JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jeff Molina beat Aori Qileng with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Take a look inside the fight with Molina, who won his UFC debut after getting his shot courtesy of Dana White’s Contender Series.
Molina on the fight’s key moment
“We didn’t want to allow him to walk me down, we wanted to meet him with bone on bone, meaning knee or elbow. I had a hard time finding it in the first round. My coach, all kudos to him – James Krause, coach of the year, 100 percent. We made the proper adjustments in between rounds and that’s what won me the fight.
“Real vets might get upset at me saying that I feel like I’m a vet, but I’ve been doing this since I was 14 years old, so it’s time. I’m experienced for a 23-year-old. I didn’t want to get too gun-happy looking for the finish, but I really think 10 more seconds in that second round, and I would have had a finish.”
It’s anyones fight 😳
These guys are going for it in RD 2! #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/ntw3ZDB4Z1
— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2021
Molina on being back with the fans
“I’ve pictured this moment a million times over, so it was everything I expected it to be. Having fans back is awesome (with) that energy you get. My teammate Julian Marquez – you may have heard of him; bonus winner – told me, ‘Feed off the crowd. Get that cheap pop.’ So before I stepped in there, I turned and looked at the crowd, raised my hand and definitely caught some good energy. Good vibes from the crowd.”
Saved by the BELL 🔔@JMolina_125 absolutely rocked Aoriqileng! #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/GD4OZHof0i
— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2021
Molina on what he wants next
“I want to stay active. I took a little more damage than I wanted to this fight. I want to be able to read books to my future kids, so I need to make some adjustments to not get hit in the head so much. I turn 24 in July, so maybe get another one in around that time.”
To hear more from Molina, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.