LAS VEGAS – The last look fans got of Amir Albazi wasn’t a pretty one, but also an inaccurate one, at least according to Albazi himself.
After undergoing neck injury, Albazi (17-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) made his return to the cage in late 2024, but unfortunately for him, his six-fight winning streak came crashing down with a unanimous decision loss to former champion Brandon Moreno. Albazi lost pretty decisively, losing 49-46 and two 50-45 scorecards.
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Fast-forward a little over a year, and Albazi is looking to make another return after a lengthy layoff this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 266 (Paramount+), which takes place at the Meta APEX. Albazi takes on former Bellator and RIZIN FF champion Kyoji Horiguchi (35-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a three-round bout.
He assures that this time around, he will show his full potential, unlike his previous return against Moreno.
“I don’t know if it was ring rust, but I definitely underperformed in that fight,” Albazi said at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 266 media day. “I never got to show the real Amir Albazi. I’m happy to be here, and be finally able to show people the real Amir Albazi, the problem in the division. I can’t wait to show you guys on Saturday.”
Despite not looking like himself and seeing his win streak come to an end, it wasn’t all negative for Albazi. There were some lessons in his last bout that he’s carrying into this event.
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“I took a lot from that fight,” Albazi said. “The main, main thing is to not overthink things, and just let Amir Albazi fight. Let my body just go and fight. That’s when I do my best, and I have to trust that’s going to carry me into a win. That’s always been the case, and in that fight, it was too much being hesitant and overthinking. I don’t know if it was the time off or other factors, but that’s the main thing that went wrong in that fight.”
Albazi very much likes the Horiguchi matchup, and is excited to use this bout to get back into title contention. He respects Horiguchi’s legacy and skillset, but feels confident in being able to get his hand raised on Saturday.
“He’s also a complete fighter in all areas of MMA,” Albazi said. “He’s also quick. He’s fast. But I have my own ways to deal with that, my own strategy. It’s going to be a good fight. I hope people tune in. It’s going to be some fireworks.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Amir Albazi: ‘I definitely underperformed’ in 2024 UFC return
