Modestas Bukauskas: A Shared Journey to The Pinnacle

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Although Modestas Bukauskas will step into the Octagon at UFC on ESPN 13 alone, nearly every step of his mixed martial arts journey has been shared with his father and coach, Gintas. The pair are even sharing a room together for quarantine on Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi. The ups and downs they have together endured on this path to making an Ultimate Fighting Championship debut seems all the sweeter and a cherished moment they will look back on with pride.

“It just makes me emotional even thinking about it,” Bukauskas tells Sherdog. “We’ve been through so much together. The times where things didn’t go my way or weren’t going so well, he always believed in me. Always pushed to try and get the best out of me. He always believed in me when everyone turned their back on me. When I won the Cage Warriors world title, I put the belt on his shoulder [and] that meant a lot to me. Him being a fighter back in the day and not really getting the opportunity to show his skill set to the world, because it was that particular time when UFC only just came out. It’s almost like he’s living vicariously through myself. He’s living through my success, and my dreams. We’re living it together, so we’re basically achieving the same goals and dreams that he had.

In his discussion with Sherdog, the former Cage Warriors light heavyweight champion talked about making his promotional debut during a global pandemic and at an exotic locale like Yas Island. He explained why his Cage Warriors tenure was key in his development. Plus, he looked ahead to his matchup with fellow newcomer Andreas Micahailidis and the threats he poses compared to his original opponent, Vinicius Moreira.