UFC Fight Night 40's Soa Palelei: 'I'm here to stay for a long time'

CINCINNATI – When Soa Palelei came back to the UFC this past August, he continued a streak that on paper, looked quite dominant.

But his TKO win over Nikita Krylov at UFC 164 left its fair share of doubters in whether or not the Australian really belonged in the UFC, despite eight straight knockout wins when he re-signed with the promotion.

On Saturday, Palelei may have silenced any critics for good. His ho-hum third-round win over Krylov was done with a broken rib. But his past two fights, he’s shown what can happen when healthy – first-round knockouts of Pat Barry and, on Saturday, Ruan Potts.

Palelei (20-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) stopped Potts (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) with three short punches from his knees in full mount to get his 11th straight knockout win. It came on the main card of UFC Fight Night 40 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, and almost certainly earned him a much bigger name his next time out.

“My last 11 fights have been knockouts, and my ground-and-pound, if I get on top of you, you’re not going anywhere,” Palelei told MMAjunkie after the fight. “It’s one of those that it’s always good to get a win like that.”

“The Hulk” first fought in the UFC in 2007 and was stopped by Eddie Sanchez. Since then, his only loss has been to Daniel Cormier. His resume is impressive, with all of his wins by stoppage.

But that didn’t mean he was exempt from doubters, especially after the at-times sloppy Krylov fight. But UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva apparently believed enough to bring him back, and the wins over Barry and Potts may have been more indicative of his potential in a heavyweight division that often is in need of new contenders.

“I was really pushing to get back in the UFC,” Palelei said. “Now I’m here, and I deserve to be here. I’m going to keep learning, keep pushing and keep climbing up the ranks.”

As for what that means next for him, for now, Palelei is towing the company line. But the Aussie no doubt knows there’s a card in June not far from his homeland when the UFC touches down in New Zealand for the first time. Considering he didn’t take much damage against Potts, who was making his UFC debut, a quick return might be in the cards for him.

But he knows one thing for sure: If you didn’t believe he belonged with the elite heavyweights in the world eight months ago, you best start changing your tune.

“We’ll see what happens with my management team and Joe Silva. Whoever they want me to fight, I’ll fight,” said Palelei, who will turn 37 in July. “I’m here to stay – not for today, but for a long time. I deserve to be here the same as other guys here.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 40, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.