Phumi Nkuta Takes Short-Notice Adriano Moraes Fight on Rousey Card
Phumi Nkuta accepted a short-notice fight against adriano moraes for the upcoming Rousey vs. Carano card, stepping in after Muhammad Mokaev could not secure a visa in time to travel to the United States. The undefeated flyweight, now 11-0, said the booking is the biggest payday of his career.
Nkuta Says Yes Fast
“You don’t got to ask me twice,” Nkuta said about taking the assignment. He added, “I’ve been itching for a fight for a little bit,” and said he is “on a mission to fight the best competition in the world.”
The matchup puts him against a former ONE flyweight champion, and Nkuta made clear why that part of the assignment pulled him in. “This is a guy that beat ‘Mighty Mouse’ [Demetrious Johnson]. I want that name on my record. So of course, I had to say yes.”
Adriano Moraes Brings the Test
Nkuta had not been on the card two weeks earlier, but the short-notice opening changed that quickly. He said he had fought maybe a month ago or a month and a half ago, and that he had stayed busy helping Alex Perez get ready for Perez’s May 30 fight.
That work mattered because he was already in shape when the call came. “For me, I was just helping my boys like Alex Perez get ready for their fights and it keeps me in shape, too,” Nkuta said, later adding, “I’m locked in at the gym.”
Most Valuable Promotions Pays Flat Wages
The financial side is part of the appeal. Most Valuable Promotions paid fighters a flat wage, and Nkuta said the money for this bout is life-changing. He also said he had spent his career traveling to regional shows, which made the size of this offer stand out.
He said he was not frustrated about not getting a UFC opportunity earlier, even after being considered one of the top prospects outside the UFC. “I think if I was younger then I might be frustrated but for me it wasn’t really that frustrating because I love my life,” he said. “For me, I was just taking it one day at a time.”
For Nkuta, the fight is both a step up and a payoff. “Frustrated? No, but now that I got this fight is it rewarding? Absolutely yes.”
