Allen Frye remaining humble after UFC Vegas 122 victory

LAS VEGAS – Allen Frye understands why there was doubt and disappointment after his first UFC outing, but hopes his dazzling sophomore showing will turn the doubters around.

At UFC Fight Night 290 on Saturday at Meta APEX, Frye (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) defeated RJ Harris (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by first-round TKO.

"It feels amazing, especially after, in my opinion and a lot of other people's opinions, a piss-poor performance," Frye said after the fight. "I came in here, got outstruck, and tried to just hold on to survive. So it wasn't the showing I wanted to have to the world. So it felt good to get out here and get that finish."

Frye, 28, debuted in December and lost a dull unanimous decision to Guilherme Pat. The loss was lackluster at best, but it served as an important learning lesson for the Derek Brunson protege Frye.

"The biggest lesson was to just be here and present in the moment," Frye said. "I was thinking of all the possible outcomes and just got overwhelmed by that. At the end of the day, the only thing you can control is the right now. So I knew by the way he was swinging at first, he was swinging with his hands kind of low. I knew I'd be able to eventually catch him. At the same time, I knew I was going to have to eat some in the process. I like to think I've got a little bit of a chin, and I'd be able to dish them back out.

MMA is a "what have you done for me lately" sport. Even so, Frye is keeping his head down. With a .500 promotional record, he doesn't feel he's in any position to be shot-calling at this stage in the game.

"I'm 1-1 right now, so I'm not going to be picking shots," Frye said. "I'm just looking to come in here and do the exact same thing, get a first-round finish, keep the fans excited, keep the matchmakers happy. That's all I'm here to do."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Allen Frye remaining humble after UFC Vegas 122 victory