“I can put on wars. I want to work my way back to my chance to fight him again, if I ever get that opportunity again.” Kris Moutinho kept dreaming of his return to the UFC ever since Dana White axed him. It was a pretty demotivating moment for the mixed martial artist. After all, he fought two fights in the Octagon and lost both of them. But now, things have taken a turn for the better. And unlike many others, the UFC head honcho provided the 32-year-old bantamweight with a second chance. 

Unlike most fighters, Moutinho claimed that he was an introvert, which meant he didn’t like the attention that he got as a fighter. He was even ready to denounce his fame. But when he got out of the UFC, his introverted nature forced him to wrap his head around what the people were saying. And it definitely wasn’t a good move. He told MMA Junkie, “I wanted to end everything. I was in a relationship with somebody else, and that was going bad. Just everything else – getting kicked out of the UFC. Getting my a– kicked. Doubting if I was even good at what I was doing. Just living that way.” It was indeed the worst place anyone could be in. 

But Moutinho’s bad days are over now. White has reportedly decided to bring the Massachusetts resident back. He’s set to battle against Malcolm Wellmaker at UFC Atlanta. But White called up Moutinho with just 10 days left to the event. This fight is going to be pretty interesting because Moutinho lost his previous UFC bouts against Sean O’Malley and Guido Cannetti. And after his second loss in 2022, he found his way out of the Octagon. But soon after a couple of failed boxing tryouts, Moutinho won 5 back-to-back bouts outside the UFC. On the other hand, Wellmaker has never really tasted defeat in the realm of professional MMA. 

If we take a look at his professional record, Moutinho has won 14 bouts and lost 6. But it’s worth noting that his debut in the UFC against the former bantamweight champion got him a Fight of the Night bonus. This certainly means that the returning bantamweight fighter has the promise of showcasing an entertaining bout, don’t you agree? Well, that’s exactly what he thinks of while stepping in for a fight–give the fans the best possible show. 

Kris Moutinho plans on showing Dana White and others a great show

During the conversation with MMA Junkie back in May 2024, Moutinho weighed in on his bout against ‘Suga.’ He said, “The fight we had was great. Whatever. Cool. I got my a– kicked, but we put on a show. It made it a whole lot bigger than it would’ve been if I went and got starched in two seconds. It is what it is. With that being said, it still gave me, even though I am who I am, and the attention was a lot to deal with and stuff, I’m a lot better now. I’m a lot more understanding now. … All things come on both sides, there’s good and bad to everything, and I appreciate the opportunity that I got.”

But did he consider himself a perfect fighter? Not really! He compared himself with fighters like Max Holloway when he claimed that people liked him because he wasn’t perfect. And just like ‘Blessed,’ Moutinho was ready to risk everything as he got into the cage. He didn’t really care about having an imperfect move set while looking for a finish. He claimed, “That’s how I feel like my style is. I’ll do stupid s—. That fight, I made so many stupid mistakes.”

Moutinho absolutely didn’t care about getting his hands down and chasing his opponents for a finish. And he owned that style. But what if his opponents caught him off guard and sent him to sleep? Apparently, he didn’t care. But if his opponents couldn’t catch him as he made the mistakes, they were in for some punishment. And that’s exactly what we might get to see at UFC Atlanta. After all, Moutinho has often promised to give out the best shows possible. 

What do you think of Moutinho’s return to the UFC? Do you think we can see him fight the former bantamweight champion once again? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.