Coronavirus' Impact on MMAAug. 27 of last year was a bitter sweet moment for Impa Kasanganay. The Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight was successful that night, as he earned a unanimous decision win on the Season Finale of Dana White’s Contender Series. However, despite the victory, he was not offered a contract by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It is a memory he tries to recall with positivity, despite not achieving his ultimate goal of a spot on the UFC roster.
“I didn’t get to talk to anyone in particular, but my teammates and coach said, ‘they’re pretty excited about you, and they want to see you have more experience really.’ It was such a funny night, because [before] it never hurt to win,” Kasanganay told Sherdog with a laugh. “The coolest thing was I came back home, and everyone welcomed me with open arms. I really thought I let everyone down almost with that fight. [Thinking] maybe I should have got the finish or whatever. At the same time too, to fight a guy like Kailin [Hill], and get the result that we did, I was still happy. So [the emotions] were up and down, up and down.”
In this exclusive conversation with Sherdog, “Tshilobo” spoke about his busy first year as a professional mixed martial artist in 2019, and his difficulties securing a bout since his appearance on the Contender Series, including a postponed middleweight title fight at LFA 84 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kasanganay spoke about improving on many levels during his first six bouts, and how teammates like UFC veteran Scott Holtzman have been key in his evolution. He also talked about his parents originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and his hopes to one day compete on the African continent. Plus, he spoke on how the COVID-19 outbreak has had a direct impact on not just his fighting career, but his personal training work as well.
