Kamuela Kirk is motivated to kickstart the epic UFC 290 International Fight Week card with a bang this Saturday.
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will play host to the yearly attraction that is IFW. A week full of expos, parties, and fan interaction events for the hardcore UFC faithful to enjoy.
Among the card, and set to make the walk for the first fight of the night, is Kamuela Kirk, who is hungry to right the wrong of his most recent outing against Damon Jackson. He faces Argentina’s Esteban Ribovics, who’s coming off his first professional loss.
Kamuela Kirk on UFC 290 Bout
Thus far in Kirk’s UFC tenure, he’s yet to have the experience of fighting in front of a sold-out crowd, with his fights with Makwan Amirkhani and Jackson taking place at the UFC Apex. Now getting his opportunity to fight in front of fans, Kirk can’t wait to feed off their energy:
“I’m very excited to fight in front of a crowd again! It’s been years. There’s just a different level of energy a crowd brings to a fight that’s unmatched. And what better weekend than IFW, where there will be fans attending live from all over the world? I can’t wait.“
In March last year, Kirk was handed his first loss since 2020 and was submitted by Jackson for the first time in his career. Upon reflection, the fight resulted in the 29-year-old making some career changes, taking a year out, and moving up in weight:
“That loss against Damon Jackson was tough, as is any loss. That fight was a major reason I decided to move up to 155. That cut to featherweight was brutal and took everything out of me.“
Exposure of International Fight Week
The UFC likely take requests from more than half the roster with their interest in competing on the IFW fight card, given the event’s magnitude and the potential exposure. Kirk is fully aware of what comes with fighting on the biggest event on the UFC’s calendar, and it’s an opportunity he’s thankful for:
“There are two events every UFC fighter wants to fight on: the end-of-the-year card and the card wrapping up International Fight Week. As a fighter as well as a fan, being a part of this event is a dream come true. I also believe I’m the first fight of the night, so I’m excited to go out there and start the card off with a bang.“
Kirk’s clash with Ribovics’ was scheduled to unfold earlier in the year. However, Kirk was forced to withdraw due to a back injury. “The Jawaiin” is happy the fight never got away from him, and both men can exchange blows while they are both fit and healthy:
“I’m very happy with how things worked out for this fight against Esteban. The back is perfect, and since we’re both healthy and agreed to fight before, it only makes sense to make the fight happen now. Better late than never.“
The top of the UFC 290 card is filled with notable names, fan favourites and dominant champions. Alexander Volkanovski will put his featherweight title on the line against Yair Rodriguez. In the co-main, Brandon Moreno will attempt to revenge his two losses to Alexandre Pantoja for flyweight gold. Kirk weighed in on both title fights:
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
