“I didn’t think about it. It wasn’t weighing on me, in a positive or (negative) way. It is what it is. That time had passed and that’s all it was. I take it as a learning experience, just as I take my wins as a learning experience.
“It was a draw — I don’t see it as a draw — but when you’re not focused on the result, when you’re focused on the improvement of yourself as a fighter, as an athlete, as a man, these things don’t matter. It wouldn’t matter if I was speaking about it as a win, so it won’t matter now. I don’t take those things too heavily; I don’t take those things to heart.”
What he does focus on and care deeply about, however, is how each opportunity to step into the Octagon advances his career and allows him to progress up the divisional ladder. Though not in any kind of hurry, forward motion is fundamental to all that he does, and with this matchup against Trocoli on Saturday evening, Abdul-Malik is ready to put the months of hard training into practice and take another step forward in his professional journey.
“I’ve been training a long, long time for this, but I’m done with training,” he said with a smile. “I love training, but in my mind, it’s all for a goal, it’s all a purpose, and (competing, moving forward) is that purpose, and I will grab that purpose with both hands.
“It’s gonna mean the next step,” Abdul-Malik responded when asked about closing out 2025 with another victory. “It’s not gonna be too heavy, it’s definitely not gonna be too light, but I’m just gonna take the middle course and enjoy that moment. I’m gonna work for that moment, I’m gonna blow through my opponent’s face 110-percent, I truly believe it. I have the intention of hurting him, and it’s gonna be good.”
Should everything go according to plan this weekend, the sophomore standout will enter 2026 with a zero in the loss column, a trio of UFC victories on his resume, and a tidal wave of momentum gathering behind him.
The middleweight division has become increasingly competitive over the last couple of years, with more promising names pushing forward now than at any other point in recent memory, but Abdul-Malik has all the makings of someone capable of standing out amongst the crowd, and that’s precisely what he intends to do in Year 2 on the roster.
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“Continue to be undefeated, continue to win, continue to dominate and improve my performances, and go up; climb that ladder even more,” he said with a grin, laying out his 2026 aspirations. “Activity, activity, activity; that’s what’s on my mind. Improvement, technique, stakes — all good things.
“I just see my life continuing to be more and more beautiful.”
