the right mental state to achieve success during his brief stint with the organization.
Following his departure, Moutinho reset and resumed competing on the regional circuit. He accumulated an impressive streak of five consecutive victories, with four of those coming by stoppage. He wasn`t actively campaigning for a UFC return, but readily accepted the chance to come back when the call came, booking a fight against highly-touted prospect Malcolm Wellmaker for this weekend.
“I feel like I’m where God put me, where I’m supposed to be,” Moutinho stated. “I feel like this is the guy that should have been here in 2021. The guy that is mentally focused, enjoys this stuff again.”
He contrasted his current mindset with his past one: “[Back] then, I was just going through the motions and I was happy to be here but I was kind of just happy to be here. I’m not that guy no more. I don’t care. I’m coming to kill. I’m coming to knock him out. He has to kill me to get me out of there.”
Moutinho`s perspective on combat sports has also undergone a significant transformation in recent years, a change he expects will be visible inside the octagon during his return.
He recalled that in both his previous UFC fights, his primary focus was on putting on an entertaining show, but these memorable battles ultimately resulted in back-to-back losses. He intends to correct that with his performance against Wellmaker, although his tendency to engage in exciting fights remains.
“This sport in the 12 years, 13 years that I’ve been doing it, it’s taken a lot from me,” Moutinho reflected. “I care less I guess about this sport and less about what I’m doing and that’s somehow freed me to enjoy it more when I am in there and when I am training and when I am fighting. I got back to what I did when I started this stuff. Mixing the game.”
He elaborated on adjustments he`s made: “I got a little too punch crazy and I wanted to throw punches and get hit by punches and I enjoyed it a little too much, didn’t pan out well when I was here the last time. I’m just opening my game up a little bit, worked on the flaws that I had last time and just a more complete fighter now.”
Interestingly, Moutinho`s return bout with the UFC bears a striking resemblance to his debut: he`s once again accepting a fight on short notice against a highly-regarded prospect.
While he appreciates the widespread support he received after the tough fight against O`Malley four years ago, Moutinho is understandably hoping for a much different result this time around.
“It’s a little bit déjà vu,” Moutinho commented. “It’s pretty much the same thing that happened last time. I’m fighting a tall, lanky good striker on nine days’ notice. It feels pretty similar. I’m a different person than I was then. I’m a lot older, a lot more at peace with myself and where I’m at in life. Hopefully it’s going to be a better show.”
He offered an analysis of his opponent: “I think Malcolm’s a great fighter. He’s 9-0 for a reason. He’s a powerful guy, has power in both hands, he looks to counter a lot. He might change, he could do something completely different this time but again a lot of his fights, he counters and looks for the big hooks and he can wrestle, he can grapple, he can do everything. I expect what I do very well is put pressure, control the pace of the fight and use my wrestling here and there and do what I’m supposed to do.”
Displaying a calm, focused demeanor as fight week began, Moutinho doesn`t take his second opportunity for granted. In many ways, he feels this upcoming fight represents his true introduction to the UFC audience.
Despite holding an 0-2 record in the promotion, Moutinho is confident he will demonstrate a significantly different version of himself when he faces Wellmaker on Saturday.
Regarding the upcoming contest, Moutinho declared, “You’re in my way and I have to put you down and that’s the only way it’s going to be. I’ve been saying this to myself, I am inevitable. My time is inevitable. I’m here for a reason. I got back for a reason. There’s no stopping me.”
