Rising Above Disappointment
For Julius Anglickas, a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship seemed in sight last August. He was victorious on Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series, securing a third-round submission win over Karl Reed. Four contracts were handed out to the five winners on that night. Anglickas ended up being the odd man out. However, on Nov. 8 at Bellator 233, he hopes to prove that the UFC passing on his talents will be a coup for Bellator.
For participants on the Contender Series, finishing an opponent seems to be a sure-fire way to land a contract. Anglickas achieved that, yet as UFC President Dana White announced his selections for inclusion to the promotions roster, the 28-year-old watched as every other winner that night began their UFC journey instead of him. It would be understandable if the let down led to anger and frustration towards the Las Vegas based promotion. And at first, it did for Anglickas.
“There was [frustration]. The first day, and maybe a little bit on the second day. I’m sitting in the chair [at the Contender Series]; he gets contract [and] he gets contract. He came to me and like, he doesn’t get contract. It was like you mother…” Anglickas told Sherdog with a laugh. “So that almost made me feel like a loss. It was like two battles. Win the fight, win the contract. And when I didn’t get the contract it felt like a loss overall. But then I was talking to people. and it was like no, I got the job done. I won, that’s it. I got [$5000] extra. I did my part. I didn’t get the contract, whatever. It’s still a win. It still pushed me on the radar for everybody, and it still worked out.”
In this exclusive with Sherdog, the former Legacy Fighting Alliance light heavyweight champion talked about how his four-fight contract with Bellator came together, and if being on the Contender Series increased his status with the promotion. The Lithuania-born fighter talked further about that night on the UFC-produced series, and if he had confidence about landing a contract. Along with that, he went into depth on his debut opponent Jordan Young.
