Jimmy Crute is back and he’s ready to make another run in the light heavyweight division.
Just a few short years ago, Crute was one of 205’s most exciting prospects, winning four of his first five fights with the promotion — all finishes with three of them coming inside the opening round. But as ‘The Brute’ started to compete towards the top of the division, it all came crumbling down.
He went winless in his last four fights with the organization, though his strength of schedule was considerable. During that run, he went toe-to-toe with the likes of Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith, former champion Jamahal Hill, and back-to-back bouts against Alonzo Menifield.
More than a year and a half removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, Crute is getting back to work, starting with a clash at UFC 312 on February 8 against streaking Brazilian standout Rodolfo Bellato.
Speaking with James Lynch in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview, Crute shied away from offering a prediction but made it clear that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to score his first win since 2020.
“I’m not one for predictions, man,” Crute said. “Anything can happen in there, but all I know is I’m coming prepared and ready and I’m prepared to go through whatever I need to to get the job done.”
Jimmy Crute Comments on Main Event Shake-Up at UFC 311
While Jimmy Crute is 100% focused on his upcoming bout, he was more than willing to comment on the recent turn of events regarding UFC 311 and its previously scheduled headliner between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.
During the official weigh-in show on Friday morning, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Tsarukyan suffered a back injury and is unable to compete. As a result, Renato Moicano will step in and challenge Makhachev for the lightweight world title in Los Angeles.
BREAKING NEWS!!!!
Makhachev will now be facing Moicano for the lightweight title. #UFC311 is LIVE TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus PPV! pic.twitter.com/2JZevvpQP2
— danawhite (@danawhite) January 17, 2025
“That’s what I love about this sport,” Crute said of Moicano’s surprise promotion to the main event. “A loss doesn’t define you like in boxing. You can lose it all and get it back if you are prepared to do the work in MMA,” Crute said.
Once upon a time, Moicano had lost three out of four fights. Since then, he’s gone 6-1 at lightweight and has the longest active win streak in the division right now.
As for whether or not Crute will be tuning in on Saturday to see if Moicano can pull off the upset of the decade, ‘The Brute’ confirmed that he’ll tune into the fight, but probably not until after he handles his own business next month in The Land Down Under.
“I’ll definitely watch that fight whether I watch it now or after my fight, but I don’t have the capacity to care about other fights at the moment,” Crute added.
“I cannot afford to lose! Doesn’t matter if it’s the champion or not, tomorrow I’m winning!” 👀@MoicanoUFC is ready for the title!
[ #UFC311 | 10pmET TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus PPV ] pic.twitter.com/WIBHecnc6i
— UFC (@ufc) January 18, 2025
Another fight on Crute’s radar is a rumored title tilt between light heavyweight king Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. No official announcements have been announced regarding their anticipated 205-pound clash, but it’s a fight that ‘The Brute’ definitely likes the sound of.
And one he’ll be watching with bated breath.
“I like the fight. It’s dirty that they were doing Ankalaev like that, but it’s going to be interesting. I’m not going to pick a winner. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be very interesting to see how they deal with each other and that’s one that I will definitely be watching.”
Watch the full interview below:
