Cage Warriors champ Nicolas Dalby announces UFC return in heartfelt statement

Cage Warriors interim welterweight champion Nicolas Dalby has re-signed with the UFC.

The Denmark native announced via his Instagram that he is returning to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 160, which takes place September 28 at Royal Arena in his hometown of Copenhagen.

Dalby released a long and heartfelt statement on his social media about his return to the Octagon after several years of struggling with personal issues.

Here’s what he had to say:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0hDEXwhvI_/

“This is how we looked just after I was told that not only did I get re-signed to UFC but that I would also be fighting at UFC Copenhagen. Besides the obvious happiness from getting that message there’s more to this moment than you might think. As many of you know I’ve had struggles with depression and because of that a lot of drinking. This affected many people in my life but -especially- my fiancé. So 1,5y ago when I decided to not only ‘just’ deal with my depression, but also chose to take up fighting again we found out we were pregnant AND I got fired from my job and suddenly had to find a new one in the middle of fight camp, I knew it was a monumental hurdle WE had to overcome. Besides the double-whammy of getting ready for a fight while already fighting depression we also had to fix the major issues we had in our relationship because of my actions… While also dealing with the fact that we were about to become parents. (Talk about pressure!). To those who don’t know: fighting is not an individual sport even though it could seem like it. Besides training at the right gym and having the right trainers it’s especially important to have a safe haven at home where you can relax and gather energy/focus in between work and training. Somehow we managed to navigate through all above obstacles while my fiancé also found the energy to help me by cooking healthy meals when I was too tired, giving me a shoulder to cry on and picking me up when I had critical moments of self doubt and generally just provided me with all the love and comfort I needed to perform in the gym and the cage. So getting re-signed means that not was the economic gamble worth it(lost more money that I’ve earned the last year) it also meant that the insane effort WE put into this as a team paid off. To me/us it wasn’t just an acknowledgement of how I’ve performed in the cage but also a of how well we overcame adversity together and worked towards this monumental goal it was 1,5y ago. Being able to sign the fight agreement sent to me tonight is something I would not be doing if it wasn’t for my best friend, the woman of my life, my baby-mama, my queen, my everything. I love you always!” – Nicolas Dalby on Instagram

Nicolas Dalby (17-3-1, 1 NC) previously competed in the UFC from 2015 to 2016, going 1-2-1 with a split decision win over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, a draw against Darren Till, and decision losses to Zak Cummings and Peter Sobotta. Since leaving the UFC, Dalby has gone 3-1, 1 NC and was the Cage Warriors interim welterweight champion.

Dalby’s opponent has yet to be announced, but his return to the UFC in his hometown of Copenhagen makes for a big event on the European MMA scene.

Are you excited to see Nicolas Dalby return to the Octagon?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/30/2019.