UFC Fight Night 37’s Ilir Latifi grateful for new scenario this time around

LONDON – Ilir Latifi might be the easiest fighter to forgive for a loss in UFC history.

His debut with the promotion a little less than a year ago is a legendary one, though obviously not for anything that got his hand raised. He took his debut on three days’ notice in Sweden when Alexander Gustafsson was ruled out thanks to a training cut.

Stepping in anywhere on three days’ notice would be a tall order. But Latifi had to do it in the UFC. In a main event. Facing a massive weight cut. Against Gegard Mousasi, an opponent with dozens more fights than him.

Latifi dropped a decision, but earned plenty of respect just for taking the fight, let alone turning the fight with Mousasi into one that was at least competitive, at times.

On Saturday, following a full fight camp, Latifi (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) returns against Cyrille Diabate (19-9-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) to close out the prelims at UFC Fight Night 37. The card takes place at O2 Arena in London and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Last time, Latifi said there wasn’t enough time to stress out about the circumstances he was in.

“It’s very different (this time),” Latifi told MMAjunkie. “It was like three days’ notice. I didn’t have time to think so much. It wasn’t just the massive weight cut – I had all the media for the main event, and I had a lot of medical exams. I was (overwhelmed) with a lot of stuff to do.

“It feels a lot better coming into a fight getting prepared and doing everything like you should do before a fight. It’s been nice.”

An injury and recovery time kept him from training at full speed for a while after the Mousasi fight. But he still thinks back on that fight, despite the negative outcome.

In essence, being backed against the wall and given next to no chance of coming out on top, but still surviving, gave him a confidence boost for fights like this one against Diabate.

“The way I took that fight, the scenario couldn’t be any worse, taking that fight on three days’ notice, and fighting a good, experienced fighter like he was,” Latifi said. “I don’t know if you can say you learned so much about it because you weren’t prepared for it. There’s only so much you can do.

“But that gives me (confidence), with what am I able to do if I get the right help.”

The 5-foot-10 Latifi faces a massive height and reach disadvantage against the 6-6 Diabate. But that’s been the story of his life in fighting and wrestling.

He joked that he might be at the biggest height disadvantage in UFC history. While it’s big, it’s not a record. And still, the odds are neck-and-neck with him and Diabate, who told MMAjunkie he will retire following the fight.

There was virtually no pressure on Latifi in his first UFC fight – he saved the card in Stockholm, and the show went on. He felt pressure, anyway, though, just as he does this time.

“I’m very motivated. Every time you step in the octagon, you want to win and perform your best,” he said. “You think about the circumstances, but it doesn’t matter. Every time you go in you want to win. The pressure’s always on.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 37, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.