But for how much longer? That may depend on his performance against Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 23 on Jan. 22.
"MMA is such a crazy sport. A guy can lose a fight at any time so you never know what's going to happen. I don't feel too much pressure that I have to win or anything. It's not the end of the world if I end up losing, knock on wood. I'm just going to go out there and fight as hard as I can and be proud of myself for what I've accomplished. I only started training four or five years ago so I'm just happy to be where I am and I'm living the dream man. It's crazy the way things worked out. Now I'm back in the UFC and [Todd Duffee] is going to be plugging away trying to work his way back. One thing about me is you'll never see me quit. You can turn my face into mashed potatoes and I'll keep going."
Hague (via TSN.ca) burst onto the scene at UFC 98 with a quick submission win over Pat Barry, but ended up on the wrong end of a record-setting, seven-second knockout at the hands of Todd Duffee later that year. Consecutive decision losses to up-and-comers Chris Tuchsherer (UFC 109) and Joey Beltran (UFC 113) sent the former King of the Cage (KOTC) heavyweight back to the regional circuit where he made the most of the opportunity by stopping Zak Jensen and Travis Wiuff under Canada's "Aggression MMA" (AMMA) banner -- just as Duffee was given the boot by UFC President Dana White for having a "poor attitude." Will "The Thrashing Machine" join him on the unemployment line after his "Fight for the Troops" against "Meathead" Mitrione on Saturday night?
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