After getting released from the UFC in early 2024, Devin Clark \u2014 like many other fighters \u2014 signed with the Global Fight League for his next MMA chapter. The 17-fight octagon veteran even had his first fight booked against past UFC title challenger Thiago Santos in May. But the fight, or any other event, didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
Now, Clark\u2019s next MMA chapter is a full circle one as he faces fellow ex-UFC fighter Bevon Lewis in a heavyweight matchup this Friday at LFA 214. \u201cBrown Bear\u201d gets to compete in his hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D. Additionally, Clark signed to the UFC after competing for RFA, which is now merged into what fans now know as LFA.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the GFL situation, many fighters involved have publicly chosen the side of \u201cit\u2019s never going to happen,\u201d or \u201cthere\u2019s still something here.\u201d Clark chose to look at things a bit differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I forgot about it,\u201d Clark told MMA Fighting. \u201cYeah, since I\u2019m doing this and I\u2019ve had other things on the horizon. We even entertained [a BKFC fight], stuff like that, and then this LFA opportunity popped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo yeah, I definitely just kind of forgot about it and haven\u2019t really thought about it since, until now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friday marks Clark\u2019s first fight since losing a decision in his final UFC bout to Marcin Prachnio 18 months ago. Since then, Clark\u2019s construction and handyman business has taken off, which has kept him extremely busy while still training and honing his skills in the gym. The 35-year-old is also coaching wrestling at Augustana University in Sioux Falls.<\/p>\n
After a UFC run that consisted on mostly light heavyweight bouts, Clark is happy to go on a heavyweight journey in the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can make 205 no problem, but if I\u2019m not, yeah, I\u2019m comfortable at heavyweight,\u201d Clark said. \u201cI\u2019m weighing around 250 pounds, in pretty good shape, and I have all my power, strength. I\u2019m more durable when I\u2019m not cutting weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was fighting 205, yeah, I lose a little bit of muscle and I start from 240, then I have to wind down in camp to 220. So half of the camp [I\u2019m] spending kind of watching my weight, losing weight, and then we water load or water cut from there, and I\u2019m happy at heavyweight.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Clark getting set to compete in his home city for the first time in nearly a decade, he faces Lewis, who looks for his first win since his lone UFC victory in April 2020. In his most recent bout, Lewis was stopped by Julius Walker, who ended up getting his UFC shot three months later.<\/p>\n
Clark holds eight UFC victories throughout his career, and coincidentally, one of the most memorable wins took place in the one fight he had that didn\u2019t take place at 205.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at the stats, I had one knockout in the UFC and that was the one time that I fought at heavyweight,\u201d Clark explained. \u201cSo it\u2019s like I\u2019m kind of hanging on that a little bit. But I had full camp and it was kind of weird because at the time it was kind of a short-notice deal with William Knight and we had to change opponents. He stepped up, but he said he can only do it at heavyweight. So we\u2019re like, all right, and I knew he was a light heavyweight. So I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, he can\u2019t be that big.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get to weigh-in day and I\u2019m in the back. I haven\u2019t weighed in yet. and I hear him up there and they\u2019re like, \u2018251 pounds.\u2019 It\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, OK. I was off a little bit.\u2019 And I had already started coming down with my weight in camp, so I was weighing about 223 is what I think I weighed in at. So I was definitely a smaller fighter, but I still wasn\u2019t cutting weight, so I think that helped a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n