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Las Vegas \u2014 Preston LaGrange has arrived in the UFC care of a knockout of Nell Ariano on the Contender Series, where he was a 4-1 underdog, making a long-awaited goal become reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always knew it was going to happen, it\u2019s just finally for real,\u201d LaGrange (7-1) exclaimed following the fight, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press.<\/p>\n
While he may have had faith he\u2019d arrive here some day, the path taken was a little different. LaGrange got his DWCS opportunity on short notice, and up a weight class.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew exactly two weeks before the fight, is when I found out,\u201d he explained backstage at the Meta Apex. When his manager called to tell him a Contender Series opportunity had come up, but was at light heavyweight, LaGrange didn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cI was like \u2018I\u2019m in. Count me in. I\u2019m only 200lbs right now, but count me in.’\u201d<\/p>\n
The discrepancy in weight, which saw LaGrange weighing in at 199.5lbs with his socks on, was never a concern for the middleweight. Who, as it happened, was due to fight for LFA just a few weeks from now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it [the weight] matters that much. Ten, twenty pounds doesn\u2019t really make a huge difference in MMA,\u201d LaGrange opined. \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s going to come down to skill versus skill.\u201d<\/p>\n
What could make a difference moving forward is fight camp. LaGrange has been taking short-notice fights for a while now. So when it comes to his debut, although \u201cI\u2019ll fight whenever,\u201d LaGrange added that \u201cI\u2019d love to get a full camp in. I feel like it\u2019s been a little bit now. I feel like this is all short notice, and the LFA thing. It\u2019d be cool to get a full camp in, but I don\u2019t need a full camp. I\u2019m always training, I\u2019m ready to go year-round.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier in 2026, Preston LaGrange was himself knocked out by Brandon Holmes. Yet while LaGrange is now in the UFC, Holmes lost his second Contender Series bout earlier this year, and is not.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was pretty surreal. Before that loss, I was a regional champ back in Iowa. And I went into that loss I took earlier in the year, and I think that loss taught me a lot,\u201d he said of the setback, and what he took from it. \u201cJust showed me hey, it\u2019s alright to lose. You\u2019re going to learn from this. And I learned a lot from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
LaGrange didn\u2019t want to sit on the loss either, and got right back to work. \u201cIf I had sat on a loss, I would have just been thinking about it too much. I wanted to get back in there right away.\u201d<\/p>\n