TUF vet Michael Graves dealing with the pressure of UFC debut well
LAS VEGAS --- Most UFC fans likely last saw American Top Team welterweight Michael Graves coming from behind in one of the most shocking and dramatic finishes in TUF history. We caught up with the 24 year-old a few days before his first official UFC fight, on the TUF Finale card in Las Vegas on Sunday, and he sincerely seemed fine with all the hoopla of International Fight Week and UFC 189 surrounding him.
It is true that the young prospect is heading into his big-league debut, against Vicente Luque, and he happens to be entering the UFC during one of the promotion's craziest weeks ever. However, Graves told us that dealing with it all is made tolerable because he is simply back to fighting, sans reality show complications.
"Yeah, this is a lot, and it's pretty cool, but it's nice to be just getting ready to compete," he explained.
"During the show, there was so much, and it was non-stop. You're fighting, then they tell you you're doing this interview, or that interview. Plus, there's all the stuff going on in the house. Now, even with all this stuff around me for my debut, I'm still just fighting. I know how to do that. I'm training, cutting weight, fighting. I know how to do all that, even if it's a bigger stage."
Graves said that he's happy to have been on TUF, but he's also fine with simply getting back to fighting, without all the attached reality show nonsense. "I was grateful that I got to do the show," he maintained.
"But, I'm happy to be fighting without all the drama surrounding everything. I'm just so excited to get in the cage and compete.
Graves has fought hard for his UFC opportunity. Now, he's just hours away from seeing what he can do with it and he can't wait.
