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Robert Valentin secured his first UFC victory at UFC Winnipeg, defeating Julien Leblanc by first-round submission. Motivated by the recent death of his mother, Valentin felt compelled to win and make her proud.
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Robert Valentin felt he just couldnāt lose at UFC Winnipeg.Ā
Valentin (11-6) took on Canadian debutant Julien Leblanc (10-3) in a middleweight bout at the Canada Life Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Saturday. Valentin looked for his first UFC win, having lost all three of his previous fights in the promotion. However, Valentin didnāt let the pressure get to him this time, unlike in his previous fights. āRobzillaā also had the added motivation to win for his late mother, who passed away last November. The Swiss fighter scored a first-round submission win over Leblanc to make his mother proud.
āI had all of this pressure and it led me to not enjoying the moment,ā he told the UFC. āI went back to having fun with my everyday workouts and being around people. And another big thing that motivated me is the passing of my mom. I just know that sheās watching and sheās proud of me not matter what. I couldnāt lose today⦠I know mommaās up there watching and sheās so proud.ā
Valentin also thanked his coach, Dewey Cooper, who took him under his wing without any questions. Valentin now feels that he has a team behind him at Xtreme Couture who really wants him to win.
āIām so happy that I found coach Dewey because he just picked me up,ā Valentin said. āHe didnāt even know where I am, what I am, who I am. He just was like, āYou approached me, you have good hands, letās just get to work together.ā And we put in so much hours and so much work. And he gave me the feeling that Iām not alone, Iām with a team, someone that believes in me and truly wants me to win.ā
Robert Valentin was motivated by the passing of his mother, who he felt was watching over him and would be proud of his achievement.
Robert Valentin defeated Canadian debutant Julien Leblanc by first-round submission at UFC Winnipeg.
After his victory at UFC Winnipeg, Robert Valentin's professional MMA record improved to 11 wins and 6 losses.

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