Ewing faced previously undefeated Rafael Estevam in a bantamweight showdown at UFC Fight Night 272 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Ewing was a bit of an underdog coming into the fight, the live odds changed drastically as the fight progressed. “The Professor” did justice to his nickname, delivering an absolute technical masterclass against Estevam, who seemed to be at his limit. Ewing gradually took down Estevam before dropping him with a liver blow in the final round to hand him his first professional loss. Despite the near-perfect performance, Ewing sees room for improvement. The 28-year-old believes he could have ended the fight earlier and more dramatically if he had not hesitated.
“You guys are saying master class, I heard it a couple of times,” Ewing told UFC. “And I won’t disagree with you. But I’m a perfectionist. So, you see this bump on my eye, I don’t like leaving the stadium with a bump on my eye. There was hesitation, my team and I already talked about it. There were opportunities I could have taken advantage of, and probably eliminated it much quicker and maybe in a more dramatic way. That’s where my mind is always, how could I be better?”
destiny awaits
This was the second undefeated UFC fighter to fall to Ewing. Ewing was a big underdog coming in on short notice against Malcolm Wellmaker in his UFC debut last November at New York’s Madison Square Garden. However, Ewing pulled off a major upset by handing Wellmaker his only professional loss. Ewing is considered one of the best fighters in the world. Ewing clarifies that his goal is to reach the pinnacle of success in the sport and not just fight low-ranked opponents.
“I feel like I’m one of the best, if not the best,” Ewing said. “I’m not here to sit and chat and hang around with these guys below. My goal is to get in here, take on everyone they put in front of me, kill them all in dramatic fashion, get to the top, get my belt and achieve my destiny that I’ve long envisioned.”