EDMONTON – Alex White earned his first win as a UFC lightweight at UFC 215, getting back in the win column in an octagon career marked by long stretches of inactivity.
Definitely a thing to applaud, but White (12-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) found most of that going toward the opponent he beat, Mitch Clarke(11-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC), who bid farewell to his hometown crowd in Edmonton by laying his gloves on the canvas.
The retirement was kind of a thunder-stealer.
White, as it turns out, doesn’t mind too much. He can’t bring himself to be mad at a guy like Clarke.
“He knows what he’s doing,” White said backstage after earning a second-round TKO in the FS1-televised prelims at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canda. “He’s a respectful guy – probably one of most respectful opponents I’ve went against.
“We tried to make the best out of our camps, so he knew what he was walking into.”
That’s not to say White knew what was coming after he hand his hand raised. It’s not like he could check in on Clarke as he was slamming elbows into the side of his head. As far as he could tell, Clarke was in the fight.
“During a fight, you can’t feel compassion,” he said. “So I just try to do my game. After the fight, I felt compassion for him.”
But another thing he’s feeling is elation. Even very recently, White said he struggled to put his all into the sport of MMA. The UFC came calling with fights, and he wasn’t in shape. Something clicked, though, and he put himself in the position to accept Saturday’s bout.
Now, he doesn’t plan on turning back. If he has to retire a few more folks, so be it.
“I lacked the fire under my butt,” he said. “And just the past year, I rekindled it, and I kind of want to make a career out of it. I want to put everything I have into this.”
To hear more from White, check out the video above.
And for complete coverage of UFC 215, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
view original article >>