Ode Osbourne didn’t feel pressure of three-fight skid

LAS VEGAS – Ode Osbourne had his back against the wall coming into UFC on ESPN 65, but never felt the pressure from his recent results.

Osbourne (13-8 MMA, 5-6 UFC) was on a three-fight skid entering the showdown against an undefeated newcomer in Luis Gurule at the UFC Apex. Simply sticking to his self-belief, Osbourne went out and put on a fantastic performance, leading to a second-round TKO stoppage.

“When I was going into this fight, I didn’t see anything that he was gonna do to me on the feet – that was my take on it,” Osbourne told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “The one thing that I know he did well was that he moves his head, and he has good cardio. So, I was like, alright, I’m going to take his gas tank away. … Eventually, I’m going to get the TKO, and people are going to start calling me T-K-Ode.”

Osbourne had plenty of praise to offer for his striking coach, Dewey Cooper, who he believes doesn’t get enough credit for his work. Not only did the constant drilling of striking techniques lead to the finish, but Osbourne said a persistant focus on mental growth, maturity and leaning on experience were big factors as well.

Whenever a fighter in the UFC loses three straight, oftentimes their job could be on the line. Despite being in that position, Osbourne said he didn’t feel that pressure, and simply focused on executing his gameplan to bounce back from a string of tough results.

“Honestly, no, because I know how good I am,” Osbourne responded when asked if he felt more pressure. “As long as I’m confident in my abilities, I know where I’m at. I just had to force myself to stay calm. That is the biggest thing, becasue man, once I get going and start using my explosiveness, I just unleash and sometimes I gas myself out.”

Check out Osbourne’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 65.