Louis Smolka issues statement following TKO win over Jose Quinonez at UFC Vegas 16

UFC bantamweight Louis Smolka issued a statement following his second-round TKO win over Jose Quinonez at UFC Vegas 16 on Saturday night.

Smolka and Quinonez were actually supposed to fight two weeks ago, but Smolka had to withdraw on fight day due to weight-cutting complications. The UFC was able to get the fight re-booked two weeks later and thankfully there were no issues this time around. The first round was closely fought between the two bantamweights, but in the second round, Smolka showed he was the better fighter as he finished the fight via TKO.

Following the win over Quinonez, Smolka took to his social media to release a statement to his fans. Check out what “Da Last Samurai” wrote on his Instagram after the big win.

Got the win guys, thank you everyone for the support. I couldn’t have done it without you. @teamoyamairvine @colinoyama @alexperezmma @giannivazquezmma @mrrightnow135 @iridiumsportsagency @jasonkhouse @jacobparga @yumi_doll @ilovelucysunshine @defendhawaii @virusintl @gfuelenergy @drinkhrw @doc_william_kessler @ufcpi @defensesoap @mmjcalifornia @alwaysreadymeals

For Smolka, this was a much-needed win after getting finished by Casey Kenney in his last outing back in May. Although he’s just 29 years old, Smolka has had some ups-and-downs throughout his career, both inside and outside the cage. The Hawaii native is actually in his second stint with the promotion after struggling to win fights his first time around. He has also dealt with substance abuse issues and has been open about that. But it appears that Smolka is finally focused and motivated to make a title run.

For Smolka’s next fight, look for the UFC to match him up with another bantamweight just outside of the top-15. Beating Quinonez in the fashion he did was super impressive, but Quinonez was not a ranked fighter so Smolka won’t shoot into the top-15 just yet. Win or lose, though, the matchmakers know that Smolka is always going to be exciting.

Who should Louis Smolka fight next after beating Jose Quinonez at UFC Vegas 16?