Isaac Villanueva: Proving Worth by Gunning for Bonuses

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After 12 years of waiting for his chance to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Isaac Villanueva had a promotional debut that did not go as he envisioned. With more time to prepare, and making a return to his optimal weight class of light heavyweight, he heads into his Octagon return at UFC on ESPN 15 with an intense drive to succeed.

“I’m going for the finish. That’s what coach Eric [Nicksick] says. ‘Let’s go for the finish. We want to break his will, and really put on [an impressive] performance. I know some guys go to the judges, and sometimes you’ve got to do that. But, when Dana [White] is offering $50,000 for finishes, you [have to] go for that. I’m looking for the bonuses and trying to be that crowd pleaser,” Villanueva told Sherdog. “I owe it to my fans. I owe it to everybody back home. My son and my family. I’m a blue-collar guy. The oil fields are hurting right now back home [in Texas]. I got a message from one of my old buddies and he goes, ‘you’re doing this for us. You’re giving us something to cheer about Aug. 15. When I got that message, it was heartfelt. I feed off that. This is a make or break time for me. This fight means the world to me.”

In his conversation with Sherdog, “Hurricane” looked back on his promotional debut and the low kicks that debilitated him throughout the fight, as well as the bright lights of UFC competition and the lessons learned from the defeat. He also spoke on moving his camp to Las Vegas and the improvements he has made training out of powerhouse gym Xtreme Couture. In addition, he gave his thoughts on his upcoming match-up against Jorge Gonzalez inside the UFC Apex.