Before his fight on February 17, Nik Lentz sat down with John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock to discuss all things UFC on
With that notion of manufactured beef in mind, Lentz also laughed off the criticisms that were lobbed his way via his opponent. Lentz has made a case for himself as one of the most grizzled veterans to compete at multiple weight divisions and achieve high rankings. In ten years with the UFC, and over 40 fights on his pro record, Lentz is no stranger to the game. With this next fight against Holtzman, he’s once again looking to put the doubters to rest, and hopefully putting a win streak together in the process.
That veteran status deservedly gives him an edge against a noticeably green Scott Holtzman in comparison. Although Holtzman is one year older than Lentz, his MMA acumen isn’t necessarily on the same level. Lentz made sure to point out those differences to John and made it clear that the resumes speak for themselves. Whether it’s the trash talk or the heightened false narratives, Lentz is taking all the punches in stride and letting his body of work do the talking for him:
“Not to be rude, but, when they offered me Scott Holtzman, I had to go straight to Google,” Lentz shared.
“When they offered [him] Scott Holtzman vs. Nik Lentz, he knew who I was. So there’s a difference here. And I’m gonna show him just how much of a difference there is.”
Revamped and ready
Regardless of the candid words that Lentz had for his opponent, he was careful to still give Holtzman a fair shake. Lentz gave credit to Holtzman’s recent run of fights and believes that he’s a worthy challenge to any opponent at this level. But still lamented Holtzman’s ‘inexperience’ as a key reason why he remains confident within his skill set.
At the end of it all, Lentz needs no further motivation to go out there and put on a show at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. At this stage of the game, with all aspects of Lentz’ life finally clicking into place, he sits at 4-2 in his return to lightweight. In a division stacked to the brim with potent competition, that might not always be enough. Lentz is looking at this next fight as a means of opportunity to make his claim for the top.
Lentz noted that his previous attempts to climb the ladder and fight ‘the next guy in line’ hasn’t always gone his way. With how the company is set up now, Lentz is more focused on making bigger moments in the cage and playing the game to the best of his ability both in and out of the octagon.