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Victor Valenzuela says grandmother predicted UFC call before death
TL;DR
Victor Valenzuela dedicated his UFC Fight Night 274 win to his late grandmother, who predicted his success before her death. She had a dream about good news coming, which coincided with his UFC call-up.
Key points
- Victor Valenzuela dedicated his win to his grandmother.
- His grandmother predicted good news before her death.
- Valenzuela won against Max Griffin by unanimous decision.
- He has been competing in MMA since 2013.
- Valenzuela's grandmother advised him to stay active.
Victor ValenzuelaMax GriffinUFC Fight Night 274
LAS VEGAS – Victor Valenzuela dedicated his UFC Fight Night 274 win Saturday to his grandmother, who recently died.
As Valenzuela (14-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) explained during his post-fight news conference, his grandmother didn't get to see him achieve his biggest goal to date. However, somehow she knew it was coming.
"When I had my last fight in Japan, I spoke to my grandma, and she told me shad a dream that good news was coming. She didn't know what, but good news," Valenzuela told MMA Junkie and other reporters through a Spanish-language interpreter. "She told me, 'Please take care of yourself and stay active, and you never know what can happen.' Basically she meant don't get too big or heavy or getting your weight back. I followed it, and a week later I got a call from my manager, Jason, who says, 'Hey, are you willing to take a fight on short notice in two weeks.' I put two and two together, and that's exactly what my grandma was talking about. I took the fight and took the opportunity, and that's why I'm here now."
Valenzuela, 32, defeated seasoned welterweight veteran Max Griffin (20-13 MMA, 8-11 UFC) by unanimous decision at the Meta APEX. The victory was a long time coming for the MMA Masters product, who has been competing in MMA since 2013.
"I believed in myself and just wanted to make it seem like it was any other fight," Valenzuela said.
As for what's next, Valenzuela doesn't think he has the standing to start calling shots quite yet. He only has one UFC fight under his belt.
"Honestly I have no plans," Valenzuela said. "I just walked into the company right now. My plan is to at least fight two more times this year and we'll see when I start positioning myself in the rankings."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Debuting winner says grandmother predicted UFC call before death
Q&A
What did Victor Valenzuela's grandmother predict before her death?
Victor Valenzuela's grandmother predicted that good news was coming regarding his fighting career, which he interpreted as his UFC call-up.
Who did Victor Valenzuela defeat at UFC Fight Night 274?
Victor Valenzuela defeated Max Griffin by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 274.
How did Valenzuela feel about his grandmother's prediction?
Valenzuela felt a strong connection to his grandmother's prediction, believing it motivated him to seize the opportunity for his UFC fight.