Fighting in a division that is hungry for young stars, 23-year-old Justin Scoggins reasserted himself as a rising prospect in the flyweight class with a convincing unanimous decision win over Josh Sampo at UFC 187.
Scoggins was able to utilize his unorthodox striking and wrestling defense to outpoint his veteran opponent through three rounds.
It was a big win for a fighter in Scoggins that was in desperate need for a win. Following a nice 2-0 start to his UFC career, Scoggins would go on to lose two straight to Dustin Ortiz and John Moraga, and a third straight loss would’ve been catastrophic. Fortunately for Scoggins, he was able to learn from the losses and improve as a fighter.
“I’m a martial artist. I understand that a lot of this is a growing process, and I haven’t done a whole lot of losing growing up,” Scoggins said in the UFC 187 post-fight press scrum. “You never want to say it’s good to lose, but it’s been two of the biggest learning experiences of my life.”
“I feel like a lot of times, I was going in there too focused on winning the fight instead of just going in there and putting my artwork on display. I felt like I did a better job of that today.”
Looking forward, Scoggins is more than confident in his ability as a martial artist.
“I’m the best martial artist in the world,” Scoggins said. “There’s a difference between a fighter and a martial artist, and to me, I’m the best martial artist in the world. Martial arts is a philosophy. Martial arts is about encompassing that perfect balance of body of mind.”
“I’m not there yet, but I’m working at it everyday to make sure my body and my mind are on an even playing field. I’m constantly progressing myself in that way.”
And as far as that unorthodox striking style that he implemented to get the win over Sampo? Scoggins isn’t worried about defining it.
“Bruce Lee said it best, ‘the best style is no style’,” said Scoggins. “I like to go in there, and i like to float. I don’t like to go in there and be like, ‘alright, I got a good jab. I’m going to use this jab the whole time’. I’m going to go in there, and I’m going to take the fight as it comes to me. I’m going to be well-versed in every aspect so no matter where the fight goes, I’m going to be able to adapt, I’m going to be able to flow through and make it all like one big beautiful piece of art.”