Devin Clark changed mental approach to fighting: ‘I’m prepared to hurt people now’

Devin Clark has yet to get a UFC finish but says that will change at UFC Rio Rancho this weekend.

Clark was expected to take on Gadzhimurad Antigulov, but the Dagestani withdrew and Dequan Townsend stepped in who fought not even a month ago at UFC Raleigh. Townsend is a natural middleweight and 0-2 in the UFC. So, Clark knows he will be dangerous as Townsend will be fighting for his UFC job.

“Anytime a guy is going to be fired they will perform a little better. I’m expecting a tough fight and he just fought a few weeks ago,” Clark said to BJPENN.com. “I expect a tough fighter in him and expect anything to happen. We’ve been training for a tough Dagestani wrestler, now we have a striker. We still have to go out there and fight my game.”

Entering this fight, Clark is coming off a submission loss to Ryan Spann which is a fight he feels he should have won. He said he made costly mental mistakes in that fight and has since changed his approach to fighting and has realized he has power and is now prepared to hurt people.

“Almost every fight I hurt the guys and then end up riding it out. That may stem from my wrestling days in being comfortable in grinding people out. Knocking people out is all mental as I didn’t realize how dangerous I was,” he explained. “Going into this fight I know how dangerous I am. I’m prepared to hurt people now.”

In this fight against Townsend, Clark knows he will have the size advantage as well as the cardio as he has been training at elevation in Jackson Wink MMA. In camp, he says Jon Jones and Juan Adams were main training partners and he’s confident he will get his hand raised and will do so by stoppage to earn his first UFC finish.

“It is one of those fights that is set up for me to get a finish. Every guy in the UFC is tough and he is on the verge of getting cut so who knows what he will come with,” he said. “I think in the first round, maybe in the second round, I do finish him. I’ve been training at altitude. He just had a fight and hasn’t been training int he last few weeks I assume. It will be a life lesson for him to stay no sometimes.”

In the end, Devin Clark says he will be a different fighter inside the Octagon at UFC Rio Rancho and it will be the start of a long winning streak.

“Screw that, screw losing two in a row. I’m not a loser and I’ve always been a winner and I’m not letting my career dwindle away. I made the right adjustments mentally,” he concluded. “I don’t ever want to lose a fight again, honestly. That’s the goal, never lose a fight again. It’s time for me to finally live up to my potential.”

Do you think Devin Clark will get his hand raised on Saturday at UFC Rio Rancho?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/12/2020.