No more Mr. Nice Guy: Devin Clark excited to 'be pissed off' and 'humble' Ion Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night 192

LAS VEGAS – If you like bad blood, trash talk, and pre-fight antics, Devin Clark wouldn’t be your guy – until now.

A longtime UFC light heavyweight fighter, Clark (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) excited to leave his humbleness at home as he embarks on his UFC Fight Night 192 fight week journey ahead of his fight vs. Ion Cutelaba this Saturday at the UFC Apex.

“It’s been a long layoff and then the opponent adds to it,” Clark told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I want to hurt him. I want to hurt him. He’s just one of those guys you want to punch in the face. The fans think the same thing, just because of his pre-fight antics and the way he carries himself. Yeah, I’m definitely motivated to put some fists in this guy’s face and finish him.”

Cutelaba (15-6-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) has built his reputation since his UFC debut of doing all he can to get inside his opponent’s heads. From pre-fight faceoff shoves to in-cage throat slashes, Cutelaba isn’t interested in buddying his fight night foes. Ahead of UFC Fight Night 192, Clark knows it’s coming.

“I’d be surprised if he didn’t (do that stuff),” Clark said. “It’s just one of those things. He’s done it every fight. It would be super surprising if he didn’t do it. And if he didn’t do it, that’s a win in my book. I know he’s not going to let that happen. He might need to be ready too, though. Do you know what I’m saying? Like I said, I don’t lay down for nobody. I don’t run from nobody. If you mess with me, I’m doing my thing.”

The prospect of getting mad for a fight is foreign to Clark, but an experience he’s open to. In fact, Clark wondered aloud if a brash, angry mentality could elevate his game to new heights.

“(I’m focused on) maintaining that focus and putting a hurting on him, making him wish he didn’t take the fight,” Clark said. “I really want to humble this guy. That’s a big thing for me. I’m a decently humble guy and this fight has allowed me to step out of my normal and have a little more attitude and have a little more chip on my shoulder. Who knows? This could be the thing that starts setting me apart in my future fights.

“Not saying I’m going to change my personality or nothing but just to see that side, I haven’t been able to be angry and be pissed off and want to hurt somebody and want to cause them to bleed. I just haven’t had that yet and I have that now. It’s kind of a good thing. It kind of feels good. Hopefully, I don’t get too addicted to it.”

UFC Fight Night 192 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.