Hyder Amil eyes UFC redemption, future Philippine homecoming

Filipino-American fighter Hyder Amil is looking forward to a potential homecoming fight in the Philippines if the UFC brings the world-famous Octagon back to Manila.

Amil (11-2) will make his comeback against Christian Rodriguez (12-4) on the main card of UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Horiguchi on Sunday morning (Philippine time) at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Coming off two straight setbacks, the 36-year-old featherweight sees the bout as the first step towards representing his heritage on a dream UFC homecoming card in the future. Asked about the possibility of fighting in a UFC event in the Philippines, Amil expressed unbridled enthusiasm.

"That would mean the world to me,” the Cebuano told GMA News Online. “Honestly, I want to beat Christian Rodriguez convincingly and do it and just be undeniable.”

“Last year, I was close to [the] top 20. And now just a little bit above that now. But I want to get back into contention and hopefully get a run for the title. That would mean a lot for the Filipino people."

The UFC hasn’t been back to the Philippines since May 2015, when the promotion hosted its inaugural event at the Mall of Asia Arena. That historic card was headlined by a featherweight clash between former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and future Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

A subsequent show was scheduled for October 2016, but was cancelled after MMA legend BJ Penn pulled out from the main event against Ricardo Lamas due to a rib injury. The UFC has yet to return to the country since.

For Amil, the idea of competing in front of Filipino fans carries weight that goes beyond rankings.

"I've never been back to the Philippines,” he admitted. “And the reason is, I just didn't want to come back empty handed. And so when I come back, I want to make sure I win fights, I can do something for people, or come back and bring a UFC [event] or something like that."

To make that dream a reality, "The Hurricane" must first get past Rodriguez—an opponent he believes is simply no match for him.

"I have a lot of advantages over him. I'd say the biggest one is, man, I'm just a different kind of animal than everyone, you know."

"Where he's strong, I'm strong. And I just have abilities that you can't replicate with any fighter. I'm the only one with a 38[-strike] combo. Only other person who can do punches like me is Manny Pacquiao."

Amil enters the matchup desperate to snap his recent two-fight skid. Prior to this stretch, he punched his ticket to the UFC through Dana White's Contender Series, sparking an incredible 11-0 undefeated run.

—JKC, GMA News