LAS VEGAS – Chris Gruetzemacher beat Rafa Garcia with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 28 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Gruetzemacher, who got back in the win column and went the distance in a fight for the first time in five and a half years.
Gruetzemacher on the fight’s key moment
“I didn’t see (the punch in the first round). That’s why I hit the ground. But I came in shape. I just didn’t see the punch. It came quick, and it’s the beginning of the fight – I don’t know how he’s moving. He caught me. But when my butt hit the ground, I was there. … People say I take damage, but I know how to roll (with the punches). My head doesn’t hurt.”
Heavy shots landing early in RD 1 💢 #UFCVegas33 pic.twitter.com/9hloPvVgeA
— UFC (@ufc) August 1, 2021
Gruetzemacher on preconceived notions
Chris Gruetzemacher
“I don’t have any expectations. I plan to hit you and hurt you, and then I just kind of go off what the person does. Everyone reacts different. I didn’t have any expectations of him being super tough. I didn’t expect him to fall, but I didn’t necessarily know if he was going to stand.”
Gruetzemacher on what he wants next
“Maybe end of October, mid-November, right before Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t mind even waiting until December, to be honest, just depending on what we decide with my team. The reality of this is, if this was just about fighting, you’d do it every weekend. But it’s about making money. I want to make sure I put on the best performance to give myself the best opportunity.”
To hear more from Gruetzemacher, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.