Gaston Bolanos made a successful move back to featherweight at UFC Fight Night 279, upsetting 4-1 favorite Michael Aswell Jr. at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Bolanos, giving him a decision win in his first UFC fight at 145 pounds after previously competing at bantamweight.
"I feel like the last four fights, I had shackles on me," Bolanos said, reflecting on his run at 135. "(I was) not only dropping to 135 pounds, which was a really tough cut for me, but I didn't actually make that cut until I made my UFC debut. I don't know why. I signed with the UFC and thought, 'Yup, I'm going to drop a whole 10 pounds.' That was it."
Bolanos returned nearly 14 months after a submission loss to Quant Le, a layoff he says changed him. "It was a little bit of a delay. I was not planning on being out for a year, but it happens," he said. "This year allowed me to grow so much, not only as a fighter but as a person."
Now settled back at featherweight, Bolanos believes he showed a new version of himself. "But 145 pounds is the division that got me to the dance. I don't know why I did that, but now I'm finally back at 145 pounds. I think I was able to show that I'm a tough son of a b*tch and that I'm here to stay."
