'El Tanke' mentality: Christopher Ewert doesn't give a damn UFC debut on four days' notice
A post shared by Javier Torres (@javiertorresofficialmma)
What a 24 hours it was for Christopher Ewert.
On Monday, he wasn't on the UFC roster and was instead preparing for a Dana White's Contender Series bout vs. Yuri Panferov set for August. At 1:30 p.m. local time in Arizona, Ewert's manager and coach Javier Torres' phone rang.
On Tuesday, he's on a plane to Las Vegas. He'll circumvent the tryout fight and enter the promotion directly on one of the biggest cards of the year, UFC 317.
"I was a little surprised because it was four days' notice," Ewert told MMA Junkie through a Spanish-language interpreter. "Like I've told all my coaches, I'm always prepared to fight – today, tomorrow, any time. It doesn't matter for me. I'm calm, even when there's a big storm. ... I've been prepared all my life for this moment. I will take this victory."
Chile's Ewert (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been on the UFC radar for some time, but travel issues nixed two short-notice UFC offers. With his paperwork obtained, the third time was the charm. Ewert will face fellow promotional newcomer Jackson McVey (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a middleweight bout that kicks off the card Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
"I've been ready to represent my country in the UFC for a long time," Ewert said. "I've been waiting for this, to show why Chile is one of the best."
Ewert, 31, is a main training partner of rising heavyweight contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta. He has five finishes (all knockouts) in seven pro bouts and has won back-to-back fights for Fury FC. The who, the what, the where, and the when has never mattered to Ewert. He even recently took a boxing match for Team Combat League in the midst of his DWCS training camp.
It's always been about the process. With the right coaching, and the experience of cross-training with Alex Pereira among others, Ewert is confident he'll make himself a household name in short order.
"Dana White will love it. Everybody will love it. When I get in the cage, I'm going to exchange. I want to do that. That's what Dana White loves, and I'm going to do that. I'm going to be the Tank, 'El Tanke,' and leave everything in the cage. Stand and bang. ... I don't care. I can go three rounds or one round or 10 seconds. I come to win the fight no matter what. I'm a very exciting fighter and I have different styles. I can show I can also grapple. I can do everything. I've prepared with coach Javier Torres and my team from Chile, too. I'll come to win."
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