Kevin Aguilar could be the next human highlight reel for the UFC
If you don't know Kevin Aguilar's work yet, it's probably worth looking it up.
The 28-year-old featherweight fighter from Texas has made a name for himself in recent years while competing under the Legacy Fighting Championships banner before just recently being crowned the first-ever Legacy Fighting Alliance 145-pound champion.
Aguilar is an explosive finisher with only two decisions during his 13-fight pro career. One of those matchups against Tony Kelley was rated as one of the best bouts in all of 2016.
In his last fight, Aguilar landed a vicious knockout over former UFC fighter Damon Jackson in a jaw-dropping finish that added yet another highlight to his growing career resume that includes eight wins by KO or TKO along with two more victories by submission.
Now Aguilar has his sights set on the UFC, where he hopes to put on even more exhilarating fights while proving that he can be one of the best featherweights in the world.
"I would think I'd be on their radar right now," Aguilar told FOX Sports about the UFC. "They're either looking at me or getting pretty close to wanting to sign me, I would think. I'm on a lot of people's radars being a champion for [Legacy Fighting Alliance] and being the last champion for Legacy Fighting Championships.
"I say I stack up very well against the UFC roster in the 145-pound division. I'm just waiting for my shot to go test my mettle against them. To let everybody see how much better I am and I can compete with these guys."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m29nXjESbOU
The lone setback on Aguilar's resume came in a 2013 fight against former UFC competitor Leonard Garcia when he suffered a knockout loss in the first round. As devastating as it was to taste defeat for the first time, it also served as a wake-up call for Aguilar, who took a gigantic leap forward in his progression following that loss.
Since then, Aguilar has gone 4-0 while winning two world titles with finishes in three out of those four bouts.
"I learned so much from that fight. Leonard was a great competitor, he's a legend and he caught me that night. That was an awesome fight for him and for myself. I went back to the drawing board and tightened up my game," Aguilar explained. "I was still growing as a fighter back when I fought Leonard.
"After that, I told myself I don't want to feel the sting of defeat so I'm going to train my butt off to not feel that way again."
There's no denying that Aguilar has a style that is very appeasing to the eyes, especially considering his string of thrilling stoppages throughout the course of his career.
Being known as show stopper can also be a double-edged sword because carrying that reputation around has forced some fighters into less than advisable strategies meant to get the crowd on its feet rather than objectively sticking to the smartest game plan to win.
Aguilar promises that while he always tends to put on the kinds of performances that fans will love, he's never changed his approach just for the sake of making the crowd love him. It just so happens that Aguilar's winning style meshes so well with the kind of thrilling fights that fans seem to adore.
"For me, they just naturally happen. I don't put any pressure on myself to make it an exciting show because I know when I go out there, the performance I put on is already going to be exciting," Aguilar said. "I'm not going to grind somebody out on the ground, just lay and pray.
"It's going to be exciting the whole entire time but I'm going to win and I'm going to stick to my game plan. No matter what, it always comes out as an exciting fight."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5bMUepgAHs
As much as Aguilar appreciates being dubbed a human highlight reel, ultimately the most important aspect of any fight is winning and that's what he wants to continue doing on a stage as big as the UFC.
He doesn't want to get a call up to the big show only to say he made it to the UFC or to win a couple of 'Fight of the Night' awards. Aguilar wants to compete with the best of the best in the featherweight division and anything less than that is just unacceptable to him.
"I'm in the fight game to be the best," Aguilar said. "I'm training and fighting to be the world's greatest like all fighters should be. If you're in the sport to get a t-shirt and get a fight here or there and say that's good enough? No, you're in this sport to be the best just like any sport as a professional athlete. I'm going to the UFC or any organization I fight for, I want to be the best. I want to fight the best guys and I want to keep climbing that ladder.
"When you get the call from the UFC, that's when the actual work starts. I'm there to make an impact. I'm there to fight the best competition and to keep winning."
