Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani is a UFC fighter, but not necessarily a UFC fight fan.
It’s easy to assume that MMA fighters enjoy watching MMA, but that’s just not the case for Lebosnoyani (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) – a prospect in the UFC welterweight division. Lebosnoyani pulled off a big upset win over Seok Hyeon Ko at UFC Fight Night 281 last Saturday in Oklahoma. The 27-year-old didn’t and won’t call out a name to fight, not because he doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers, but more because he just doesn’t really follow what’s going on in his weight class.
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“I’m going to be completely honest: I don’t know too many names in the division,” Lebosnoyani told MMA Junkie Radio when asked what he’d like next for his career. “I’m not a major fight fan. I’m very focused on my personal growth, and I do study a lot of high-level fighters, but a lot of them are out of my weight class. So I don’t really have any specific names to throw out there. When it comes to shows and arenas and locations, I was kind of hoping for an Apex debut, and they threw me out there in Houston, and with my last fight being in Oklahoma, I’m starting to realize I really thrive in the arena environments. So the bigger the stage, the more pressure, the more I’m going to come through and shine.”
Lebosnoyani gets enough MMA training to prepare for his battles in the octagon. He doesn’t find it healthy for MMA to also take over his life outside the training room.
“I don’t know. I think I focus on fighting when it comes to training, but outside of that, I’m kind of just a normal guy,” Lebosnoyani explained. “I don’t obsess too much outside of the time I’m 100 percent focused, and I think that allows me to live a full life. There’s more to just fighting and being super obsessive over things. My purpose in this life is to find balance.”
What’s next for Lebosnoyani? The Contender Series product has full faith in the UFC matchmakers. He’s been pleasantly surprised by the type of fights he’s been given as a UFC rookie.
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“I’m in the UFC, and I’m here to fight the best in the world,” Lebosnoyani said. “I think the matchmakers are viewing me as a guy who’s going to fight anybody, and that’s going to get his hand raised no matter what, so I foresee some big fights coming in the future.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Why UFC’s Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani doesn’t follow his own division
