After scoring a 35-second KO on Dana White’s Contender Series less than two months ago, Nick Galanti thought he was set. He was prepared to relax, help his teammate Eric Nolan prepare for his fight, and eat. Things did not go as simply as Galanti would’ve thought.
“I was in Utah with my boy Eric getting ready for Court McGee. If you’ve ever been around someone on fight week, you kind of try to sneak around and eat food without them seeing,” Galanti revealed following his UFC Edmonton win against Julien Leblanc, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press.
Galanti continued: “I was like, you know what man, I can relax, sneak off to Wendy’s while Eric’s cutting weight. Then I ended up getting fat, and now we’re here.”
Galanti also described getting the short-notice call for this fight, and how it derailed his plans for Jersey Mike’s. Thankfully it did, because Galanti’s weight was a bit higher than expected once he arrived home.
“I’m gonna get in trouble, but when they called me, I thought I can’t be that bad because I’ve been training with Eric and giving him rounds. I got home and on the scale, and saw 219lbs. I was like, ‘How far is the fight?’ They said October 17th, and I thought I had five weeks. I looked at the calendar and was like, “s***”, I have 15 days to lose 35 pounds.”
Galanti originally tried to get on the MSG card, but “didn’t have the name for it.” He then expected to fight in the Middle East at some point next year, which explains why he was so heavy when accepting the fight.
After making quick work of LeBlanc at UFC Edmonton, Galanti has no plan on fighting again this year and is ready to get right back to eating: “I’m so going out and getting a giant cheeseburger and chicken sandwich. I’m not a drinker, I’m not a smoker, but I definitely enjoy my food.”
As for Galanti’s career, he has no problem letting the opportunities come as he’s ready. He doesn’t want to be rushed through his UFC career.
“I wouldn’t fast-track it, brother. I’m very real. I train with such high-level people… so I understand where I’m at. And I’m always trying to grow; I’m not trying to fast-track anything. You fast-track in this game, and you get hurt. I’m trying to gradually build and get better every fight and look like a different fighter every time I step in the cage.”
Watch the full UFC Edmonton post-fight press conference with Nick Galanti above.