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Chris Wade talks UFC Hidalgo: ‘I wanted to fight at Madison Square Garden’
- Updated: September 13, 2016
Long Island-based lightweight Chris Wade (11-2) goes into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Hidalgo, Texas looking to rebound from his first ever loss in the UFC. On the Mexican border Wade meets Islam Makhachev (12-1), who is also coming off a loss; the first of his career.
Last time out, in May, Wade fought at UFC Fight Night 87 in Rotterdam. There he was stifled by Makhachev’s countryman Rustam Khabilov, who out wrestled Wade on route to a unanimous decision victory. Though Khabilov controlled most the fight, Wade was able to showcase his improved striking, which peaked in the second round with a jumping kick that almost ended the contest.
DOWN GOES KHABILOV! #UFCRotterdam pic.twitter.com/2J6tsO6UEz
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) May 8, 2016
After coming so close to finishing his opponent, the loss is especially painful for Wade. “It’s gonna be a little hard for me to swallow,” Wade told Bloody Elbow. “Because when you’re that close to either twenty-grand or an extra seventy-grand, via a Performance of the Night bonus, by jump switch kicking someone in the head and knocking them out, it’s just a bitter pill to swallow when they survive it.”
Wade watched with appreciation as Paige VanZant finished Bec Rawlings at UFC on FOX 21 last month, using the same kick he threw in Rotterdam. To this day, Wade is still baffled by how that technique did not win him the fight. “I saw blood fly up from his mouth and saw his legs go out,” remembered Wade. “I immediately thought in my head, what I need to do is run up on him and show a couple of strikes to his head and the ref’s gonna step between me and him.”
I tried to sink hooks in and he swam me over the top of him and just crawled up like the Terminator.
But when Wade dived towards the fallen Khabilov, he was met with a kick to the body that shocked the 28-year-old American. “He recovered so fast and survived, I tried to choke him immediately following that, I tried to sink hooks in and he swam me over the top of him and just crawled up like the Terminator.”
Wade says that failing to get the finish from that kick caused him to suffer an adrenaline dump, which made the rest of the fight difficult to control. Wade also blamed an overly one-dimensional offense as a key reason he lost that fight. “I didn’t shoot any take-down attempts and I’m a wrestler,” sighed Wade. “I can’t fight a fight where I only use one martial art, let’s say kick boxing, it’s just foolish of me.”
Though losing for the first time in five UFC appearances was upsetting, Wade is thankful for the experience of fighting a well-respected veteran. He also believes that fight has prepared him well for the adversary …
