Nicolas Dalby: 'I never truly trusted myself' before UFC London win over Claudio Silva

LONDON – Nicolas Dalby went through a little adversity to get back in the win column Saturday, but it sounds like he was ready for it.

Dalby (20-4-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) had to mount a comeback after the first five minutes to leave UFC Fight Night 208 with a unanimous decision win over Claudio Silva (14-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC). Silva controlled Dalby with relative ease on the canvas in the first round, but then appeared to be gassed out much of the second and third frames.

Dalby said a new mentality is what helped him get through the rough patch in the opening frame at The O2 in London. His strong second round, including a 10-8 from one judge, got him back in it, and that carried over to the third.

“My performance wasn’t flawless, but I did a lot of the things we trained for and stayed calm,” Dalby said at his post-fight news conference. “I think most importantly, and this sounds odd for a guy who just fought his 27th fight and got his 20th victory, I never truly trusted myself. And I did that this fight, and it made a huge difference for me mentally …

“Mentally, I’ve never felt the calmness and balance I felt for this fight. That made me stay calm under pressure in bad situations, and that’s why I succeeded in this fight.”

Check out Dalby’s full post-fight interview in the video above.