Luke Fernandez ready to bring fresh blood to light heavyweight division
DWCS 85 winner Luke Fernandez talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters after being awarded a UFC contract from Dana White
LAS VEGAS – Luke Fernandez was well aware that he was a substantial betting favorite at Dana White’s Contender Series 85, but couldn’t let that affect his thinking ahead of his UFC job interview.
Fernandez (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) ranged from a -1400 to -1700 favorite against Rafael Pergentino, who also entered their DWCS as an undefeated fighter. However, Fernandez proved the oddsmakers correct by finishing the fight in just 15 seconds with the first combination he threw.
“I did see some of the odds just because I got buddies that are degenerate gamblers that want to send me that,” Fernandez told reporters during a post-fight news conference. “I did see that stuff, but I try to pay no mind to that. I definitely don’t let that weigh in to how I’m approaching a fight.
“To anyone that says they don’t belong or who doesn’t belong, at the end of the day, me and him had the same record, we’re 205 pounds wearing 4 oz. gloves. I mean, he could throw an overhand the same way and put me down. So, that’s how I approached it, but at the end of the day, anyone saying, ‘He was such a big favorite,’ ‘He got fed,’ that’s why it ended in 15 seconds.”
Fernandez admits he was a little worried that UFC CEO Dana White didn’t see enough of him because the fight ended so quickly. Being the first fight on the card and having to wait until the conclusion of the show only allowed those thoughts to linger.
However, White extended a contract offer because he made the fight look exactly as one-sided as the oddsmakers suggested, and now he’ll have his chance to prove himself against the UFC’s light heavyweights.
