While Kamaka (17-7-1 MMA, 1-2-1 UFC) always had it in mind that she would return to the UFC, the call came unexpectedly for a short-notice fight at UFC Fight Night 272 against newcomer Dakota Hope.
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“Honestly, it feels more like a relief,” Kamaka told MMA Junkie. “Everyone knows how hard I’ve been working on this, how hard I’ve been trying to rewrite the history that I had five years ago in the UFC, and that’s just been my main goal. We’re here again, and we’ll be able to come back on Saturday, so I can’t really complain. Just grateful, grateful for all the lessons learned throughout this journey, throughout the last five years, the last year since I became a free agent. So, a lot of feelings, but the only feeling I really feel It’s comfortable to know how you feel.
Kamaka’s first UFC career began in August 2020 at UFC 252, where he won a Fight of the Night decision over Tony Kelley. Unfortunately, that would be the only time he raised his hand, as he lost the next two fights and then fought to a majority draw before his exit. He then fought in Bellator and PFL for his next eight fights, going 6-2. Kamaka’s most recent fight was a second-round finish against Joshua Weems under the Tuff-N-Uff banner last April.
Things have come full circle as he feels now is an opportunity to do well in the UFC as a more experienced fighter who handles things better inside and outside the cage.
“I’ll tell you, in five years, I’ve experienced a lot and pretty much everything you could possibly have in this game, and I think that prepared me for this second time,” Kamaka said. “Guys might just remember me from that first season, where I came in with a 7-2 record, you know? I just came in there now with maybe almost three times as many fights, and high-level fights. I fought some of the best that other promotions had to offer, because I tried to stand where my feet were and try not to make up for the time I did in the UFC.
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“I rushed that first stint in the UFC, so when I got to Bellator, I tried to make sure, ‘Hey, I’m not going to rush.’ I still faced challenges, and then I moved on to the PFL. I tried to face the toughest challenges I had there, and then there was a weird time in the business where everyone was trying to figure out the purchase of Bellator and all that, their transition. With things so uncertain, there’s one thing that’s for sure: the UFC is everyone’s dream, and their model of business has continued to where they still are.
Although Kamaka will be returning to the UFC on just a few days notice and doesn’t know much about his opponent, he is confident in his abilities to get the job done to start this second run. He knows Hope (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will be hungry to make a name for himself in his debut, but Kamaka will lean on his experience to help him achieve victory.
“Honestly, I think the arrogance just comes from confidence in my abilities now that, well, I understand what I’m doing,” Kamaka said. “So now I’m more confident in the way I move or carry myself in the ring, in the cage, where there’s more confidence because I’m more confident in the way I do it. I’m actually fighting. So, I want to show the new level I’m at for sure, but I’m not trying to overdo it in any way.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kai Kamaka enters his second stint in the UFC with greater confidence and knowledge.