Video: Noad Lahat talks emotional UFC win, return to Israel to rejoin army

SAN JOSE – After earning his first octagon win at UFC on FOX 12, an emotional Noad Lahat recounted his experience training for opponent Steven Siler while trying to stay in touch with his family in Israel.

“I didn’t get more than two hours straight sleep,” said Lahat (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who plans to return to his native country to serve in the Israeli army in its continued clash with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Featherweight Lahat, who rebounded from a knockout loss to Godofredo Castro in his March UFC debut, said he isn’t returning home because he likes the idea of going to war. Instead, it’s out of a sense of duty.

Fighting, however, gave him a brief respite from constant worry as he obsessed over the conflict outside of the gym.

“The only free time I had when my mind kind of got away from that was in the gym, training,” he said. “But even then, from the moment I walked into the gym, the only thing I had in my mind was my friends, my family back home, my country.”

Lahat vs. Siler opened Saturday’s event, which took place at San Jose’s SAP Center. Siler (23-13 MMA, 5-4 UFC) lost his third straight fight in the octagon.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 12, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.