LAS VEGAS – UFC lightweight Francis Marshall stepped up on short notice a week out, but felt his job was on the line.
Marshall (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) signed up to fight Dennis Buzukja seven days before UFC on ESPN 62. After coming up short in his second and third UFC appearances, Marshall needed to get back in the win column, or perhaps find himself back on the regional scene.
Buzukja (12-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) proved to be a tough out, but Marshall emerged a winner by split decision. Now, he can rest a little easier about his job status.
“It was definitely a do-or-die situation in there,” Marshall told reporters at a post-fight news conference. “But I had the confidence. I knew if I lost this fight, my UFC career, right now, was probably going to be over. So I was going to have to fight to get back in here, but with that pressure, I kind of honed it in. I was able to come in here and perform.”
Marshall credits his training partners at American Top Team for helping him to prepare for short notice opportunities and all that comes along with taking a fight on a week’s notice.
After impressing in his debut with a stoppage of Marcelo Rojo, Marshall dropped a split decision to William Gomis and then was stopped by Isaac Dulgarian. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran bounced back on short notice to get his hand raised, and back to .500 in the UFC.
Check out the full post-fight interview with Marshall in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.
