After surprising even himself with submission at UFC Fight Night 99, Justin Ledet wants on Houston show

BELFAST, Northern Ireland – Given his boxing background, most people watching Justin Ledet’s heavyweight scrap with Mark Godbeer this past Saturday probably were surprised at the outcome.

You can even count Ledet as one of them. Taking Godbeer (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) down and tapping him with a rear-naked choke wasn’t in the game plan for the Texas-based Ledet (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 99. But given it won him a $50,000 bonus check for one of four “Performance of the Night” awards, he probably won’t complain.

UFC Fight Night 99 took place this past Saturday at SSE Arena Belfast in Northern Ireland. The entire event streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

“It kind of came out of nowhere for me,” Ledet said after the fight. “That’s the first takedown of my entire career – I don’t even think in jiu-jitsu or wrestling class. That’s my first takedown ever. I actually tried, and it worked. I don’t even know why I did it. I was just kind of clinched against the cage – I don’t know if I was in my right mind. … I happened to get that rear-naked (choke) in, and I was taken by surprise by all of it. It hasn’t set in yet – it kind of blew my mind.

With his boxing background, Ledet isn’t shy about looking for ways to finish fights with his hands. Yet somehow or another, in the six fights before his UFC debut earlier this year, he had four submissions and two knockouts.

His hands were on display in his decision win over Chase Sherman at UFC Fight Night 92 in August. But this time, in Belfast, he wanted to get something done on the feet.

“I was hoping to come out here and show my boxing skills once again, but I guess that didn’t happen,” he said. I guess you never know what’s going to happen in a fight – even when you’re fighting.”

That will leave Ledet in maybe-next-time mode, and he hopes that next time comes in early February. That’s when the UFC hits Toyota Center in Houston for UFC Fight Night 104 on Feb. 4, the eve of Super Bowl 51, which takes place the next day at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Although that card is less than three months away, Ledet didn’t seem to take any sort of punishment against Godbeer that would proclude him from being ready. And being part of the show would also allow the unbeaten heavyweight to maybe remind some people they should’ve been there watching him when he was on his way up – not just want to be there now that he’s there, and making a big impression at the highest level.

“(I) definitely (want to fight at) UFC Houston – that’s about the closest it gets to my hometown,” Ledet said. “I’d definitely like to fight there. When I was fighting in the local shows, not many people would come to my fights. But now that I’m fighting in the UFC, everyone’s like, ‘Man, when are you fighting in Houston?’ Well, (expletive) – you weren’t coming to watch my fights when I was fighting in the local shows. But that’s neither here nor there.

“Hopefully I can get on that Houston card and everybody can come out and see me and I can finally get some of the recognition I think I deserve.”

Check out the full interview with Ledet above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 99, check out the UFC Events section of the site.