Kamuela Kirk reveals the three goals he has for his UFC 290 fight against Esteban Ribovics

Kamuela Kirk is finally back in action.

Kirk has not fought since March of 2022 when he suffered a submission loss to Damon Jackson in his second UFC fight. In his debut, he beat Makwan Amirkhani after stepping up on short notice. After the loss, Kirk realized it was time to move to lightweight. Once he made the move, he was booked to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC 285 in March.

However, Kirk suffered an injury which was disappointing news as he had to withdraw from competing on Jon Jones’ return card.

“This was good. I was looking to get something lined up for about a month prior to getting this fight,” Kamuela Kirk said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “It was perfect and honestly, I’m glad I didn’t get a fight prior because then I wouldn’t be fighting on International Fight Week. It worked out the way it needed to.”

Although the time off from the injury was disappointing, it allowed Kamuela Kirk to continue to add size and strength as he moves up to lightweight.

“It’s been tough, but it’s been necessary. I’m moving up from featherweight to lightweight, so that isn’t a transition that happens overnight. I wanted to make sure I filled out for the division and put on some strength and size for the division,” Kirk said. “I didn’t just want to be a featherweight that didn’t cut weight. But, rather a true lightweight that does need to come down.”

Now, after a year and a half away, Kamuela Kirk is re-booked to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC 290. It is an intriguing matchup and one Kirk is more than ready for.

“We are ready for everything. I kind of assume he will want to come out strong. He comes out really aggressive and we are ready for that. From every aspect of the game, we have trained and we have trained really hard,” Kirk said. “There won’t be anywhere that this fight goes that I haven’t experienced whether it’s from a fight or training… There won’t be any surprises on July 8.”

With Kamuela Kirk feeling confident he has made the lightweight move the right way, he has three goals for his UFC 290 fight against Esteban Ribovics.

“I want to dip my toes into the lightweight division. I want to get the win, the finish, and the bonus. Those are my three goals for this fight, so that is what I am going to do. From there, we will figure out the next steps,” Kirk concluded.