Kris Moutinho is set to return to the UFC this Saturday. He first gained widespread attention in 2021 for taking a short-notice fight against Sean O’Malley, a memorable clash that earned Fight of the Night honors. However, after losing that fight and another eight months later to Guido Cannetti, he was released from the promotion`s roster.
While his exciting and fan-friendly style inside the cage earned him adoration, the now 32-year-old bantamweight revealed he was in a very difficult place in his personal life during that period.
“I went through a really bad time with relationships, with everything else in my life and I was just a mess,” Moutinho shared during UFC Atlanta media day. “I was very close to ending this thing, ending it all and being done.”
“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.”
Moutinho expressed gratitude for his previous opportunity in the UFC but admitted he likely wasn`t in the right mental state to achieve success during his brief run with the promotion.
Following his departure, Moutinho decided to reset his career and focused on competing on the regional circuit. There, he built impressive momentum, racking up five consecutive victories, with four of them ending in finishes. While he wasn`t actively pushing for a UFC return, he quickly accepted when the call came, booking a fight against promising prospect Malcolm Wellmaker for Saturday.
“I feel like I’m where God put me, where I’m supposed to be,” Moutinho commented. “I feel like this is the guy that should have been here in 2021. The guy that is mentally focused, enjoys this stuff again.”
“[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 believes his relationship with combat sports has significantly changed over the past few years, a shift he expects will be visible in his performance in the octagon.
He noted that in his previous UFC fights, his primary concern was putting on a show, but these memorable wars ultimately resulted in back-to-back losses. Now, he plans to rectify that against Wellmaker, although his fighting style naturally tends towards exciting exchanges.
“This sport in the 12 years, 13 years that I’ve been doing it, it’s taken a lot from me,” Moutinho reflected. He feels that caring less about the sport has paradoxically “freed” him to enjoy it more while training and fighting, allowing him to return to the “mixing the game” approach from earlier in his career.
He admitted, “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.”
In a somewhat ironic turn, Moutinho`s return to the UFC closely resembles his first fight with the promotion, as he is once again taking a short-notice opportunity against a highly regarded prospect.
As much as he appreciated the support he received after the battle against O’Malley, Moutinho is understandably hoping for a much different outcome this time.
“It’s a little bit déjà vu,” Moutinho commented on the similar circumstances. “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.” He emphasized the personal growth: “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.”
Regarding his opponent, Malcolm Wellmaker, he stated, “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.” Moutinho outlined his strategy: “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.”
Appearing stoic and focused during the fight week media events, Moutinho clearly does not take this second chance for granted. In many ways, he feels this return represents his real introduction to the UFC.
While he holds an 0-2 record in the promotion so far, Moutinho expects to showcase a significantly different side of himself when he clashes with Wellmaker on Saturday.
About the upcoming fight, Moutinho declared with conviction, “You’re in my way and I have to put you down and that’s the only way it’s going to be.” He added, “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.”
