Hadzovic on misfortunes around last fight in Brazil: I couldn t s t for two days

Get the Full StoryUFC lightweight Damir Had ovi detailed the mishaps around his last UFC fight, in Brazil, and set up his clash with Nick Hein at UFC Hamburg. At UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders in Belem, Brazil this February, Bosnian-born Damir Hadzovic 11-4 disappointed against Alan Patrick on route to a unanimous decision loss. Had ovi , who is based in Denmark, returns this Sunday at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith in Hamburg, Germany.

When asked about his loss to Patrick, by Bloody Elbow, Had ovi was brutal with his assessment. It wasn t my best performance, he said. I think it was one of my worst. I feel a little ashamed of it because I could have done so much better.

Had ovi went on to say that he fought recklessly against Patrick. He was coming off of a Performance of the Night winning KO, via a knee, of Marcin Held at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira in Stockholm, Sweden and was eager, he claimed, to get another KO onto his UFC record.

It was stupid, claimed Had ovi . Instead of being like, Hey take it easy, this is a good match-up for you. I just wanted a finish, but he took the advantage and he got the better of me. But I still believe I am the better fighter. I would love a rematch. And also, it was the first time I fought outside Europe.

HOLYYYYYYY KNEE!!!!!!! DamirHadzo lands the PERFECTLY-TIMED knee and walks off!! #UFCStockholm https: t.co Sk5E2nnMLA pic.twitter.com b2nCuBhI5b UFC ufc May 28, 2017

Had ovi s UFC debut came in Croatia, versus Mairbek Taisumov. Prior to that he fought in Italy, England, Denmark, and Poland. Fighting in Brazil wasn t just a new experience for him, it was an uncomfortable one, too.

The journey to Belem took 25 hours for Had ovi , who flew from Copenhagen to Amsterdam, to Rio de Janeiro, to finally Belem. The jet lag, humidity Belem sits on the equator, bordering on the Amazon rain forest , and unfamiliar surroundings gave Had ovi plenty of challenges when it came to being in fighting shape and at fighting weight.

When I got there I couldn t s t for two days, announced the 31-year-old lightweight. I swear. It was crazy. I ve had jet lag before, so I came there Monday evening and I woke up Tuesday morning and then I had like three or four days before the weigh-ins. I was like, F k man, I m not going to make the weight, because I had so much food in me. But I pushed it through. But yeah, definitely, it had something to do with the fight.

I m not making excuses. I accept the loss. I lost that fight. But I believe if it was in Europe, under those circumstances, it would have been a different fight.

After making weight, Had ovi said he had to contend with the heat. He remembered telling his corner he felt there was something wrong with him because he was dripping sweat backstage. It was like fighting in a greenhouse, he remarked before adding that he was also yawning before his walkout, since the fight took place at 11:30PM local time.

But I accept the loss, enforced Had ovi . I m not making excuses. I accept the loss. I lost that fight. But I believe if it was in Europe, under those circumstances, it would have been a different fight.

Despite the difficult experience of competing in Belem, and losing what he thought was a great match-up against Patrick, Had ovi is happy that he got to experience Brazil; an ancestral home for the sport of mixed-martial-arts. Had ovi said he also enjoyed fighting Brazil because of all the positive experiences he had with Brazilian fans while he was there.

I feel sorry for the people, said Had ovi when remembering back to his time in Belem. Many of them are poor. You can see they have a s ty government that exploits them. So I feel sorry for them. I met some good people, good good people. Some kids, I gave them free tickets. Many fighters, they gave them free tickets. They were so happy.

This Sunday s fight takes place in Hamburg, which is just an hour s flight from Had ovi s home in Copenhagen. He s ecstatic to fight in Germany and thinks he has a good chance of winning once he gets there.

It s a good fight for me, said Had ovi of his prelim fight with Nick Hein. He s a south paw. My last fight was a south paw, so I continue on the same the path. The last guy was long and awkward. This guy is short and stocky and suits me better.

My boxing is better, my kickboxing is better. Only his judo is better, continued Had ovi . But this isn t a judo match in a gi. My wrestling is better, too. People think I have bad wrestling no! Listen; I m not a bad wrestler. I have good wrestling. I just didn t want to wrestle in my last fight. My state of mind was wrong. I just wanted to strike. I wanted to make an exciting fight, but this time I want do mixed martial arts more. I want to mix it up.

One of the reasons Had ovi is hoping he can show a versatile game for UFC fans in Hamburg is because he believes they are closer to being his hometown fans than those of the German fighter Hein.

Had ovi hails from Esbjerg on the west side of Denmark. His family moved there in the 1990s as refugees escaping war in what was then Yugoslavia. Esjberg is only a two hour drive from Hamburg. Hein s hometown of Cologne is over four hours away.

I see this as, if I don t win this fight I m going to get kicked out of the UFC.

So actually it s my backyard, chuckled Had ovi . I grew up there, I have many friends in Hamburg. There will be many cheering for me there. I train in Copenhagen, but I ve also trained in Dusseldorf, Germany, at the UFC Gym there. So these German guys they all write to me from Hamburg and say, We like you. We want you to smash this guy.

Pleasing his friends south of the border is one reason why Had ovi wants to do well in this fight, but it s not his primary motivation. For him, this fight is mostly about job security.

I see this as, if I don t win this fight I m going to get kicked out of the UFC. So I have to win this fight, so I don t want to make any crazy mistakes. I want to fight this fight the hard way. If the finish is there, I will take advantage of it when it comes. But I am fighting for my place to fight.

You can watch The Bosnian Bomber fight like his UFC career is on the line this Sunday afternoon. Nick Hein vs. Damir Had ovi is the featured prelim fight. That portion of the card begins at 12PM ET, live on FS1.

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