After 'acting like an amateur,' Ryan Jimmo ready to redeem himself at UFC 161

On one hand, Canadian light-heavyweight Ryan Jimmo believes he made a mistake in fighting James Te Huna at UFC on FUEL TV 7. 

On the other, he believes it would have been a mistake not to fight. 

Jimmo (17-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who on Saturday meets Igor Pokrajac (25-9 MMA, 4-4 UFC) at UFC 161, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he “literally didn’t have a leg to stand on” when he fought the Australiian this past February following a career-highlight knockout of Anthony Perosh that catapulted him to stardom. 

After three rounds with Te Huna, Jimmo lost a unanimous decision and was forced back to the drawing board.

“I acted like an amateur by choosing to go ahead,” he said. “I’ve done it before and come out on top. Not that night. Te Huna’s got a hard head. He’s a tough guy.”

But Jimmo acknowledged that not going ahead probably was a better option than turning the fight down. 

“What are you doing, trying to get me in trouble?” Jimmo jokingly questioned when asked whether he felt pressure to compete despite his injury. “Well, that’s part of it when you’re first starting out in this in the UFC especially. I already [withdrew] for … my (planned) debut. So I didn’t want to be that guy that kept pulling out because of injuries.”

Jimmo’s feelings illustrate an ongoing dilemma for fighters who want to keep their jobs, but often feel pressured into competing under less-than-ideal circumstances. Injuries and injury withdrawals complicate the job of UFC matchmakers, who have a limited amount of time and talent to put together cards. 

“I think I was a better fighter that night, but due to injury, I couldn’t get my cardio where I needed to be,” Jimmo said. “I gassed out. But I can’t take anything bad from it.”

A veteran of Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Jimmo was eliminated early on the reality show and racked up an impressive win streak on the regional circuit before being invited back to the UFC. 

At UFC 149, he tied the record for the fastest official knockout in the promotion’s history by flooring Perosh with a right hand in seven seconds. 

While his recent loss put a black mark on his resume, Jimmo believes he stayed in the UFC’s good graces by accepting a high-profile fight for UFC 161 when he learned that a fight between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was scratched by an injury to Nogueira. 

Jimmo wouldn’t name the opponent, but it’s no great leap to assume he was offered Rua, who is now scheduled to fight three-time title challenger Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 in August. 

With an extra spot available on UFC 161's pay-per-view card, Jimmo accepted a fight with Pokrajac, whose recent decision loss to Joey Beltran was overturned when Beltran tested positive for a banned substance. 

“I think I’m a bigger, stronger human being,” Jimmo said. “If he wants to brawl, I’ll pick him apart on the feet.”

UFC 161 takes place at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Jimmo’s fight with Pokrajac airs on the pay-per-view main card following FX and Facebook prelims.

For the latest on UFC 161, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.