EXCLUSIVE: Ian Heinisch says watch out for ‘The Hurricane 2.0’ - I’m truly a new fighter now

Ian Heinisch tries for back-to-back wins at UFC Vegas 13
Ian Heinisch tries for back-to-back wins at UFC Vegas 13

UFC middleweight Ian Heinisch says that he’s a new fighter now, and he’s looking to regain his spot in the top-10 of the UFC’s middleweight rankings.

Heinisch, who’s coming off a first-round TKO victory over Gerald Meerschaert back in June, is looking to get a winning streak going when he meets Brendan Allen on the main card of UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Teixeira on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ahead of his return to the Octagon, Sportskeeda caught up with the number 15-ranked UFC middleweight contender, and he spoke about becoming a more well-rounded person, returning to the top-10 in the rankings, and what’s next after Saturday night.

Ian Heinisch’s past experiences have helped him grow into a better person

Prior to becoming the a top 15-ranked middleweight fighter in the world, Ian Heinisch had it rough growing up. From being diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, to dropping out of high school, seeing his parents get divorced, and then getting in trouble with the law and serving a couple of prison sentences in Spain and in the US, Heinisch has experienced it all.

All of those experiences however, have helped Heinisch’s transformation into the person he is today. The improvements, he says, are astounding. That, in turn, has helped him progress as a mixed martial artist.

“The improvement is huge, and not just with fighting. The improvement spiritually, physically, mentally, I’ve just grown so much, I’m more well-rounded as a human being and that makes me such a dangerous fighter,” Heinisch stated. “Being able to control my future, my career the way I want it to be controlled, and being able to travel and do things I love and make the calls that I need to make for my company, my business, and God bringing me with some of the best coaches in the world, Jacob Ramos at Genesis, and with Peter Straub and Eric [Nicksick] from Xtreme Couture, [I’m] just blessed, man, to have all these coaches in my life, and you’re gonna see a big difference.”
“You already saw a big difference in my last fight, and that was five months ago, so just imagine now,” he added.

Ian Heinisch is looking to work his way back up the UFC’s middleweight rankings

After an impressive debut run in the UFC that saw him defeat Cezar Ferreira and Antonio Carlos Junior, Heinisch found himself in the top ten at the 185-pound division. Thanks to back-to-back losses to Omari Akhmedov and Derek Brunson however, the Colorado native dipped back down to 15th in the division, but has taken the first step in climbing back up.

That first step was scoring a first-round stoppage win over Gerald Meerschaert back in June. On Saturday, he looks to keep the momentum going by taking care of business against Brendan Allen.

“I’m at the end of the rankings list at the moment. I was top ten, I fought these ranked, big name, tough fighters almost immediately, in my career in the UFC, so now I’m at the tail end [of the rankings], I took some close decision losses, I’ve made some adjustments, I’ve made some changes, and I’m truly a new fighter, now it’s just adding to the highlight reel,” Heinisch said.
“I’m just putting some wins together so the UFC can get behind me, and I can build some momentum, build my following, and I can get into these big profile fights and get into these co-main events, get back to where I was and continue to climb the rankings and get that belt," he continued.

Ian Heinisch says he’s ready for whatever comes his way

With a win over Brendan Allen on Saturday, Ian Heinisch will likely get a boost back up in the middleweight rankings. While he’ll likely get a step up in competition in his next fight, he says that he’s ready for whatever comes next.

“When I get past Brendan Allen this Saturday, we’re gonna have a conversation with my manager and my coaches, and we’re just looking for opportunities, man,” Heinisch said.
“This is COVID times, a lot of the guys are booked, these guys keep calling me out, Meerschaert called me out, Allen called me out. I handled Meerschaert, I’m about to handle Allen. [Marvin] Vettori called me out, I know he’s got a fight booked, but if something opens up, I’ll be ready. I’m ready for whatever, man. I feel like I’m ready for any challenge, and just see what opportunity comes my way,” he concluded.

Please credit Sportskeeda if you use any quotes from this article.

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Edited by Santino Honasan