Priorities in Place, Matt Lozano Rekindles Promising Career at Legacy FC 28 on Friday Night

After four fights in his first year as a pro in 2012, bantamweight prospect Matt “SMG” Lozano had just one fight last year.

The reason for his lack of activity comes down to a combination of suffering his first loss and taking time out to deal with personal responsibilities.

“I wanted to get out there and have as many fights as I could within a short amount of time after I debuted,” Lozano told MMAWeekly.com. “But the (loss to) Tuan Pham kind of put it on hold.

“I had my son in January (2013) so I wanted to take some time off after the (Pham) fight.”

According to Lozano, his loss to Pham at Bellator 83 comes down to making the wrong kind of preparations.

“We went in there thinking it was going to be a stand-up war because we’d heard a lot about (Pham’s) Muay Thai and we kind of believed the hype,” said Lozano. “So I went in there thinking it was going to be a stand-up fight and wasn’t paying attention to my wrestling like I should have been.

“I learned that I should keep all my tools sharp and be ready for anything.”

Since then, Lozano (4-1) has been spending time training with former UFC and Pride vet Chris Brennan and now he’s ready to have his first fight of the year when he takes on Damacio Page (16-9) in the main event of Legacy FC 28 on Friday in San Antonio, Texas.

“I’ve never been nervous before a fight,” said Lozano. “I think I’m more nervous doing interviews than I am doing a fight. It’s just a bigger stage. People are going to be able to see what I’ve got, so it’s a motivator, definitely.

“I don’t want to go out there thinking I’m going to knock anybody out or get a submission. Wherever the fight goes, if the finish is there, I’m going to take it, whether it’s standing or on the ground.”

Having just gotten back into the swing of things, Lozano plans on taking things at his own pace to ensure he makes the right moves going forward.

“We’re going to take it as it comes,” he said. “We’re not looking past anybody. We’re not setting up the next one after this one, this is the fight and we’ll deal with the next one when it comes.”