Athletes
Everything Changed For Austin Lingo
UFC Featherweight Austin Lingo Enters UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Bueno Silva With A Fire In His Eyes.
When it comes to Austin Lingo, it’s simple.
Lingo isn’t much of talker and prefers to express himself with beautiful violence inside the Octagon. He’s also not afraid to step up when there is a challenge – even if it doesn’t go according to plan.
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In March, “Lights Out” accepted a short-notice bout with Nate Landwehr and suffered his first defeat in the UFC. It was also the first time Lingo had been finished in his pro MMA career.
His team at Fortis and his head coach, Sayif Saud, knew that they didn’t have to give him a push after the Landwehr fight. They knew the loss would light a fire within Lingo and he would do everything in his power to make sure he wouldn’t feel that way again.
“A lot of people were like, ‘We don’t even have to tell you anything.’ My coach was like, ‘I don’t even have to tell you anything because when you lose like that it’s in the back of your head. It bothers you more than anything,’” Lingo told UFC.com. “I’ve been training three times as hard. I took that loss and went straight to the gym. I didn’t even take any time off. It’s been a crazy fight camp this time, and coming into this fight camp I feel a lot better than I did.”
This weekend at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Bueno Silva, he welcomes Melquizael Costa to the featherweight division.
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Lingo is excited to see how all the work he put in after his “wake-up call” will translate against Costa. He’s looking to put the pressure on him immediately and get a good read early in the bout. From there, he’s looking to take Costa into deep waters and prevent him from securing his first UFC victory.
Costa comes into this weekend fresh off a loss in his UFC debut against the talented Thiago Moises. He decided to move down to featherweight and see how he stacks up in one of the UFC’s most talent rich divisions.
Lingo is intrigued by the matchup, but he’s confident that his preparation has him ready for whatever Costa throws his way.
“I know he’s got great kicks and he’s a really tough guy. He’s coming down from lightweight, so I know he’s going to be big,” Lingo said. “But hey, that’s who I fight in the gym. I fight the featherweights and the lightweights. I know what he’s coming with.”
Beating Costa in emphatic fashion will be a major signal to Lingo that the results will come if truly becomes the hardest worker in the room.
“It’s going to be an eye-opener on the camp that I put in and the work and what I need to do the rest of the time I’m in the UFC,” Lingo said. “Three training sessions instead of one. Giving the maximum effort versus minimum. Everything changed. The effort – everything. Knowing that I did the work and put it all on the line.
“I’m here to fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Bueno Silva took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 15, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
