UFC 222 winner Zak Ottow wishes Mike Pyle well in retirement, but 'this had to be my fight to win'

LAS VEGAS – Zak Ottow sort of ruined Mike Pyle’s swan swong, but he’s got his reasons to not let himself get too upset about it.

Pyle (27-14-1 MMA, 10-9 UFC) had already announced that, regardless of outcome, the UFC 222 meeting with Ottow (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) would be the final fight of a more than two-decade-long MMA run. It was as peaceful of a transition as they come: Ready for the next step, the 42-year-old fighter said he left no regrets or enemies behind and saw a number of options ahead.

Still, there’s bound to be some sentimentalism attached to these situations. And, as he walked out to the UFC Fight Pass-streamed preliminary-card bout, Ottow knew a lot of those at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena were rooting for his opponent to get “a good going-away party.”

Needless to say, that’s not what Pyle got when he was knocked out in the first round. But, as big of a fan as he’s always been of his foe, “The Barbarian” is OK with his spoiler role.

“It is the fight business, and it’s pretty tough – a lot of ups and downs,” Ottow said. “It’s not like we’re signed to these super long contracts. I felt like I was fighting for my job in there. He’s made a lot of money in this sport. He made more money in this loss than I made winning.

“He’s got other things going on. I know we’re talking a little bit, and he’s got a family. He’s kind of done his thing, and now is my time. I wish him well in retirement, but this had to be my fight to win.”

Ottow, who remained respectful throughout, was right in that it was an important one for him: Having yet to score a finish in the UFC, he was coming off a knockout loss to Li Jingliang. The most recent setback sat atop a 2-2 octagon record, which featured wins over Josh Burkman and Kiichi Kunimoto and a loss to Sergio Moraes.

Getting his first UFC knockout win is cause for celebration as is, but there were some added factors that went into making this a special night for Ottow. Not only did he get the “cool experience” to go up against someone who he’d long admired, Ottow was awarded his jiu-jitsu black belt afterward while still up in the octagon.

Ottow, who first started training in 2009, has yet to figure out how his team managed to sneak a belt past him up there. But it certainly felt “amazing” to have it wrapped around his waist.

“I was totally not expecting it,” Ottow said. “I’ve had my brown belt for a little while, but I didn’t think it’d happen in the cage or anything like that. Totally caught by surprise. But it was just on top of a great moment, another great moment. So, pretty cool.”

Now with a winning UFC record, a huge statement win and an upgraded belt, Ottow said it’s time the finishes he was previously known for begin to start appearing again. And while he won’t say whom he’d like to see in the other end of those, he does know where he’d like to resume collecting them.

“There’s a card in Chicago in June (UFC 225, on June 9),” Ottow said. “That’s pretty close to home, I’d love to get on that card. Otherwise, let’s bring a card to Milwaukee. We’ve got tons of fighters out in Milwaukee on the UFC roster. New arena. Harley-Davidson has their 115th anniversary coming up. Let’s do one in Milwaukee. I’ve got to be on that one.”

For complete coverage of UFC 222, check out the UFC Events section of the site.