To make weight for UFC Fight Night 98, Joe Soto and team went to great lengths

MEXICO CITY – Joe Soto has stepped into the UFC octagon five times, and only once has he had the benefit of a full training camp. After picking up a heel-hook submission win over Marco Beltran on five days’ notice, his only request is eight full weeks to prepare for his next fight.

The 140-pound catchweight bout was part of the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 98 event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FS1.

Soto (17-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) entered the cage against Beltran (8-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) battling a tough foe, no real fight camp, the Mexico City elevation and a brutal weight cut.

It was a tall order, but Soto battled for a leg and cranked it for the tap at the 1:37 mark of Round 1.

“I had (to lose) 24 pounds in five days,” Soto told MMAjunkie following his win. “It was a lot. It was the toughest cut of my life. I didn’t think I could do it, and I almost didn’t. It took a lot out of me. But after I got through that, I could do well in the fight.

“It took my team. They were picking me up off the floor and throwing me in the sauna. They were helping me the whole way. I was falling asleep because I didn’t sleep the night before. They shaved my head. They shaved all the hair off my body.”

Getting the quick finish meant Soto didn’t have to dig deep to survive the potential issues the weight cut and elevation would have presented.

After losing his first three UFC bouts, including a last-minute fill-in opportunity at the bantamweight title in his 2014 UFC debut, Soto is now riding a two-fight winning streak.

Now, he has a simple request: Just let him properly prepare for a bout.

“I just want a long training camp now for a fight,” Soto said. “I think I’ve had five (UFC) fights, and four of them were short notice. I just want a longer training camp next time and get eight weeks to get ready so I can feel confident going into the fight. That’s the only thing I want – a longer training camp.”

Check out the full video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Events section of the site.