Tuco Tokkos appreciates first UFC win more because he had to earn it in Nashville

16-07-2025

"He made me earn it and I'm actually grateful for that."Tuco Tokkos talks about the emotions behind picking up his first win inside the Octagon at #UFCNashvilleMain Card Results ➡️ https://t.co/BTIgQYJGqo
Tuco Tokkos met the media Saturday after his second-round submission win over Junior Tafa at UFC on ESPN 70.
Tokkos (11-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) submitted Tafa (6-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday for his first win in the promotion. The U.K.-based light heavyweight said the fact he had to go through some adversity to get it means he'll appreciate it more later.
"That's what I wanted. Obviously, we all want to finish quickly. But he made me earn it, and I'm actually grateful for that," Tokkos told UFC.com after the fight. "I had to go out there and prove it to myself. It was hard to come by, but I got it in the end. I'm proud of myself."
Tokkos said he wants to fight on a card in the U.K. – and hopes now that the UFC officially has a British champion in heavyweight kingpin Tom Aspinall, maybe he can make his way onto an event back home.
Check out Tokkos' post-fight interview in the video below.

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UFC on ABC 9 official weigh-in results from Abu Dhabi (1 a.m. ET)

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an hour ago

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UFC on ABC 9 official weigh-in results from Abu Dhabi (1 a.m. ET)

Official weigh-ins for UFC on ABC 9 go down Friday, and you can get all the results here. The weigh-ins take place at the UFC host hotel in Abu Dhabi. The nearby Etihad Arena on Yas Island hosts Saturday's event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+). Among those weighing in are former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) and former ONE Championship two-division titleholder Reinier de Ridder (19-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who meet in a five-round main event. Additionally, former bantamweight champion Petr Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) clashes with Marcus McGhee (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the co-headliner. The full UFC on ABC 9 weigh-in results include: MAIN CARD (ABC, ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET) Robert Whittaker () vs. Reinier de Ridder () Petr Yan () vs. Marcus McGhee () Shara Magomedov () vs. Marc-Andre Barriault () Asu Almabayev () vs. Jose Ochoa () Nikita Krylov () vs. Bogdan Guskov () PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, noon ET) Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov Muslim Salikhov () vs. Carlos Leal () Davey Grant () vs. Da'Mon Blackshear () Amanda Ribas () vs. Tabatha Ricci () Ibo Aslan () vs. Billy Elekana () Mohammad Yahyan () vs. Steven Nguyen () Martin Buday () vs. Marcus Almeida () This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC on ABC 9 official weigh-in results from Abu Dhabi (1 a.m. ET)