By Lucas Grandsire

UFC welterweight Zak Ottow is back in the win column after crashing Mike Pyle's retirement party at UFC 222. 

The March 3 victory in Las Vegas put Ottow back on track after taking a tough loss to Li Jingliang a few months prior. Clearly, Ottow was ready to move on from that defeat, as the fight lasted less than a round after a crushing blow and a series of follow-up shots ended the fight via TKO.

“I'm just really happy about [the win],” Ottow told FloCombat. “I haven't had that many fights in the UFC, so if I would have lost this one, that would've been three out of four, and that wouldn't have been good. I probably would have lost my job. I'm just really happy to get back on track and get the finish. [On] the regional level, I was kind of known for that. 

“I've just been kind of struggling with some close fights in the UFC. It felt good to get back to a finish. It felt good not to take any damage in the fight. That's good for prolonging the career. I'm really happy about it.”

The Milwaukee native had been alternating wins and losses since his arrival in the UFC back in 2016. But “The Barbarian” feels his win at UFC 222 really signaled a return back to his roots.

“I was just able to get back to my aggressive ways and put the pace on him and stay aggressive early on,” Ottow said. “I think it worked to my benefit. I think I've had enough fights in the UFC now that I feel comfortable doing that again. I feel like I've made the adjustments to my conditioning where I feel confident in my cardio for 15 minutes.”

Before the fight, Pyle had announced he would be retiring after the event. The attention naturally shifted away from Ottow as the storyline became all about Pyle’s last fight.

“I knew most of the attention was going to be on him anyway, just with his career that he's had. It's been a great career and all that,” Ottow said. “Even if he had a couple more fights left, I know he's kind of bigger than I am. It was a good opportunity for me to come in and make a name for myself.”

Following the victory, Ottow gets to breathe a sigh of relief, as the win all but guarantees he will be given another fight in the UFC—something he feels wasn't always a given.

“It was really important for me to win,” Ottow said. “I felt like my job was at risk. One more bad performance in a row, I think, would definitely have cost me my job. It was super important to get back on track and get a win. Now I'm into my second contract in the UFC and these wins are super important because every time we win we get paid more in our next fight. It's really important to keep collecting these wins and moving up the ladder.”

Now looking toward the future, Ottow hopes for an early summer return.

“June 9 would be awesome if I could get on that Chicago card,” Ottow said. “It's really close to home. Milwaukee is really close to Chicago and I live on the south side of Milwaukee. I'd be able to bring a lot of family and friends to that. If not June, then we'll see what the summer holds. June's the earliest I would want to return.”

As for his next victim, Ottow wants someone he was supposed to fight before Pyle.

“The [fight] that makes the most sense to me is Alex Morono,” Ottow said. “I had said 'yes' to fight him a few weeks ago before the Mike Pyle fight came up and for whatever reason, it didn't go through. I've been mentally preparing for him and it does make the most sense on paper. We're both 3-2 in the UFC coming off of first-round finishes over older vets.

“It just makes the most sense to me. Nothing against the guy, I think he's a great fighter and it would be a great entertaining fight. He's aggressive on the feet as well, throws bombs, and has great jiu-jitsu. That sounds pretty similar to me, so let's do that one.”