Despite UFC on FOX 24 whitewash win, Devin Clark still unsatisfied

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Despite a one-sided victory at UFC on FOX 24, Devin Clark’s frustration was evident.

“I was happy, but a little disappointed, too,” Clark said. “I didn’t get the finish, and I could have done more. Next time, I’m going to strive to do more.”

Clark (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) met light heavyweight Jake Collier (10-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed prelims of Saturday’s UFC on FOX 24 event at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Early it appeared the two were going to bang it out on the feet, and Clark admitted he was surprised he was able to take his opponent’s best shots.

“I kept moving forward, quite a bit more than I usually do, and I overcame some things,” Clark said. “He also hit me pretty good a few times, and I was able to walk right through them, and they didn’t faze me. First time I’ve ever smiled at punches like that.”

That said, Clark also knew it didn’t make much sense to just stand and bang, so he went quickly back to his gameplan.

“I don’t like getting hit, so it’s like, ‘Oh crap, I’m taking shots,'” Clark said. “It’s just like you’re in a jet fighter. ‘Oh, we’re taking fire,’ so you have to do something. You better react next time. Especially at 205 (pounds), you get knocked out with one punch, so you don’t want to just take punches all day.”

Clark turned up the volume for the remainder of the fight, and Collier eventually wilted in the face of the pressure. Judges gave Clark every round, with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, but the South Dakota native admitted he wasn’t quite satisfied.

“At times, I just stopped moving and didn’t go for the finish,” Clark said. “There’s definitely openings, and I got hesitant at times.”

Nevertheless, Clark is now on a two-fight winning streak after dropping his promotional debut to Alex Nicholson, and in a division that seems to be lean on star power right now, “Brown Bear” could make a big splash with another positive result or two.

Clark said he’s ready to take whatever comes his way.

“I’m willing fight whoever, and hopefully I can start breaking into the top 15 and top 10,” Clark said. “Whatever. I’m down to fight anybody, so I’ll train for anybody and be ready.”

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 24, check out the UFC Events section of the site.