UFC heavyweight debutant Mario Pinto was extremely self-critical after his jaw-dropping knockout.
Mario Pinto earned one of the wildest finishes to a UFC debut you’ll ever see. But despite putting himself on the heavyweight map at UFC Vegas 103, Pinto didn’t think highly of his performance.
Pinto and former NFL player Austen Lane clashed on the UFC Vegas 103 prelims, and to that point, a finish hadn’t taken place on the card through four fights. Things quickly changed, thanks to the blue-chip prospect Pinto.
After a back-and-forth first round, in which Lane landed some damaging blows, Pinto fought with a high sense of urgency to begin Round 2. Pinto found a wide opening in Lane’s guard and knocked him out cold with a right hook.
The knockout left the commentary team, Jon Anik and former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, stunned cageside. To no surprise, Pinto earned a $50k post-fight bonus for his efforts.
But Pinto was visibly frustrated after the knockout, appearing to mumble to himself in anger as medical staff attended to Lane.
Mario Pinto slams UFC Vegas 103 knockout win, blames ‘jitters’
During the UFC Vegas 103 post-fight press conference, Pinto explained why he puts his viral knockout towards the bottom of the list of his all-time best performances.
“What I uttered? ‘Oh, absolutely trash!'” Pinto said. “But it’s alright, trash is good…it’s not how I usually fight from my previous performances, but had a bit of the jitters, it’s heavyweight, everyone’s got power. So I just waited a bit too long and shelled up a bit too long, but I got the job done.
“Just took some time to pull the trigger, and I think I got too lost in the moment, tried to be too perfect. It’s a fight, and I’m very lucky and fortunate I’ve got my coach yelling at me…I had a lot more to show, I’ve showed it in previous fights…even on my worst days, I get the job done.”
Pinto earned a UFC contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in October, knocking out Lucas Camacho in just under two minutes. Before arriving at the UFC, Pinto made a name for himself in Levels Fight League, winning three fights in one night on March 11, 2023.
Mario Pinto adds to a growing list of great UK heavyweights
Pinto is the latest in a growing list of top talents out of the UK, including interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall. Aspinall is in active negotiations to potentially unify the heavyweight belts against Jon Jones later this year.
After his win at UFC Vegas 103, Pinto entertained a future fight against his fellow countryman, alluding to his respectful stance towards the interim champion. Pinto and Aspinall are considered two of the biggest presences for the UFC heavyweight division’s future.
Aspinall hasn’t fought since an interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 last July. UFC CEO Dana White is prepared to strip Jones of his title if negotiations don’t progress.
In the meantime, Pinto is off to a fast start to his UFC career, and his debut is up there with the best in the promotion’s history. Time will tell if Pinto will clash down the line with the likes of Aspinall and other top heavyweights.